The King utilizes metaphor, personification, and employs some Elizabethan English dialect while discussing the concept of honor and reproaching Bertram for dismissing Helen:
She is young, wise, fair [...]
And these breed honor.
That is honor’s scorn
Which challenges itself as honor’s born
And is not like the sire.
Honors thrive
When rather from our acts we them derive
Than our foregoers. The mere word’s a slave
Debauched on every tomb, on every grave
A lying trophy, and as oft is dumb
Where dust and damned oblivion is the tomb
Of honored bones indeed.
The King employs a metaphor here, characterizing honor as a “slave” whom people debase for unprincipled purposes. This metaphor suggests that the term “honor” is often misused and stripped of its true meaning. The King is here pointing out to Bertram that a woman’s virginity is a poor measure of her honorable character, as honor should be derived from “acts,” not from a “lying trophy.”
Furthermore, honor is personified here, as Shakespeare gives it human attributes such as thriving, challenging, and being born. The King is trying to persuade Bertram that although that honor is good, it should be something that’s cultivated through virtuous actions rather than relying solely on arbitrary qualifications like lineage.
When the King slurs the word “debauched” to “debosh’d,” it’s indicative of his frustration. This use of dialect implies his disdain for how the term “honor” is frequently degraded and deprived of its genuine significance. He literally “debauches” the word “debauched,” demonstrating to the audience how easy it is to use a word—like honor—incorrectly.
