Cardinal Wolsey

Cardinal Wolsey In the Cardinal Wolsey speech Wolsey has just been removed from position as the advisor to the king. His diminished attitude towards the affair has lead him to reveal his feelings of anguish to the crowd. It is as though a tragic event such as this was enough to make him reconsider the value of his position.
Wolsey’s depression is made clear by the way he positions himself in the midst of his downfall he feels as though everything he has ever had has wasted away. At one point in the speech Wolsey states: “My high-blown pride at length broke under me, and now has left me, weary and old with service.” By this it is obvious the position of advisor was all that Wolsey cared to live for. As a result of his life being suddenly reformed he doesn’t know what to do and feels lost.
The tone displayed in the speech fulfills a dramatically desolate tone which aids the crowd in realizing the feelings that are being expressed by Wolsey. Since he has just been the victim of a unforeseen event he feels alone and sees no hope in his life. During his speech he makes a remark to try to illustrate the experience he states: “and when he falls, he falls like Lucifer, never to hope again.” The reference to Lucifer, or Satan, gives off the feeling of death which works well to make his point of which he feels that there is no point to life anymore. Satan is known for his affiliation with evil. The fact that Wolsey associates his reign as advisor with an evil character such as Lucifer portrays that he doesn’t see life in the same way he did before. He feels as though his downfall was not an act of justice.
Through the speech he also makes remarks that are suppose to emulate the life style of man and how it relates to what has happened in his case. Wolsey says “This is the state of man: to-day he puts forth the tender leaves of hopes, to-morrow blossoms, and bears his blushing honors thick upon him; The third day comes a frost a killing frost”. The severity of what