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what does this Quote mean?

Er's famous quote: "did not wish to make windows into men's souls"

what does this mean :confused:

err something to do with being able to look into souls?? I'd understand it more if it said "make men's souls into windows"

Reply 2

HearTheThunder

excuse the pun on "err" there ^

Reply 3

Tyler Durden

ronnie

Er's famous quote: "did not wish to make windows into men's souls"

what does this mean :confused:

It's to do with the tensions between the doctrinal beliefs of Protestantism and Roman Catholicism in Elizabethan England. Elizabeth I asked for outward uniformity and held the belief that "there is only one Jesus Christ and all the rest is a dispute over trifles". Essentially she was saying there would not be witch-hunts if some people decided to remain Catholics (as long as they also remained loyal subjects and observed at least superficial obedience to Protestantism). So to get back to the quotation, she decided (extremely wisely) to allow other religious belief and would not "make windows into men's souls" (ie. would not constantly be on the look out for Catholics). This compromise is almost certainly what prevented civil wars about religion during her reign.

Reply 4

ronnie

sorry, i didn't reallyy understand, can u explain more on the words "did not wish to make windows into men's souls" otherthan the back ground :smile:

Reply 5

Tyler Durden

ronnie

sorry, i didn't reallyy understand, can u explain more on the words "did not wish to make windows into men's souls" otherthan the back ground :smile:

Ok.

Making "windows into men's souls" would be trying to pry into their "soul" so as to find exactly what their religious belief was (ie. whether they were Catholic or Protestant). She said she DIDN'T want to do this and as long as people showed her loyalty they would not be condemned for holding an alternative belief.

[It's quite an elaborate metaphor really.]

Let me know if you still don't understand. :smile:

Reply 6

LubyLoo

ronnie

Er's famous quote: "did not wish to make windows into men's souls"

what does this mean :confused:

What englishstudent said and basically Elizabeth would tolerate different faiths, and unlike Mary, she would not persecute anyone for their beliefs. Mary thought she was doing these people a favour by burning them at the stake to get rid of heresy. Elizabeth was more into compromise.

Reply 7

silence

i think the literal sense is described with words which we'd use differently today.

someone today might assume that "to make windows into men's souls" means to change something into something else, i.e. turn a window into a soul. i think it means here to put a window into a soul.