Wine glasses in literature
Have you ever sat down in an English or world literature class and wondered, “This teacher or professor is asking what this word, object, or phrase means and why?” The world of literature is vast and encompasses many cultures and languages. Within these cultures, the study and knowledge of literature means a well educated person.
Followers of English and world literature are always looking for a way to find the meaning of words as metaphors, similes, or allusions. One of the items that a reader can find in literature is the wine glass. Wine glasses represent royalty, luxury, precious metals, and good taste.
These drinking vessels also symbolize drinking fine wine in a beautiful glass. The most recent use of the word cup is in the book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowlings. In the release of the fourth book in JK Rowling’s popular book series, the Goblet of Fire depicts a magical cup that chooses the names of contestants for a school competition. Edgar Allen Poe, William Shakespeare, and Irving Washington use wine glasses as inspiration, props, or metaphors in their writing. For example, William Shakespeare incorporates the glass of wine into one of his Macbeth soliloquies. Macbeth’s purpose was to poison the wine and use it in a murder plot.
Wine glasses are used in ceremonies, celebrations, to seal business deals, to describe a beautiful woman, and as a prized possession for an individual or monarch. Pablo Neruda wrote a poem that says: “Never a drink has contained you.” Neruda is alluding to the best wine glass filled with the best of wines. In literature, it is about how the reader interprets the meaning of the object.
In Christianity, the Holy Chalice (wine cup) is the cup that Jesus used at the last supper to serve wine to his disciples. In Wicca, the chalice is used to represent femininity, leading to procreation. Its relevance in literature is embedded in the story. Who would have ever thought that a glass like the wine glass would be highly represented in literature.