Poetry · Chapter
Act II explained
Empedocles, alone on the summit of Mount Etna, contemplates his profound weariness and estrangement from humanity.
What happens
Empedocles, alone on the summit of Mount Etna, contemplates his profound weariness and estrangement from humanity. He resolves to end his life by casting himself into the volcano, seeing death as a return to the elements. Callicles sings below of Typho and the gods, while Empedocles reflects on the triumph of cunning over greatness, the loss of youthful joy, and the deadness he perceives in himself compared to the living cosmos.
Themes in this chapter
Isolation and Estrangement
Empedocles is utterly alone, unable to live with men or himself, feeling banished and cut off from all human connection.
Burden of Consciousness
Empedocles describes himself as 'a naked, eternally restless mind,' burdened by thought and unable to find joy or peace.
Nature and Transcendence
He turns to the elements as his 'friends' and 'willing ministers,' seeking union with the natural world through death.
Characters to notice
- Empedocles
Alone on Etna, he decides to end his life, feeling weary, banished, and unable to live with men or himself.
- Callicles
Sings below the summit, his lyre music contrasting with Empedocles' despair, telling of Typho and the Olympian gods.
- Pausanias
Mentioned as having left; Empedocles reflects that he has learned his lesson and can now face life.
Key passages
“The weary man, the banish'd citizen— Whose banishment is not his greatest ill, Whose weariness no energy can reach, And for whose hurt courage is not the cure— What should I do with life and living more?”
Empedocles sees himself as exhausted and exiled, beyond the help of effort or bravery, and questions the point of continuing to live.
This captures his profound despair and sense of futility.
“Before the sophist brood hath overlaid The last spark of man's consciousness with words— Ere quite the being of man, ere quite the world Be disarray'd of their divinity— Before the soul lose all her solemn joys, And awe be dead, and hope impossible, And the soul's deep eternal night come on— Receive me, hide me, quench me, take me home!”
He implores the elements to accept him before rationalism extinguishes the last divine spark in humanity and all hope is lost.
This plea reflects his desire for a transcendent escape from a world losing its spiritual meaning.
“The brave impetuous heart yields everywhere To the subtle, contriving head; Great qualities are trodden down, And littleness united Is become invincible.”
Empedocles observes that bold and noble hearts are defeated by cunning minds, and that petty people united have become unstoppable.
This expresses his bitterness at the triumph of mediocrity and manipulation over greatness.