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Ahab and the Images of Ancient Rome in Herman Melville's Moby-Dick

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Ahab and the Images of Ancient Rome in Herman Melville's Moby-Dick The Ideal of and the Reality of America -Ahab Title and the Images of Ancient Rome in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick-；or，The Whale Author(s) 西浦,徹 Citation 文芸研究, 129: 187-206 URL http://hdl.handle.net/10291/18174 Rights Issue Date 2016-03-26 Text version publisher Type Departmental Bulletin Paper DOI https://m-repo.lib.meiji.ac.jp/ Meiji University 187 187 The ldeal of and the Reality of of America: Ahab and the Images of Ancient Rome in in Herman Melville's Moby-Dick; or ，The Whale Toru Nishiura One of Herman Melville's masterpieces ，Moby-Dicl 己was published in 185 1. We can regard Chapter 41 of this novel ，“ Moby Dick" as one of the core core chapters of this work: the chapter title has the same as that of the nove l， and the chapter is filled with meaningful words. In Chapter 41 ， the the narrator ， Ishmael lists the rumors about the white whale ，Moby Di ck ，and the information on the past of Ahab ， the captain of the Pequod. Pequod. Moreover ， Ishmael tries to unveil Moby Dick ，and investigate the the mentality of Ahab. Preliminarily Ishmael remarks ，“ This is m uch ; yet yet Ahab's larger ，darker ， deeper part remains unhinted" (1 85) ，1 and then then somewhat suddenly starts to narrate about the ruins of Rome. The motive of this essay is to clear the image of ancient Rome in Chapter 41 of of Moby-Dick. This essay tries to examine one of the characteristics of Ahab ， the relationship between him and the images of ancient Rome ， and explore the meaning of it. It seems that the passage on ancient Rome in Chapter 41 has not been fully discussed ye t. In this essay ，1 find a new interpretation of Ahab. In In Chapter 41 of Moby-Dick ，Ishmae l' s description of ancient Rome is is as follows: Winding far down from within the very heart of this spiked Hotel de Cluny where we here stand - however grand and wonderful ， now quit it; -and take your way ， ye nobler ， sadder souls ， to those 188 188 vast vast Roman halls of Thermes; where far beneath the fantastic tow- ers ers of man's upper earth ， his root of grandeur ， his whole awful es- sence sence sits in bearded state; an antique buried beneath antiquities ， and throned on torsoes! So with a broken throne ， the great gods mock that captive king; so like a Caryatid ， he patient sits ，uphold~ ing ing on his frozen brow the piled entablatures of ages. Wind ye down there ， ye prouder ， sadder souls! question that proud ， sad king! A family likeness! aye ，he did beget ye ， ye young exiled royalties; and from your grim sir 巴 only will the old State-secret come. (1 85- 86) 86) The note of. the Norton edition of Moby-Dick explains that “this spiked Hotel Hotel de Cluny" in quotation above is the “ Medieval building in the Paris Paris Latin Quarter ，built above two-thousand-year-old Roman ruins" (157). (157). As earlier studies on this passage ， William B. D i11 ingham ， Richard H. H. Brodhead ，and John Wenke advocate theirowntheories. 2 These theo ・ ries ，however ，discuss the narrative of Ishmael or the consciousness of Ahab in the chapter ，and do not focus upon the image of ancient Rome. In In .his study ， Exiled Royalties.. Melville and the Life We lmagine ， Robert Milder Milder gives the main chapter ，“ Exiled Royalties" in which he also treats treats the quotation above. In the chapter ，“ Exiled Royalties ，" Milder picks picks out the words ， the “nobler ， sadder souls ，" the “exiled royalties ，" the captive “captive king ，" the “ spiked Hotel de Cluny ，" and the "root of grandeur ，" and says ，“ [Thomas] Carlyle had broached a similar idea in S， α rtor Resartus Resartus when he declared that ‘in every the wisest Soul lies a whole world world of internal Madness ，an authentic Demon-Empire; out of which ， indeed ， his whole world of Wisdom has beeri creatively built together ， and now rests there ， as on its dark foundations' does a habitable flowery Earth-rind'" Earth-rind'" (98). In his book ， Milder discusses Ahab in the “captive king" king" passage ， in the relationship with Romanticism and Romantics ， Carlyle ， George Gordon Byron ，and othersfrom the psyehological per- spective ，and Milder's wide-ranging study stimulates us to research succeedingly. succeedingly. These are the preceding studies on Chapter41 of Moby- 189 189 Dick. Dick. This essay focuses upon the image of ancient Rome in the passage in in the relationship with Ahab ，and it is a different point from the pre- C 巴ding studies. In the passage quoted above ， both the words and th 巴 contents contents are quite difficult to understand and the passage does not seem to fit in withthe contex t. Therefore ，we can presume that Melville intended intended to convey some important message to the readers. This essay starts starts with the examination of the significant words in the quotation in detai l. The phrase in the quotation above ，“ his root of grandeur ， his whole awful awful essence" seems to be the description of Captain Ahab. In that part ， Ishmael uses the metaphysical expression and it causes the readers to to be confused ， but it is natural to think that Ahab is described here because because of the following phrase ，“ throned on torsos." In this novel ，it is repeatedly repeatedly mentioned that Ahab is with one leg and therefore the “torso" naturally naturally reminds us of him. Moreover ，when we see the phrases ， the captive “captive king" and the “proud ， sad king ，" we remember Ahab again. In Chapter Chapter 16 ，“ The Ship ，" Ishmael explains that th 巴 name of the Pequod's captain ，. Ahab is derived from the king in the First Book of Kings in the Old Old Testamen t. In Chapter 30 ，“ The Pipe ，" Ishmael ca l1 s Ahab who is sitting sitting on the chair which is made of whale bones as “a Khan of the plank ，and a king of the sea ，and a great lord of Leviathans" (1 29). Moreover ， in .Chapter 34 ，“ The Cabin- Table ，" the ordinary eating scene of of Ahab and his mates is described ，and Ishmael ca l1 s Ahab as “King Ahab" (1 50) because of his absolute authority on the ship. We can find other other parts where Ahab is compared to a king ，and the image of a king that that Ahab has is emphasized repeatedly in thenove 1. Thus ， the passage ， his “his root of grandeur ， his whole awful essence sits in bearded state; an antique antique buried beneath antiquities ，and throned on torsos ，" describes the the important characteristics of Ahab. To consider the relationship between Ahab and the Roman statue in in Chapter 41 ，let us refer to Chapter 28 ，“ Ahab." In this chapter ， the narrator narrator and concurrently one of the sailors of the Pequod ， Ishmael de- picts picts Captain Ahab who appears before him for the first time. ln the 190 190 scene ， Ishmael says ，“ His [Ahab'sJ whole high ， broad form ，seemed made of solid bronze ，and shaped in an unalterable mould ，like Cellini's cast cast Perseus" (1 23). In the same chapter ， Ishmael states that “ [sJo pow- erfully erfully did the whole grim aspect of Ahab affect me" and “Ahab stood before before them with a crucifixion in his face; in aII the nameless regal over- bearing bearing dignity of some mighty woe" (124). Thus ， in Chapter 28 ，we find find sev 巴ral words that have the same meanings as ones in Chapter 41: “ [hJ is whole high broad form" and “ his root of grandeur ，"“ the whole grim aspect of Ahab" and “your grim sire ，"“ with a crucifixion in his face" face" and “he patient sits ，" and “ the nameless regal overbearing dignity of of some mighty woe" and “ question that proud ， sad king!" Therefore ， the the characterization of Ahab in Chapter 28 helps us to confirm that the Roman statue represents Ahab in Chapter 41. There is a phrase ，“ the great gods mock that captive king" in the quotation quotation from Chapter 41. We can understand that this passage is on Ahab more deeply by examining these words. The word ，“ captive" re- minds the readers of Ahab's talk about Moby Dick in Chapter 36 ，“ The Quarter-Deck." Quarter-Deck." In this chapter ，he says ，“ How can the prisoner reach outside outside except by thrusting through the wa ll? To me ， the white whale is is that wall ，shoved near to me" (1 64) to the chief mate ， Starbuck and the the readers. The “captive king" in Chapter 41 is identified as Ahab who ca lI s himself “ the prisoner." Moreover ，“ the great gods" in the “captivε king" king" passage is related to the characteristics of Ahab ，and also the essence essence of the whole work. To interpret the “ gods" in Melv iIl e's works ， let let us refer to a study on Moby 圃 Dick and other works. In his discussion onMoby ♂ ick ， Arimichi Makino pays attention to the words of Hamlet by W iIl iam Shakespeare's Hamlet ，"The time is out of joint" 0.5. 186) ， and states the following opinion. In In other words ，“ the heavenly logic" that is to be the indicator of persons' persons' behavior has given the authority and the responsibility into into the hands of th 巴“ gods" who carry out God's will and interpret it it rationaIIy and arbitrarily on earth ，clergymen ， admirals Cdictato- 191 191 rial rial persons) ，lawyers ，politicians ， the persons who have priority to common sense ，and others ， because “God" who originated “ the heav- enly enly logic" keeps silence.
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