The Consolation of Philosophy, Part 2, Part II summary
Part 2, Part II of 82 · Book 1: The Sorrows of Boethius · 3 min to read the part
In II, the speaker imagines Fortune defending her right to withdraw wealth and honor because these gifts never belong to their recipients. Fortune compares her changes to natural cycles, recalls the reversals suffered by kings, and argues that uncertainty also gives grounds for hope.
What happens
- The speaker asks the listener to consider whether Fortune’s imagined defense is fair.
- Fortune argues that wealth and rank belong to her, so withdrawing them violates no rightful ownership.
- She compares her changes to shifts in daylight, seasons, and the sea.
- Her spinning wheel raises some people and lowers others, requiring recipients to accept both movements.
- Examples of royal misfortune and Zeus’s jars challenge the listener’s expectations of uninterrupted happiness.
- Fortune suggests that change can support hope and urges the listener to stop demanding control over life.
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Why does Fortune say the man has no right to complain about his losses?
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