Fie on ambitions! Fie on myself.

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

“Fie on ambitions! Fie on myself, that have a sword and yet am ready to famish! These five days have I hid me in these woods and durst not peep out, for all the country is laid for me; but now am I so hungry that, if I might have a lease of my life for a thousand years, I could stay no longer.”

In the above quotation from King Henry VI by William Shakespeare, I found that fie on something/someone (or even ourselves) is an interjection used to express surprise, dismay, pain or other feelings and emotions.

I want to ask if “Fie on myself” can be mentioned in everyday English?

Thanks.

2

No, “fie” is archaic.

3

OK and thanks.
One more question Dozy. :slight_smile: I just can’t get my head around this quote “Success is the necessary misfortune of life, but it is only to the very unfortunate that it comes early” by Anthony Trollope.

4

As far as I can tell, there is no hidden or cryptic meaning; it means exactly what it says. If you read it in context ( books.google.co.uk/books?id=3X8C … of+life%22 ), the author has just reeled off a list of reasons why being successful may not be such a great thing.

5

Thanks for the link! After reading that specific paragraph, I managed to get the message. Many thanks, Dozy.