52 (p. 217) She hasted ... to drink: See the Bible, Genesis 24, for the story of Rebekah at the well.
CHAPTER XIX
53 (p. 238) passions may rage: The reference is to the Bible, Psalms 2: 1: "Why do the nations rage, / And the people plot a vain thing?"
54 (p. 238) still small voice: This is another reference to the Bible, this time to 1 Kings 19:11-12: "And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks... but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice."
55 (p. 239) the play is played out: Shakespeare, Henry IV, "Play out the play." (part I, scene 2, act 4, 1. 182).
56 (p. 239) Off, ye lendings: This is another reference to Shakespeare, here to King Lear (act 3, scene 4).
57 (p. 240) mystery of mysteries: The reference is to chapter 12 of The Monastery (1820), by Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832).
CHAPTER XX
58 (p. 256) sun at noon darkens: The reference is to Samson Agonistes (1671), by John Milton: "... Amid the blaze of noon / Irrecov erably dark, total eclipse / Without all hope of day!" (lines 80-82).
CHAPTER XXIII
59 (p. 290) Day its fervid fires: The reference is to line 5 of "The Turkish Lady," by Thomas Campbell (1777-1844).
CHAPTER XXIV
60 (p. 305) gild refined gold: The reference is to King John, by William Shakespeare: "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily" (act 4, scene 2).
61 (p. 306) King Ahasuerus: In the Bible, Esther 5:3, Ahasuerus, a rich and powerful king, marries the poor Jewish maiden Esther and offers her half his kingdom.
62 (p. 307) lay that pleasant unction to my soul: The reference is to Hamlet, by William Shakespeare: "Lay not that flattering unction to your soul" (act 3, scene 4).
63 (p. 308) the world for love... well lost: The phrase is probably from the title of the play All for Love, or the World Well Lost, by John Dryden (1631-1700).
64 (p. 318) As I love--loved am I!: The song lyrics were composed by Charlotte Bronte herself.
CHAPTER XXV
65 (p. 326) heart's core: See chap. 15, note 3.
66 (p. 327) working together for your good and mine: The reference is to the Bible, Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God."
67 (p. 327) blossomed like a rose: This is another biblical reference, this time to Isaiah 35:1: "The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose."
68 (p. 328) sullen, moaning sound: The reference is to The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805), by Sir Walter Scott (canto 1, stanza 13, line 1).
69 (p. 328) a little child: See p. 255.
CHAPTER XXVI
70 (p. 337) Marston Moor: In 1644, during the English civil war of 1642-1648, Marston Moor was the site of an important battle that resulted in the first major victory against the Royalists.
71 (p. 340) quenchless fire and deathless worm: The reference is to the Bible, Mark 9:43-48: "It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire--where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched."
72 (p. 341) mad family: This reflects popular assumptions that madness was caused by an inherited tendency to dissipation, excess, and debauchery, or "bad blood." The term "moral insanity" was coined in 1833 by Dr. James Cowles Pritchard.
73 (p. 343) ye shall be judged: The reference is to the Bible, Matthew 7:2: "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged."
74 (p. 345) all the first-born in the land of Egypt: In the Bible, Exodus 12:23-30 tells of the death of the first-borns of the Egyptians by the hand of the Lord.
75 (p. 346) Be not far from me: The language is from the Bible, Psalms 22:11.
76 (p. 346) the floods overflowed me: Again, this language is from the Bible, Psalms 69:2: "I sink in deep mire... the floods overflow me."
CHAPTER XXVII
77 (p. 347) right hand: The reference is to the Bible, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:28-30), on the sin of adultery: "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut if off and cast it from you...."
78 (p. 348) in his bosom: Mr. Rochester refers to the parable of Nathan from the Bible, 2 Samuel 12:3: "The poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which... ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him."
79 (p. 350) tent of Achan: In the Bible (Joshua 7), Achan was an Israelite warrior who took and hid the spoils of war from the battle of Jericho in his tent, displeasing the Lord.
CHAPTER XXVIII
80 (p. 378) require my soul of me: The reference is to the Bible, Luke 12:20-22: "This night your soul will be required of you.... Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on."
81 (p. 392) stray dog ... hearth to-night: The reference is to King Lear, by William Shakespeare: "Mine enemy's dog, / Though he had bit me, should have stood that night / Against my fire; ..." (act 4, scene 7).
CHAPTER XXIX
82 (p. 404) day of small things: The reference is to the Bible, Zechariah 4:10: "For who has despised the day of small things?"
CHAPTER XXX
83 (p. 408) which passeth all understanding: The phrase derives from the Bible, Philippians 4:7: "... and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
84 (p. 412) made useless: The reference is to the sonnet "On His Blindness," by John Milton: "And that one Talent which is death to hide / Lodged with me useless...."
CHAPTER XXXI
85 (p. 419) the dew was balm: To create the line given here Bronte combines two lines from The Lay of the Last Minstrel, by Sir Walter Scott (canto 3, stanza 24).
86 (p. 418) Lot's wife: In the Bible, Genesis 19 tells the story of Lot and his wife fleeing Sodom.
CHAPTER XXXII
87 (p. 425) sitting in sunshine, calm and sweet: The reference is to Lalla Rookh (1817), III, "The Fire-Worshippers," by Thomas Moore: "To sit in sunshine calm and sweet--it were a world too exquisite / For man to leave it for the gloom."
88 (p. 428) holiday: Jane is referring to Guy Fawkes Day, the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
89 (p. 429) Marmion: The reference is to the romantic narrative poem Marmion, A Tale of Flodden Field (1808), by Sir Walter Scott.
90 (p. 431) the silent sea: The reference is to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, part 2: "We were the first that ever burst / Into that silent sea."
91 (p. 432) delicious poison: The reference is to Antony and Cleopatra, by William Shakespeare: "Now I feed myself / With most delicious poison" (act 1, scene 5).
CHAPTER XXXIV
92 (p. 453) talents ... strict account: The reference is to the Bible, Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the talents.
93 (p. 453) confusion worse confounded: The reference is to Paradise Lost, by John Milton: "With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout, / Confusion worse confounded" (book 2, lines 995-996).
94 (p. 461) When he said "Go"... "Come"... "Do this": The reference is to the Bible, Matthew 8:9: "And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
95 (p. 466) help us: In the Bible, Acts 16:9-10: "... a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' "
96 (p. 466) chiefest of sinners: The reference is to the Bible, 1 Timothy 1:15, where Paul writes to Timothy: "Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
97 (p. 467) Demas: This is another b
iblical reference, here to 2 Timothy 4:10: "... for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world . . ."
98 (p. 467) iron shroud: Bronte could have been thinking of a story in an August 1830 issue of Blackwood's Magazine entitled "The Iron Shroud," in which a prisoner is crushed to death by the contracting walls of his prison cell.
99 (p. 470) hand to the plough: The reference is to the Bible, Luke 9: 62: "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
100 (p. 473) denied the faith ... infidels: This is another reference to the Bible, this time to 1 Timothy 5:8: "... he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
101 (p. 473) looked to hill: This line echoes the opening verse of stanza 26, canto 5, of The Lay of the Last Minstrel, by Sir Walter Scott.
CHAPTER XXXV
102 (p. 477) seventy-and-seven times: In the Bible (Matthew 18:21-22), Peter asks Jesus: "... 'how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.' "
103 (p. 479) castaway: The reference is to the Bible, 1 Corinthians 9: 27: "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (King James Version).
104 (p. 479) God sees not as man sees: This is another biblical reference, to 1 Samuel 16:7: "For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
105 (p. 482) the fearful, the unbelieving ... the second death: This passage echoes the Bible, Revelation 21:7-8: "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
106 (p. 483) Lamb's book of life: The reference is to the Bible, Revelation 21:27: "But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life."
107 (p. 483) a brand snatched from the burning: This is another biblical reference, to Amos 4:11: "And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning."
108 (p. 483) no man shall work: The reference is to the Bible, John 9: 4: "The night is coming when no one can work."
109 (p. 483) Dives ... good things in this life: "Dives" is Latin for "rich." The reference is to the Bible, Luke 16:19-31, the parable of the rich man: "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented' " (verse 25).
110 (p. 483) shall not be taken from you: This is another biblical reference, to Luke 10:42: "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."
111 (p. 484) rolled together like a scroll: The reference is to the Bible, Isaiah 34:4: "All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll . . ."
CHAPTER XXXVI
112 (p. 487) the flesh ... is weak: The biblical reference is to Matthew 26:41 and Mark 14:38: "... The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
113 (p. 488) earthquake ... prison: In the Bible, Acts 16:26-29, the apostle Paul and his fellow missionary Silas are freed from imprisonment by an earthquake: "Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken ..."
114 (p. 491) dream: Earlier in the story Jane dreams that Thornfield is in ruins; see p. 328.
CHAPTER XXXVII
115 (p. 499) sightless Samson: In the Bible, Judges 16:21, Samson's eyes are put out by his enemies.
116 (p. 505) Nebuchadnezzar: In the Bible, Daniel 4:33, Nebuchadnezzar's hair is described as "grown like eagles' feathers" and his nails "like birds' claws."
117 (p. 507) my tale half told: The allusion is to Scheherazade's tale in The Arabian Nights.
118 (p. 508) David ... harp: The biblical reference is to 1 Samuel 16: 23: "And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him."
119 (p. 509) the rain is over and gone: The reference is to the Bible, Song of Solomon 2:11: "For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone."
120 (p. 517) shadow of death: This is another biblical reference, here to Psalm 23:4: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
121 (p. 518) pondered them in my heart: The reference is to the Bible, Luke 2:19: "But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart."
CHAPTER XXXVIII
122 (p. 521) earthly things: This is a reference to the Bible, Philippians 3:18-19: "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things."
123 (p. 522) flesh of his flesh: In the Bible, Genesis 2:23, Adam says of God's creation of Eve: " 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' "
124 (p. 524) Great-heart and Apollyon: These are characters from Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan (1628-1688). Great-heart is the Christian warrior and protector of Christiana; Apollyon is eventually defeated in the Valley of Humiliation.
125 (p. 524) come after me: In the Bible, in Mark 8:34, Jesus says to his disciples, " 'Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.' " Similar references also appear in Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:23.
126 (p. 524) throne of God: The reference is to the Bible, Revelation 14:5: "And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God" (KJV).
127 (p. 524) incorruptible crown: This is another biblical reference, here to 1 Corinthians 9:25: "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible" (KJV).
128 (p. 524) faithful servant: This echoes the Bible, Matthew 25:21: "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' "
129 (p. 524) Surely I come quickly: In the Bible, the penultimate verse of the New Testament, Revelation 22:20, reads: "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen...."
Inspired by Jane Eyre
FILM, TELEVISION, AND STAGE ADAPTATIONS
Charlotte Bronte, in her lush descriptions of Haworth and Thornfield Hall, not to mention Jane's three mysterious paintings, urges readers to see and feel her heroine's surroundings. Recognizing this visual quality, director Robert Stevenson brought Jane Eyre to the silver screen in 1944. Jane is played by Joan Fontaine as an insular, pensive, and often silent young woman who is too good for this world, a performance neatly complemented by an intense Orson Welles as a convincingly cryptic and tempestuous Rochester. A very young Elizabeth Taylor appears as Jane's friend Helen.
Franco Zeffirelli, best known for his ebullient 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet, directed a 1996 big-screen adaptation of Jane Eyre. Zeffirelli was faithful to the emotional complexity of Bronte's characters, casting Charlotte Gainsbourg as a cheerful Jane and William Hurt as an enigmatic Rochester. Filled with shadows and visual broodiness, this film successfully conveys the haunting Gothic sensibility of the novel.
Several adaptations of Bronte's story have been produced for television. Among them is the BBC's 1983 miniseries, a captivating costume drama that crackles with passionate performances by Zelah Clarke as Jane and Timothy Dalton (a future James Bond) as Rochester.
Resonating with the emotional vitality of the novel, John Caird and Paul Gordon's musical adaptation of Jane Eyre premiered
on Broadway in December 2000. Gordon's music, presented in a symphonic structure alternating between male and female solos, is richly melodic, raw, passionate, and ultimately catchy. Five-time Tony Award winner John Napier triumphed with a simple set design, a reduced version of the enormous set used in the original 1996 production in Toronto. Jane Eyre was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
THE LIFE OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE
Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865), a well-known English novelist and writer of short stories, struck up an intimate friendship with Charlotte Bronte that lasted until the latter's death, in 1855. Upon the urging of Patrick Bronte, Charlotte's father, Gaskell assumed the task of writing a biography of her friend, largely based on correspondence. Hoping to defend Charlotte against the critics who denounced Jane Eyre as coarse, Gaskell injected her epistolary chronicle with a charming partiality. The book, an indispensable source of information about the Brontes, is also a perceptive, though not entirely accurate, interpretation of Charlotte and her work.
The following excerpt from The Life of Charlotte Bronte (1857) records Patrick Bronte's initial reaction to Jane Eyre pages 29-30:
The sisters had kept the knowledge of their literary ventures from their father, fearing to increase their own anxieties and disappointment by witnessing his; for he took an acute interest in all that befell his children, and his own tendency had been towards literature in the days when he was young and hopeful. It was true he did not much manifest his feelings in words; he would have thought that he was prepared for disappointment as the lot of man, and that he could have met it with stoicism; but words are poor and tardy interpreters of feelings to those who love one another, and his daughters knew how he would have borne ill-success worse for them than for himself. So they did not tell him what they were undertaking. He says now that he suspected it all along, but his suspicions could take no exact form, as all he was certain of was, that his children were perpetually writing--and not writing letters. We have seen how the communications from their publishers were received "under cover to Miss Bronte." Once, Charlotte told me, they overheard the postman meeting Mr. Bronte, as the latter was leaving the house, and inquiring from the parson where one Currer Bell could be living, to which Mr. Bronte replied that there was no such person in the parish. This must have been the misadventure to which Miss Bronte alludes in the beginning of her correspondence with Mr. Aylott.