Poetry · Chapter
Three Kinds of a Rogue explained
This satirical poem in three parts excoriates a figure named Sharon, portraying him first as a corrupt and somnolent senator, then as a decrepit old man futilely chasing pleasure and cheating fate, and finally as a tormented wretch sufferin
What happens
This satirical poem in three parts excoriates a figure named Sharon, portraying him first as a corrupt and somnolent senator, then as a decrepit old man futilely chasing pleasure and cheating fate, and finally as a tormented wretch suffering under a woman's domination while the natural world and even hell itself react to his agonies. The poem concludes with a grim prophecy of his death and burial among those he helped destroy.
Themes in this chapter
Political Satire
Sharon is portrayed as a corrupt, sleeping senator whose every vote is a crime, embodying political incompetence and venality.
Mortality and Regret
The poem dwells on Sharon's decay, his futile attempts to stave off death, and the final prophecy of his burial among the dead.
Deception and Self-Deception
Sharon cheats even in his reformation, grasps at shadows, and remains blind to his own ruin.
Characters to notice
- Sharon
The central figure of the poem, depicted as a corrupt senator, a decrepit hedonist, and a tormented wretch.
Key passages
“Each word a folly and each vote a crime; Law for our governance well skilled to make By knowledge gained in study how to break;”
Sharon's every utterance is foolish and his votes are criminal; he learned how to make laws by studying how to break them.
Highlights the satirical portrayal of a lawmaker who is an expert in lawbreaking.
“Dicing with Death—the finish of the game, And curses still his candle’s wasting flame,”
Gambling with death as his life nears its end, he curses his dwindling vitality.
Emphasizes the theme of mortality and the futility of his struggle.
“You’ll lie among the dead you helped to kill, And be in good society at last, Your purse unsilvered and your face unbrassed.”
You will be buried with the people you destroyed, finally joining respectable company, but stripped of your wealth and pretense.
A grim conclusion predicting Sharon's ironic fate of social acceptance only in death.