The Adventurous Simplicissimus · Chapter
IX: Crooked Praise of a Proper Lady explained
Simplicissimus, now a fool in the household, is brought before noble ladies to perform.
What happens
Simplicissimus, now a fool in the household, is brought before noble ladies to perform. When one lady mocks him for not speaking, he retorts with clever insults, comparing them to apes. Pressed by his lord to praise a lady properly, he delivers a backhanded compliment, mocking her appearance and attire in crude, rustic terms, causing great laughter before he slips away.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance
Simplicissimus's 'praise' exposes the artificiality of the lady's beauty, contrasting her powdered skin and styled hair with natural, rustic standards.
Folly and Wisdom
Simplicissimus, though called a fool, uses his wit to critique social pretensions, embodying the wisdom of the fool.
Characters to notice
- Simplicissimus
Acts as the lord's fool, delivering a crooked praise of a lady.
- The Governor
The lord who commands Simplicissimus to praise the lady and mocks his foolishness.
Key passages
“I had also heard apes could not speak, but now could plainly hear ’twas not so.”
Simplicissimus retorts that he heard apes cannot speak, but now he hears one speaking, implying the lady is an ape.
A clever insult turning the lady's mockery back on her.
“The villain hath left those parts, which should cover the neck and the breast, below in the skirts: and therefore do these so trail behind.”
Simplicissimus blames the tailor for making the lady's dress reveal her neck and bosom by cutting the fabric incorrectly.
A crude critique of fashion, using the excuse of a bad tailor to insult the lady's attire.
“her hair so sweetly done up in rolls that it is like unto pipe-stems; yea, and as if one had hanged upon each side of her head a pound of candles or a dozen of sausages.”
He compares the lady's curled hair to pipe stems and sausages hanging from her head.
A grotesque and humorous description mocking elaborate hairstyles.