The Blazing World

by

Margaret Cavendish

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The Emperor Character Analysis

The beloved Emperor of the Blazing World lives in the infinitely rich city of Paradise and rules firmly but generously, maintaining peace and unity throughout the entire land. When he first meets the Lady, the Emperor immediately falls in love with her, recognizes her as a goddess, and hands her complete power to rule the Blazing World as she wishes. Later, he insists on helping the Empress invade her native world, and he takes after the Duke and Duchess by learning to train horses and direct plays, respectively. Like the Duke, he embodies benevolent, wise leadership: he learns from other people’s knowledge, and he refuses to let conventions about gender prevent him from fostering women’s wisdom and talent.

The Emperor Quotes in The Blazing World

The The Blazing World quotes below are all either spoken by The Emperor or refer to The Emperor. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Fiction, Fancy, and Utopia Theme Icon
).
Part 1 Quotes

They made their ships and tacklings ready to sail over into the island, where the Emperor of their Blazing World (for so it was called) kept his residence; very good navigators they were; […] above the rest, they had an extraordinary art, much to be taken notice of by experimental philosophers, and that was a certain engine, which would draw in a great quantity of air, and shoot forth wind with a great force; this engine in a calm, they placed behind their ships, and in a storm, before; for it served against the raging waves, like canons against an hostile army, or besieged town.

Related Characters: Margaret Cavendish (speaker), The Empress, The Emperor
Page Number: 128-9
Explanation and Analysis:

No sooner was the Lady brought before the Emperor, but he conceived her to be some goddess, and offered to worship her; which she refused, telling him, (for by that time she had pretty well learned their language) that although she came out of another world, yet was she but a mortal; at which the Emperor rejoicing, made her his wife, and gave her an absolute power to rule and govern all that world as she pleased. But her subjects, who could hardly be persuaded to believe her mortal, tendered her all the veneration and worship due to a deity.

Related Characters: Margaret Cavendish (speaker), The Empress, The Emperor
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:

Then I will have, answered she, the soul of some ancient famous writer, either of Aristotle, Pythagoras, Plato, Epicurus, or the like. The spirit said, that those famous men were very learned, subtle, and ingenious writers, but they were so wedded to their own opinions, that they would never have the patience to be scribes. Then, said she, I’ll have the soul of one of the most famous modern writers, as either of Galileo, Gassendus, Descartes, Helmont, Hobbes, H. More, etc. The spirit answered, that they were fine ingenious writers, but yet so self-conceited, that they would scorn to be scribes to a woman. But, said he, there’s a lady, the Duchess of Newcastle, which although she is not one of the most learned, eloquent, witty and ingenious, yet is she a plain and rational writer, for the principle of her writings, is sense and reason.

Related Characters: Margaret Cavendish (speaker), The Empress, The Emperor, The Duchess, The Immaterial Spirits
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:

Lest the Emperor, or any of his subjects should know of her travel, and obstruct her design, she sent for some of the spirits she had formerly conversed withal, and enquired whether none of them could supply the place of her soul in her body at such a time, when she was gone to travel into another world? They answered, yes, they could; for not only one, said they, but many spirits may enter into your body, if you please.

Related Characters: Margaret Cavendish (speaker), The Empress, The Emperor, The Duchess, The Immaterial Spirits
Page Number: 189
Explanation and Analysis:

Thus those two female souls travelled together as lightly as two thoughts into the Duchess her native world; and which is remarkable, in a moment viewed all the parts of it, and all the actions of all the creatures therein, especially did the Empress’s soul take much notice of the several actions of human creatures in all the several nations and parts of that world, and wondered that for all there were so many several nations, governments, laws, religions, opinions, etc. they should all yet so generally agree in being ambitious, proud, self-conceited, vain, prodigal, deceitful, envious, malicious, unjust, revengeful, irreligious, factious, etc.

Related Characters: Margaret Cavendish (speaker), The Empress, The Emperor, The Duchess
Page Number: 190
Explanation and Analysis:

The Duchess answered, that since she heard by her Imperial Majesty, how well and happily the world had been governed when she first came to be Empress thereof, she would advise her Majesty to introduce the same form of government again, which had been before; that is, to have but one sovereign, one religion, one law, and one language, so that all the world might be but as one united family, without divisions; nay, like God, and his blessed saints and angels: otherwise, said she, it may in time prove as unhappy, nay, as miserable a world as that is from which I came.

Related Characters: The Empress (speaker), The Duchess (speaker), The Emperor, The Bear-Men, The Fish-Men, The Worm-Men, The Ape-Men, The Satyrs
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 201
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2 Quotes

The Empress asked, are those good plays that are made so methodically and artificially? The Duchess answered, they were good according to the judgement of the age, or mode of the nation, but not according to her judgement; for truly, said she, in my opinion, their plays will prove a nursery of whining lovers, and not an academy or school for wise, witty, noble, and well-behaved men. But I, replied the Emperor, desire such a theatre as may make wise men; and will have such descriptions as are natural, not artificial. If Your Majesty be of that opinion, said the Duchess’s soul, then my plays may be acted in your Blazing World, when they cannot be acted in the Blinking World of Wit; and the next time I come to visit Your Majesty, I shall endeavour to order Your Majesty’s theatre, to present such plays as my wit is capable to make.

Related Characters: The Empress (speaker), The Emperor (speaker), The Duchess (speaker), Margaret Cavendish, The Duke of Newcastle
Page Number: 220
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Blazing World PDF

The Emperor Quotes in The Blazing World

The The Blazing World quotes below are all either spoken by The Emperor or refer to The Emperor. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Fiction, Fancy, and Utopia Theme Icon
).
Part 1 Quotes

They made their ships and tacklings ready to sail over into the island, where the Emperor of their Blazing World (for so it was called) kept his residence; very good navigators they were; […] above the rest, they had an extraordinary art, much to be taken notice of by experimental philosophers, and that was a certain engine, which would draw in a great quantity of air, and shoot forth wind with a great force; this engine in a calm, they placed behind their ships, and in a storm, before; for it served against the raging waves, like canons against an hostile army, or besieged town.

Related Characters: Margaret Cavendish (speaker), The Empress, The Emperor
Page Number: 128-9
Explanation and Analysis:

No sooner was the Lady brought before the Emperor, but he conceived her to be some goddess, and offered to worship her; which she refused, telling him, (for by that time she had pretty well learned their language) that although she came out of another world, yet was she but a mortal; at which the Emperor rejoicing, made her his wife, and gave her an absolute power to rule and govern all that world as she pleased. But her subjects, who could hardly be persuaded to believe her mortal, tendered her all the veneration and worship due to a deity.

Related Characters: Margaret Cavendish (speaker), The Empress, The Emperor
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:

Then I will have, answered she, the soul of some ancient famous writer, either of Aristotle, Pythagoras, Plato, Epicurus, or the like. The spirit said, that those famous men were very learned, subtle, and ingenious writers, but they were so wedded to their own opinions, that they would never have the patience to be scribes. Then, said she, I’ll have the soul of one of the most famous modern writers, as either of Galileo, Gassendus, Descartes, Helmont, Hobbes, H. More, etc. The spirit answered, that they were fine ingenious writers, but yet so self-conceited, that they would scorn to be scribes to a woman. But, said he, there’s a lady, the Duchess of Newcastle, which although she is not one of the most learned, eloquent, witty and ingenious, yet is she a plain and rational writer, for the principle of her writings, is sense and reason.

Related Characters: Margaret Cavendish (speaker), The Empress, The Emperor, The Duchess, The Immaterial Spirits
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:

Lest the Emperor, or any of his subjects should know of her travel, and obstruct her design, she sent for some of the spirits she had formerly conversed withal, and enquired whether none of them could supply the place of her soul in her body at such a time, when she was gone to travel into another world? They answered, yes, they could; for not only one, said they, but many spirits may enter into your body, if you please.

Related Characters: Margaret Cavendish (speaker), The Empress, The Emperor, The Duchess, The Immaterial Spirits
Page Number: 189
Explanation and Analysis:

Thus those two female souls travelled together as lightly as two thoughts into the Duchess her native world; and which is remarkable, in a moment viewed all the parts of it, and all the actions of all the creatures therein, especially did the Empress’s soul take much notice of the several actions of human creatures in all the several nations and parts of that world, and wondered that for all there were so many several nations, governments, laws, religions, opinions, etc. they should all yet so generally agree in being ambitious, proud, self-conceited, vain, prodigal, deceitful, envious, malicious, unjust, revengeful, irreligious, factious, etc.

Related Characters: Margaret Cavendish (speaker), The Empress, The Emperor, The Duchess
Page Number: 190
Explanation and Analysis:

The Duchess answered, that since she heard by her Imperial Majesty, how well and happily the world had been governed when she first came to be Empress thereof, she would advise her Majesty to introduce the same form of government again, which had been before; that is, to have but one sovereign, one religion, one law, and one language, so that all the world might be but as one united family, without divisions; nay, like God, and his blessed saints and angels: otherwise, said she, it may in time prove as unhappy, nay, as miserable a world as that is from which I came.

Related Characters: The Empress (speaker), The Duchess (speaker), The Emperor, The Bear-Men, The Fish-Men, The Worm-Men, The Ape-Men, The Satyrs
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 201
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2 Quotes

The Empress asked, are those good plays that are made so methodically and artificially? The Duchess answered, they were good according to the judgement of the age, or mode of the nation, but not according to her judgement; for truly, said she, in my opinion, their plays will prove a nursery of whining lovers, and not an academy or school for wise, witty, noble, and well-behaved men. But I, replied the Emperor, desire such a theatre as may make wise men; and will have such descriptions as are natural, not artificial. If Your Majesty be of that opinion, said the Duchess’s soul, then my plays may be acted in your Blazing World, when they cannot be acted in the Blinking World of Wit; and the next time I come to visit Your Majesty, I shall endeavour to order Your Majesty’s theatre, to present such plays as my wit is capable to make.

Related Characters: The Empress (speaker), The Emperor (speaker), The Duchess (speaker), Margaret Cavendish, The Duke of Newcastle
Page Number: 220
Explanation and Analysis: