Like the wreath of radiant fire
On flick’ring Phoebus’ front.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 2, Scene 2. Kent uses overblown speech to compare Cornwall’s influence to a "wreath of radiant fire."
But he takes the flattery so far with this simile that there is more mockery than truth in it. The irony is compounded by the fact that just before this passage Kent has been mocking the flattery of most courtiers.
But he takes the flattery so far with this simile that there is more mockery than truth in it. The irony is compounded by the fact that just before this passage Kent has been mocking the flattery of most courtiers.