Summer's Last Will And Testament By Thomas Nashe Analysis

The poet, Thomas Nashe is an Elizabethan era poet playwright and satirist. He is known for his style of writing that reflects his variety of voice and tone, profligate wordplay, flashy but perhaps excessive pomposity, and his distinct flair for irony and his linguistic expertise.
The poem comes from his play ‘Summer’s Last Will and Testament’ which was performed in the company of the archbishop of Canterbury in 1592. Although the 16th century suffered through times of plague I believe the poet meant to capture not only the path left behind by the predatory disease but also our vulnerability to it. In today’s time, it may be interpreted as no matter how far the human race advances scientifically, technologically or physiologically we will never

Which in aids the conception of the contributing aspects of the situation. In the third verse “Beauty is but a flower, Which wrinkles will devour” which reminds us that death only distorts beauty, while disease degrades the strong to pathetic weakness and “worms feed” upon the flesh of the dead. The imagery used is quite literal in its time because of the physical manifestation of the disease caused large, repulsive blisters and the infected were unable to stand reduced to extreme frailty due to the fever and fatigue.
The third verse also carries the lines “Brightness falls from the air, Queens have died young and fair, Dust hath closed Helen’s eye.” And in the fourth verse “worms feed on Hector brave” Which is a clear reference to Queen Helen and prince hector from the Iliad both symbols of youth, however Queen Helen was viewed as treacherous where as Prince Hector was reputed to be brave, thoughtful and devoted. Both of whom were murdered in the course of the play. They represent the moral wellness of people, the good and the bad and how no matter where you fall in the specter you can not escape