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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]).
  1. “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
  2. 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
  3. “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
  4. The Malcontent had been acted at the Blackfriars Theatre, a private theatre.
    — from The Works of John Marston. Volume 1 by John Marston
  5. 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
  6. We hear of perfumed jerkins in Marston’s Malcontent ( Wks.
    — from The Devil is an Ass by Ben Jonson
  7. 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
  8. 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

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