This particular line comes from Ferdinand, who himself is undergoing "baseness," namely carrying lots of wood, to prove himself worthy of Miranda. He gets this idea in part from the traditions of the Reservation, but he also gets it from Shakespeare. (Check out our discussion of A Midsummer Night's Dream below.) "But some kinds of baseness are nobly undergone." (12.47) John tries to explain to Lenina that he wants to undergo something horrible to prove himself worthy to her. Unfortunately, either John or Huxley got his Shakespeare mixed up, because Ariel is NOT the tricky little spirit who can put a girdle around the earth in forty minutes. He basically just goes around performing tasks for his master. "Still," he said, "Ariel could put a girdle round the earth in forty minutes." (11.31) Ariel is one of two "spirits" in The Tempest who act as servants to this powerful guy Prospero (Miranda's father, if you're following along). Finally, though, John interprets the quote as "a challenge, a command." It is this line that spurs him to the act of throwing soma boxes out of the window. The third time he is fully aware of the irony, and "the words him derisively" as he leaves the hospital after Linda's death. Of course, the second time, he's violently retching behind the bushes with disgust. When he first speaks the line it is with all the awe and amazement of Miranda's original utterance. ![]() ![]() O brave new world that has such people in it!" (8.84-.90, 11.40, 15.4, 15.10) Aside from the meaning of the quote, which we talk about in "What's Up with the Title?," the repeated occurrences of this line are a great way to trace John's evolving opinion of the World State.
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