The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia

“I am hungry and thirsty, like him, but when thirst and hunger cease, I am not at rest. I am, like him, pained with want, but am not, like him, satisfied with fullness.”

A dichotomy is present here. The prince contrasts physical needs with emotional unrest, illustrating the difference between temporary physical satiation and persistent existential dissatisfaction, which is key to The Philosophical Exploration of Happiness and Its Attainability. The repetition of “like him” emphasizes this juxtaposition, highlighting the universal nature of physical needs and the individual experience of emotional turmoil.

“‘I fly from pleasure,’ said the Prince, ‘because pleasure has ceased to please: I am lonely because I am miserable, and am unwilling to cloud with my presence the happiness of others.’”

The repetition of “I am” is an example of anaphora, or the repetition of an opening word or phrase. This repetition underscores Rasselas’s introspection and self-awareness and accentuates the cyclical nature of his despair, where the pursuit of pleasure and the experience of misery reinforce each other. The metaphor of “cloud with my presence” conveys how his misery taints the happiness of others, suggesting an inescapable, pervasive gloom.

“You are here in full possession of all the Emperor of Abyssinia can bestow; here is neither labour to be endured nor danger to be dreaded, yet here is all that labour or danger can procure or purchase. Look round and tell me which of your wants is without supply: if you want nothing, how are you unhappy?”

Rhetorical questions reflect on the paradox of discontent amid abundance. The contrast between “neither labour to be endured nor danger to be dreaded” and “all that labour or danger can procure or purchase” emphasizes the irony of having everything yet feeling unfulfilled.