Literary notes about Ague (AI summary)
Throughout various works, "ague" is deployed both as a straightforward reference to a fever—often characterized by violent shivering and intermittent attacks—and as a device charged with symbolic weight. Historical and travel narratives describe its symptoms and remedies in literal terms, as in [1] or [2], emphasizing the tangible dread of physical illness. In contrast, authors like Shakespeare and Melville weave the word into their language to evoke emotional turmoil or to lend a quirky note to character names, as seen with figures such as Ague-Cheek in [3] and [4] and in vivid descriptions of suffering in [5] and [6]. This dual usage, spanning from medical reportage to metaphorical nuance, illustrates how "ague" has evolved in literature to enrich both the narrative's atmosphere and its character portrayals.
- At Berkhampstead, in Hertfordshire, there used to be certain oak-trees which were long celebrated for the cure of ague.
— from The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion by James George Frazer - Ague (ā′gū), a kind of fever, which may be followed by serious consequences, but generally is more troublesome than dangerous.
— from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various - Thy friend, as thou usest him, and thy sworn enemy, Andrew Ague-Cheek.'
— from Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will by William Shakespeare - [Enter SIR ANDREW AGUE-CHEEK.] AGUE-CHEEK.
— from Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will by William Shakespeare - Ah, thought he—gravely enough—this is like the ague: because it went off, it follows not that it won't come back.
— from The Piazza Tales by Herman Melville - And he will look as hollow as a ghost, As dim and meagre as an ague's fit;
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
