A Mind ContentRobert Greene1558–1592

Background Information 1• Robert Greene (baptized 11 July 1558, died 3 September 1592)

was an English author popular in his day, and now best known for a posthumous pamphlet attributed to him, Greenes Groats-worth of Witte, bought with a million of Repentance (groat was an English silver coin, used from the 14th to the 17th century), widely believed to contain an attack on William Shakespeare, whom he dubbed “Shake-scene.”

• He is said to have been born in Norwich. • The author's father was probably one of two Robert Greenes

found later in parish records: either a saddler (= one who makes or repairs saddles) who lived modestly in the parish until 1599, or a cordwainer (= a shoemaker who specializes in leather shoes and other luxury footwear articles) who kept an inn in Norwich.

Background Information 2•Greene is thought to have attended the free grammar school at Norwich, although this cannot be confirmed as enrolment documents for the relevant years are lost. •He attended Cambridge and then movedto London, where he arguably became the firstprofessional author in England. •His academic performance as an undergraduate at Cambridge was mediocre.•Greene published in many genres, including romances, plays, and autobiography. Shortpoems and songs were incorporated in some of his romances. •In The Repentance, Greene claimed to have married a gentleman's

daughter, whom he abandoned after having had a child by her and spent her dowry, after which she went to Lincolnshire, and he to London.

However, no record of the marriage has ever been found.

A woodcut of Greene

Background Information 3• Greene's literary career began with the publication of

a long romance, Mamillia. • After his move to London, Greene published over

twenty-five works in prose in a variety of genres, becoming “England's first celebrity author” and one of the first authors in England to support himself with his pen.

• In his pamphlets, Greene fashioned himself into a well-known public figure, telling colorful inside stories of rascals duping young gentlemen out of their hard-earned money. These stories, told from the perspective of a repentant former rascal, have been considered autobiographical, and have been thought to incorporate many facts of Greene's own life: his early riotous living, his marriage and desertion of his wife and child for the sister of a notorious character of the London underworld, his dealings with players, and his success in the production of plays for them.

Background Information 4• Greene died on the 3rd of September, 1592. His death and burial were announced by Gabriel Harvey, an English writer, in a letter dated 5 September. Harvey attributedGreene's demise to “a surfeit of pickle herring and Rhenishwine,” and claimed he had been buried in “the new churchyard near Bedlam” on 4 September. No record of Greene's burial has been found.• Greene's colorful and irresponsible character has led some to speculate that Greene may have served as the model for Shakespeare's Falstaff.

Analysis 1

Sweet are the thoughts that savor of content; aThe quiet mind is richer than a crown; b

Sweet are the nights in careless slumber spent; aThe poor estate scorns fortune’s angry frown: b

Such sweet content, such minds, such sleep, such bliss, cBeggars enjoy, // when princes oft do miss. c

 The homely house that harbors quiet rest; dThe cottage that affords no pride nor care; e

The mean that ‘grees with country music best; dThe sweet consort of mirth and music’s fare: e

Obscurèd life sets down a type of bliss: c A mind content both crown and kingdom is. c eye rhyme

Savor = tasteCareless = untroubledEstate = level of societyMean = (1) lowly sort; (2) middle range in music‘grees with = agrees with, suitsConsort = (1) company (of musicians); (2) companion, spouseFare = (1) food; (2) something offered to the public, as for entertainmentObscurèd = anonymousType = ideal sort

THEME: contentment (that is, quiet, long-term satisfaction

rather than euphoric happiness) is brought about by a peaceful state of mind and modest comforts of life, rather than wealth or power.

The poem highlights the juxtaposition of the lives of peasants

and noblemen, as evidenced by the caesura in line 6.

The predominant meter of the poem is iambic pentameter,

although initial trochaic inversions (= instances when the first metrical

foot in a line of verse is replaced with a trochee; they are

also known as initial trochaic

substitutions) are present in the first stanza, notably in lines 1, 3, and 6.

Whilst their common purpose is to dispel

the monotony of perfectly regular iambs, they are

likewise used for emphasis, which in this case might hint

at possible doubts on Greene’s part as to whether the simple lifestyle he glorifies is all that appealing.

This idea is strengthened by the occurrence of an eye

rhyme in the final line of the poem as it breaks the otherwise

regular rhyme scheme—namely,

ababcc—and strikes readers almost as a

lingering afterthought.

It should be noted that all lines are end-stopped, implying that contentment is self-contained and, moreover, that the

means to achieve it do not pertain to profligacy.

If the rumors about Greene are to be believed, then it may be assumed that the poem, written one year before his death, portrays his longing for a life quite at odds with his own; in other words, anecdotes concerning Greene reveal a

character prone to evincing contempt for a quiet life in the countryside, and, therefore, having enjoyed all the comforts life can afford and suffered as a result, Greene assumes that a

diametrically opposed lifestyle must be superior, despite never having experienced it first-hand. This makes for a narrow, biased viewpoint that

skirts the plight of the poor.

Analysis 2

Sweet are the thoughts that savor of content; The quiet mind is richer than a crown;

Sweet are the nights in careless slumber spent; The poor estate scorns fortune’s angry frown:

Such sweet content, such minds, such sleep, such bliss, Beggars enjoy, when princes oft do miss.

 The homely house that harbors quiet rest; The cottage that affords no pride nor care;

The mean that ‘grees with country music best; The sweet consort of mirth and music’s fare:

Obscurèd life sets down a type of bliss: A mind content both crown and kingdom is.

The word “sweet” (lines 1, 3, 5, 10) is repeated four times throughout the poem in order to emphasize the advantages of a simple life. Repetition of the consonant “s” (which is a special type of consonance called sibilance) occurs in line 3, creating a soothing effect.

Alliteration of the letter “h” is used in line 7, along with assonance of the letter “o,” both of

which make readers think of a quiet countryside atmosphere, thus adding to the poem’s overall

effect.

The personification of “fortune” (l. 4) as a

disagreeable, unapproachable individual

links wealth to unpleasantness.

In this stanza, Greene expresses the view

that a “quiet mind” (l. 2), which is marred by neither sin nor worry, is preferable to the

distress brought about by wealth. As they

have no foul deeds to ponder upon, such

people have a peaceful sleep, implied by the

use of “careless” (l. 3). In the fourth line,

Greene states that peasants reject wealth and its drawbacks, and

the last line emphasizes the

juxtaposition of the lives of poor people

and noblemen, expressing a

preference toward the former.

The last line of the poem contains a metaphor that may be given two interpretations: (1) an untroubled mind is as precious to a person of lowly birth as his crown and kingdom

are to a king; (2) an untroubled mind is the prerogative of poor people, just as his crown is the right of a king, and it offers a realm, a “kingdom” (l. 12), to build one’s life upon.

The first two lines of the second stanza

express the view that a modest cottage, to which is attached neither the cost of

maintenance nor the risk of theft, is the ideal dwelling. As

“mean” (l. 9) has two meanings, the ninth

line may be interpreted thus: (1)

poor people enjoy country music, which is an agreeable but

simple kind of music; (2) a middle range is suitable for country music, implying the avoidance of excess.

The tenth line refers to the fact that a peaceful

state of mind is the companion of

amusement and music; it may also be said that such a state of mind is

ideal for creating music (see the first definition of “fare”). Lastly, Greene states

that a life lived in anonymity results in

contentment.