47 pages • 1 hour read
Bring Up The Bodies
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Symbols & Motifs
The Tower
Content Warning: The novel and the guide reference pregnancy loss and domestic abuse.
The Tower of London is a castle on the banks of the Thames River. The oldest parts of the structure date back to the 11th century. By Henry VIII’s era, the castle served ceremonial functions (a king or queen traditionally spent the night there before their coronation) and was also used as a prison for high-ranking prisoners. In the novel, the Tower symbolizes an inevitable reckoning with fate and the lack of control individuals have over their destiny. It is presented to evoke fear since torture was common there; when Cromwell and his associates are questioning Mark Smeaton, they warn him that “we can take you to the Tower where there is a rack” (276). For others, being transported to the Tower is a death sentence; it begins a process that almost always has the same outcome. When Cromwell and other high-ranking men escort Anne to the Tower, she collapses just before entering, knowing “the next thing they will do together, which is kill her” (298). Wolsey, whose fate is referenced throughout the novel, died before reaching the Tower, but the assumption is that he would have been executed, had he reached it.
William the Conqueror originally oversaw the Tower’s construction, leading it to symbolize how absolute authority leads to precarity and vulnerability for those close to power. Anne was once the object of Henry’s desire; she stayed at the Tower before her coronation. Henry Norris was a beloved courtier before being arrested. In The Mirror and The Light, Cromwell himself is taken to the Tower to await execution. The Tower symbolizes that no one can ever be sure of what path their life will take and that fate can change course at any moment.
The Jeweled Book
After Anne’s arrest, Jane Seymour receives a gift from Henry: a small, bejeweled book. The book symbolizes Henry’s hypocrisy and selfishness. Jane is shocked because although the embellished book is intended to be a sentimental gift, it bears the initials H & A, and “beneath Anne’s initial you can still distinguish the ‘K’” (309). This means that Henry has recycled the same gift from his first two wives and passed it down to Jane. Not only is the gesture callous, but it is also chilling because Henry has abandoned one wife and arrested the other. Henry is so arrogant that it doesn’t occur to him that presenting this gift to Jane without attempting to conceal that it is being reused would be offensive. While this gesture symbolizes his arrogance, it also symbolizes the extent of his power. Jane has to respond as though she were touched and grateful, regardless of how she actually feels. It would be disastrous for her, and by extension, the Seymour family, to upset Henry, proving that the gift really serves only to assuage his ego, rather than to bring Jane any genuine pleasure.
The book’s contents symbolize women’s precarious role in Tudor England. It contains a Bible verse from the Book of Proverbs, stating “Who can a find a good, a virtuous woman? Her price is beyond rubies” (309). The quotation might be a compliment, but it reinforces a system of patriarchal values in which a woman is primarily celebrated for her compliance with social norms. Also, Henry has gifted this book twice before to women whom he subsequently disavowed. The gift symbolizes how Henry values a woman and perceives her based on how conveniently she meets his needs. He will praise a woman when he sees her as aligning with his desires, but that regard can be withdrawn at any time.
Anne's Yellow Gown
When Katherine dies, Anne dons a flamboyant yellow gown, “sewn over with pearls, so that she moves in a blur of primrose light” (144). The gown symbolizes Anne’s superficial grasp of how power works and that this shallow understanding will ultimately be her downfall. Anne thinks that Katherine is the primary obstacle causing friction between herself and Henry and the main reason that many do not accept her as the legitimate queen. When she puts on the yellow dress, she falsely believes that all her problems will be resolved now that Katherine no longer stands in her way. The dress symbolizes Anne’s reliance on her beauty and charisma; these tools have allowed her to rise to the position of Henry’s wife, but they will not fully protect her. The yellow dress resembles one that Anne wore “when she first appeared at court, dancing in a masque” (144). Anne’s choice to wear the same color many years later implies that she still thinks she can maintain power using the same tools: her body and seductive allure. By donning a yellow dress as an older woman, who is now much less tantalizing to Henry, Anne reveals her naïve confidence and highlights The Precarious Nature of Favoritism.
While yellow might traditionally symbolize sunshine, joy, youthfulness, and hope for a new life, the gown is a tragically ironic symbol because Anne is only days away from losing her pregnancy and only a few months away from being executed. Her lack of power over the future contrasts with the shrewd and calculating Cromwell, who is always aware of how the future will unfold.
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By Hilary Mantel
