Literary notes about mortal (AI summary)
The word “mortal” in literature has repeatedly been deployed to convey both the physical limitations of human life and a broader sense of inherent vulnerability and impermanence. In historical narratives, the mortal body is contrasted with ideals of timelessness—as when Livy contrasts a decaying, mortal body with the notion of an immortal state [1]. In dramatic verse, the term moves beyond mere physical death to mark the transformation of human nature, as Shakespeare envisions purging mortal grossness to reveal an ethereal spirit [2]. Authors also use “mortal” to underscore the temporary nature of human achievement and the inevitability of finality, asserting that triumphs and wounds alike are bound by human mortality [3] [4]. Whether in the context of personal frailty, the transient nature of social influence, or the inescapable limits of human ambition, the term “mortal” powerfully encapsulates the tension between the ephemeral and the eternal—a recurring theme that invites readers to reflect on the finite nature of the human condition [5] [6].
- What use was it to suffer the strength of a state which ought to be immortal, to sink into old age along with one mortal body."
— from The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08 by Livy - And I will purge thy mortal grossness so That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.—
— from A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare - But while he was mortal, there must be a triumph.
— from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - “Your wounds are so far mortal that, without the three drops I gave you, you would now be dead.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - A new period of mortal life has begun, and you may choose what divinity you please; the responsibility of choosing is with you—God is blameless.’
— from The Republic of Plato by Plato - But fallen he is; and now What rests, but that the mortal sentence pass On his transgression,—death denounced that day?
— from Paradise Lost by John Milton
