Original artwork, not a still
Absalom and Achitophel • 1681
Resolv’d to ruin or to rule the state.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The line portrays a figure set on an all-or-nothing course: either to govern the state or to destroy it. No lesser role is acceptable. Ambition is pictured as so unyielding that ruin counts as an equally acceptable outcome if rule is denied, which makes the resolve sound dangerous.
Context reviewed
