Quote by Percy Bysshe Shelley
There was no corn -- in the wide market-place all loathliest things, even human flesh, was sold; They weighed it in small scales -- and many a face was fixed in eager horror then; his gold the miser brought; the tender maid, grown bold through hunger, bared her scorned charms in vain.
Summary
This quote portrays a scene of extreme desperation and moral decay. It describes a market where even the most repulsive things, including human flesh, are being sold due to the scarcity of resources, particularly corn. The people in the marketplace are willing to do anything to obtain sustenance – the miser sacrificing his gold and the desperate maid resorting to revealing her body, but all efforts prove futile in the face of insurmountable hunger and despair. The quote highlights the dehumanization and degradation that occurs when basic necessities are scarce, revealing the dark depths humanity can sink to in times of extreme need.
Topics
Food
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