What Is Love
For Arethusa, this is a question easily answered through a heartfelt and quite poetic metaphor. Or, to be more precise, she engages metaphor to describe to Philaster what his love for her is. Or, to be even more precise, her metaphor describes what life for her without his love would be like. Actually, it's a rather complicated question, what is love.
“Thy love: without which, all the Land Discovered yet, will serve
me for no use, But to be buried in.”
“The outlandish Prince looks like a Tooth-drawer.”
Here’s an interesting simile. Before its meaning can be extricated, of course, it must become clear what, exactly, is a Tooth-drawer. Although, to be honest, even knowing this information may not exactly clear up the metaphorical image being constructed. A Tooth-drawer is an archaic term no longer generally used to describe a dentist; as in drawing out teeth from the gums. Now all one needs to do is figure out what a dentist looked like in the early 1600’s and sense can then be made of this unusual comparison.
Virtuous Reputation
Philaster is at heart a story about the power of words and the potential consequences of lies. As with all courtly stories, the one thing a woman has which is of any worth at all is her honor. Taint of a virtuous reputation is like throwing pebbles into the water and watching the ripples flow outward. Or, as Philaster put it in much more poetic metaphor:
“to rob a Lady
Of her good name, is an infectious sin,
Not to be pardon'd”
Turtle Passion
Philaster draws an interesting metaphorical comparison for himself at one point when he is on the verge of being accused of madness and is directly confronted by the king for being too bold. The concept of turtle power has clearly evolved over the several centuries, for what Philaster describes sounds like neither a ninja nor a mutant. “
I am too tame,
Too much a Turtle, a thing born without passion,
A faint shadow, that every drunken cloud sails over,
And makes nothing.”
Being Fruitful and Multiplying
The play comes to a happy ending with Philaster and Arethusa getting together with the blessing of her father the King. He confers up them not just a blessing, but an imperative hope for his future son-in-law to promiscuously engage in procreative activity with his daughter which results in sending their offspring as far as the kingdom can extends. Of course, he puts this in less literal and more metaphorical terms:
“That you may grow your selves over all Lands,
And live to see your plenteous branches spring
Where ever there is Sun.”
