Literary notes about Malcontent (AI summary)
In literature the term "malcontent" is employed to denote a figure marked by discontent and dissent—a person who challenges established order and expresses profound dissatisfaction, whether in the realms of politics, society, or personal circumstance. It frequently appears as a distinct character type whose inner turmoil and overt rebellion serve as a catalyst for both dramatic tension and social commentary ([1], [2], [3]). Authors have used the malcontent to illuminate the contradictions of power and privilege, making him a vehicle for satire, critique, and even comic relief, as well as a symbol of revolutionary spirit ([4], [5], [6]). In doing so, the malcontent evolves from merely a disaffected individual to an archetype that reflects the complexities of the human condition within varied historical and cultural contexts ([7], [8]).
- “Thy Malcontent or Malcontentedness Hath made thee change thy muse, as some do guess; If time misspent make her a malcontent
— from The Works of John Marston. Volume 1 by John Marston - His Breton blood, besides, made him a political malcontent, a great opponent of taxation and a violent enemy of the Court.
— from The Memoirs of François René Vicomte de Chateaubriand sometime Ambassador to England, Volume 1 (of 6)Mémoires d'outre-tombe, volume 1 by Chateaubriand, François-René, vicomte de - “And while we are on this head,” said Aramis, “you also are a malcontent; you also, Raoul, have griefs to lay to the king.
— from The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas - The Malcontent had been acted at the Blackfriars Theatre, a private theatre.
— from The Works of John Marston. Volume 1 by John Marston - In politics, for example, he may be a malcontent; in religion an heretic.
— from The Philadelphia Magazines and their Contributors 1741-1850 by Albert Henry Smyth - We hear of perfumed jerkins in Marston’s Malcontent ( Wks.
— from The Devil is an Ass by Ben Jonson - sc. 2 of The Malcontent , where Malevole ('in some freeze gown') burlesques the splendid monologue in King Henry the Fourth (Part 11. act iv.
— from Shakspere and Montaigne
An Endeavour to Explain the Tendency of 'Hamlet' from Allusions in Contemporary Works by Jacob Feis - Thus, then, you will take this bag, and you will go away without being too malcontent.”
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet