42.1 Thematic Control in Literature, Poetry, and Humor Part 1

In analyzing literature, poetry, or humor, a major variable that must be considered as contributing to the emission of a particular response is the previous words or the general reasons for writing the prose or poetry or the “theme.” In Shakespeare’s Cymbaline, these lines appear: “Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney sweepers, come to dust.” An analysis of the variables responsible for the phrase “come to dust” would have to include the context or theme, which is death.