My Lady Jane

“The anger would take him and then the fangs would come out, literally, and he would remain a lion until his anger abated, which often took several hours.”

The quotation uses the symbol of the Ethian animal forms (See: Symbols & Motifs) to reflect Henry VIII’s character. That he becomes a completely different creature shows that when he gets angry, his rage is all-consuming, determining his behavior. In literature the lion is often associated with leadership and power, reflecting Henry’s status as king. It also features on the English coat of arms, (the three lions), rooting Henry in English royalty. The fangs reflect the real physical danger Henry presents to those around him when he is angry as he is prone to violence. The use of the word “literally” creates a humorous, self-aware tone, drawing attention to the authors’ narrative techniques.

“And now she was selling off her daughter the way one barters a prized mare. Without so much as asking her. Typical.”

This quotation uses grammar to create a conversational tone, starting the sentences with the conjunctions “and” and “without” to suggest that the narrative voice is in mid-flow, addressing the reader directly. The word “typical” adds to this and creates humor, using a modern tone that juxtaposes against the period setting and the high stakes for