Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit by John Lyly
"Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit" is a prose work by John Lyly, published in 1578, that explores themes of love, friendship, and moral values through the experiences of its protagonist, Euphues. Set in Athens and Naples, the narrative follows Euphues, a young man endowed with beauty and fortune, who engages in a quest for pleasure and wisdom, often neglecting virtue. In Naples, he forms a close friendship with Philautus and becomes enamored with Lucilla, the daughter of a prominent official. This love triangle complicates their relationships, leading to betrayal and heartbreak.
The story conveys a cautionary tale about the consequences of fickleness in love and the importance of moral integrity. Euphues grapples with the conflict between friendship and romantic desire, ultimately resulting in a series of letters reflecting on the folly of love and the value of virtuous living. Following his tumultuous experiences, Euphues returns to Athens, where he seeks to impart wisdom through treatises on education and the moral upbringing of children. The work not only serves as a reflection of the social customs of the time but also offers insights into the human condition, making it a significant piece of early English literature.
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Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit by John Lyly
First published: 1578
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Didactic
Time of plot: Sixteenth century
Locale: Naples and Athens
Principal characters
Euphues , a young gentleman of AthensPhilautus , a nobleman of Naples and his friendDon Ferardo , a governor of NaplesLucilla , his daughter and Philautus’s fiancéLivia , her friendEubulus , an old gentleman of Naples
The Story:
Euphues, a young gentleman of Athens, is graced by nature with great personal beauty and by fortune with a large patrimony, but he uses his brilliant wit to enjoy the pleasures of wickedness rather than the honors of virtue. In his search for new experiences, the young man goes to Naples, a city famed for loose living. There he finds many people eager to encourage a waste of time and talent, but he is cautious, trusting no one and taking none for a friend. Thus, he escapes real harm from the company of idle youths with whom he associates.
One day, Eubulus, an elderly gentleman of Naples, approaches Euphues and admonishes the young man for his easy ways, warning him of the evil results that are sure to follow and urging him to be merry with modesty and reserve. In a witty reply, Euphues rebuffs the old man’s counsel and tells him that his pious urgings only result from his withered old age. In spite of the sage warning, Euphues remains in Naples, and after two months there he meets a pleasing young man named Philautus, whom he determines to make his only and eternal friend. Impressed by the charm of Euphues, Philautus readily agrees to be his firm friend forever. Their friendship grows, and the two young men soon become inseparable.
Philautus long before earned the affection and trust of Don Ferardo, a prominent official of Naples, and he fell in love with his beautiful daughter Lucilla. While Don Ferardo is on a trip to Naples, Philautus takes his friend with him to visit Lucilla and a group of her friends. After dinner, Euphues is given the task of entertaining the company with an extemporaneous discourse on love. He declares that one should love another for his mind, not for his appearance. When the conversation turns to a discussion of constancy, Lucilla asserts that her sex is wholly fickle. Euphues begins to dispute her, but, suddenly struck by Lucilla’s beauty and confused by his feelings, he breaks off his speech and quickly leaves.
Lucilla discovers that she is attracted to the young Athenian. After weighing the respective claims of Euphues and Philautus on her affections, she convinces herself that it will not be wrong to abandon Philautus for Euphues; however, she decides to pretend to each that he is her only love. Euphues, meanwhile, persuades himself that Lucilla must be his in spite of Philautus: Friendship must give way before love. In order to deceive his friend, Euphues pretends to be in love with Livia, Lucilla’s friend. Philautus is overjoyed and promises to help him win Livia.
The two young men go immediately to the house of Don Ferardo. While Philautus is attending the governor, who finally completes arrangements for his daughter’s marriage to the young man, Euphues and Lucilla engage in a subtle debate about love and finally declare their passion for each other. When Don Ferardo tells his daughter of his plans for her marriage to Philautus, she tells him of her love for Euphues.
Philautus, betrayed at once by his friend and by his beloved, blames first one and then the other. He writes a scathing letter to Euphues, saying that they are friends no longer and that he hopes Euphues will soon be in his own unhappy situation; he warns that Lucilla, proving untrue, might be faithless again. Euphues replies in a taunting letter that deception in love is natural. He expresses confidence that Lucilla will be faithful to him forever.
After what happened, however, it is impossible for Euphues to visit Lucilla while her father is at home. During her lover’s absence, she falls in love again, this time with Curio, a gentleman who possesses neither wealth nor wit. When Euphues at last goes to apologize for being away so long, Lucilla replies curtly that she hoped his absence would have been longer. Admitting that her new lover is inferior to both Philautus and Euphues, she supposes God is punishing her for her fickleness. Although she realizes that her life is likely to be unhappy, a fate she earned, she does not hesitate to scorn Euphues. Don Ferardo argues that it is her filial duty to give up the worthless Curio. When she refuses, her father dies of grief shortly thereafter.
Having renewed his friendship with Philautus before departing from Naples, Euphues leaves with his friend a written discourse against the folly of love. It states that love, although it starts with pleasure, ends in destruction and grief, and he urges his friend to forget passion and to turn his attention toward more serious pursuits.
After returning to Athens where he engages in long hours of study, Euphues writes a treatise on the proper way to rear a child. His own upbringing did not steer him away from the shoals of sloth and wickedness. With this weakness of upbringing in mind, he urges that a young man should be legitimately born and reared under the influence of three major forces: nature, reason, and use. In this manner, the young man will be educated in the ways of virtue as well as in the customs of use. Euphues writes many other letters and treatises: In one, he urges the gentlemen scholars of Athens to study with the laws of God in mind; in another, he debates with an atheist and converts him to godliness; a letter to Philautus encourages him to abandon his dissolute life in Naples; in a letter to Eubulus, Euphues thanks the old man for his good advice and tells him of his return to righteousness; another letter to Philautus expresses regret at the death of Lucilla and at the irreligious character of her life; two letters to a pair of young men tell them to accept their destiny and to live virtuously; in response to a letter in which Livia tells of her intention to be virtuous, Euphues praises her and tells her of Philautus’s possible visit to Athens.
Bibliography
Croll, Morris. Introduction to Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit, by John Lyly. New York: Russell & Russell, 1964. Discusses the novel’s themes and style. Perceptive and instructive.
Dolven, Jeffrey Andrew. Scenes of Instruction in Renaissance Romance. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. Examines Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit and Euphues and His England to describe how Lyly in these works combined the narrative romance with sixteenth century humanist pedagogy.
Houppert, Joseph W. John Lyly. Boston: Twayne, 1975. An excellent starting place for the student of Lyly who wishes to achieve a well-rounded sense of the political, cultural, and artistic setting in which he lived and wrote.
Hunter, G. K. John Lyly: The Humanist as Courtier. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1962. Places Lyly within the context of his times and the social status to which he aspired. Interesting in its study of how Elizabeth I’s court viewed—and used—language.
Maslen, R. W. “The Dissolution of Euphues.” In Elizabethan Fictions: Espionage, Counter-Espionage, and the Duplicity of Fiction in Early Elizabethan Prose Narratives. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Study of works by Lyly and three other writers within the context of changing attitudes to fiction in Elizabethan England. These writers—and the censors—were aware that the new prose narratives could transform the nature of fiction and might threaten the security of the Elizabethan state. Maslen examines how these works mocked contemporary platitudes and conventions with a self-conscious style and subtlety and argues that they are precursors of Shakespearean comedies and works by Christopher Marlowe and Sir Philip Sidney.
Wilson, John Dover. John Lyly. New York: Haskell House, 1970. A reprint of the 1905 edition, this volume remains one of the best studies of Lyly’s life and works, and is especially sensitive to the use of language in Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit.
Wilson, Katharine. Fictions of Authorship in Late Elizabethan Narratives: Euphues in Arcadia. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Examines Lyly’s two Euphues books and other “sensational” narratives that established prose fiction as an independent genre in late sixteenth century England. Describes how these works created an alternative vernacular writing that combined elements of both high and low culture.