"Each evil liver"

An odd phrase for Gilbert to use, clearly here most importantly for the rhyme and rhythm. Probably by "evil liver" the Mikado means merely "person who lives who is evil" or something simple and unresonant like that. Probably not anything to do with Renaissance notions of the origins of emotions in the humours.

This discussion is based on the definition of the word live in the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, which requires a little explanation.

To Act I or Act II of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado.

To the homepage of this Mikado website.

Suggestions, contributions, criticisms, questions? Email Sharon Cogdill.

(c) Copyright 1998 Sharon Cogdill, dramaturg for this production and author of this website.

College of Fine Arts and Humanities

St. Cloud State University

This URL: http://web.stcloudstate.edu/scogdill/mikado/evilliver.html.

Last update: 19 May 1998.