The Ballad of Pierce O'Reilly (Humpty Dumpty)

The Ballad of Persse O'Reilly - a poem from the book Finnegans Wake written by James Joyce.

📝 Explanatory Notes on Verses 11 & 12 of The Ballad of Pierce O'Reilly

These verses describe the climax and immediate aftermath of the fall of the protagonist, HCE (Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker), linking his downfall to political, military, and domestic intrigue. Joyce heavily uses portmanteau words, puns, and distorted history to create multiple layers of meaning.

Verse 11

This verse describes the fall itself, merging the figure of HCE (Pierce O'Reilly/Humpty Dumpty) with a national monument and a public execution.

• He was joulting down by Wellinton's monument
  • Textual Analysis: "joulting down" suggests a violent, bumpy ride or a heavy fall. "Wellinton's monument" refers to the Duke of Wellington, linking the personal collapse to historical authority.
  • Key Themes: Fall/Collapse of Authority: The setting links the personal downfall to historical/colonial themes.
• Our rotorious hippopopotamuns
  • Textual Analysis: "rotorious" combines notorious and rotation. "hippopopotamuns" combines hippopotamus (HCE's bulk) and anonymous. He is a famous yet universally representative figure.
  • Key Themes: HCE's Identity: He is a large, memorable sinner (*notorious*) yet universally representative (*anonymous*).
• When somebody let down the backstrap of his omnibus
  • Textual Analysis: The "omnibus" (bus) suggests a public event. Letting down the "backstrap" (harness strap or trousers) is the immediate cause of his fall/exposure, implying treachery.
  • Key Themes: Exposure & Treachery: The fall is caused by an outside party and involves public shame/sexual exposure.
• And he caught his death of fusiliers,
  • Textual Analysis: A pun on "caught his death of cold" combined with "fusiliers" (British soldiers). This suggests HCE was shot or executed, linking his fall to military violence.
  • Key Themes: Military Punishment: The immediate cause of death is linked to military/law enforcement.
• With his rent in his rears.
  • Textual Analysis: "rent" means a tear or hole, but also *money owed*. "rears" (rear end) suggests the wound or exposure is in his backside. Implies being shot in the back or humiliated for debt. There is also the phrase "rent in arrears" - meaning money is owed for rent.
  • Key Themes: Shame/Debt/Wound: Focuses on the physical and financial exposure resulting from the collapse.
• Give him six years.
  • Textual Analysis: A simple, blunt judicial sentence.
  • Key Themes: Judgment: The immediate consequence of the fall is legal punishment.

Verse 12

This verse shifts focus from HCE to his family, particularly his wife, Anna Livia Plurabelle (ALP), and the legacy of his shame.

• 'Tis sore pity for his innocent poor children
  • Textual Analysis: Refers to the children (Shem, Shaun, and Issy), who suffer due to their father's disgrace.
  • Key Themes: The Children: The immediate, innocent victims of HCE's fall.
• But look out for his missus legitimate!
  • Textual Analysis: Refers to ALP, the wife. The tone is a warning: the wife, the victim, is now seen as potentially powerful or vengeful.
  • Key Themes: ALP's Power: Hints that the fall will unleash ALP's energy and power to act or seize control.
• When that frew gets a grip of old Earwicker
  • Textual Analysis: "frew" combines shrew and possibly Frau (woman). This suggests ALP will now dominate or "grip" her husband, taking advantage of his weakness.
  • Key Themes: Marital Shift: The dynamics of the marriage reverse; the wife takes charge.
• There'll be earwigs on the green?
  • Textual Analysis: A play on HCE's surname, Earwicker. **"earwigs on the green"** means public shame and scandal will erupt, spreading across the "green" (public space/lawn). It probably refers to the Irish phrase "Wigs on the green", which means a fight, brawl, or a very heated argument, when the wigs of barristers fell on the village green in the row.
  • Key Themes: Gossip & Scandal: The shame will proliferate publicly.
• Big earwigs on the green, / The largest ever you've seen.
  • Textual Analysis: Emphasizes the massive size and scope of the family's disgrace.
  • Key Themes: Climax of Shame: The resulting scandal is unprecedented.

Final Line: The Four Master Writers

The final line is a famous Joycean summation, a portmanteau of the four great cultural and literary masters who influenced Western civilization, placing HCE's story within the grand, eternal human narrative:

Suffoclose!

Alludes to Sophocles (Greek tragedian); represents ancient Greek drama, fate, and tragedy.

Shikespower!

Alludes to Shakespeare (English playwright); represents the Renaissance, drama, and the English literary tradition.

Seudodanto!

Alludes to Pseudo-Dante (Dante Alighieri); represents Italian epic poetry, Catholicism, sin, and the journey through hell.

Anonymoses!

Alludes to Anonymous / Moses (Biblical figure); represents anonymous folk literature, the Bible, law, and myth.

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