follow a strict code of conduct, the code of chivalry,
even at the expense of their own safety.
Priam, referred to in line 12, was the king of
Troy during the Trojan War, the subject of Hom-
er’s epic poemIliad. The jumbled order of ancient
references reveals that Cheevy is less interested in
historical facts than the famed stories about them.
Stanza 4
In the fourth stanza, Robinson engages in word-
play for humorous effect. The fame that Cheevy
misses is so ripe that the people associated with it
are fragrant. In one sense, the people Cheevy
conjures as so clear in his mind that they seem
like flowers in full bloom, smelling beautiful. In
another sense, the ripeness suggests that the people
lauded in history have reached their peak and are
on the far side of it, and so their so-called fra-
grance is that of decay.
In line 15, Cheevy regrets that ‘‘Romance’’ is
‘‘on the town.’’ It is an expression that has two
meanings. The more positive meaning is that
Romance is celebrated, living a luxurious lifestyle,
as in the expression ‘‘a night out on the town.’’
Another meaning for this expression suggests
that Romance is homeless. Either interpretation
can apply; Cheevy could be sorry to hear that the
idea of Romance is forgotten in modern society,
but he could also regret that it is an idea celebrated
by superficial individuals who do not understand
history with the depth of understanding that he
thinks he has.
There is no ambiguity in line 16, where Art is
clearly presented as being impoverished and
homeless.
Stanza 5
Line 17 mentions another historical age that
Miniver Cheevy idealizes: the age of the Medici,
the Italian dynasty that ruled Florence and Tus-
cany in the fifteenth century. In Cheevy’s mind,
what is attractive about the Medici is they were so
wealthy and powerful they could be completely
self-indulgent. They were patrons to Renaissance
artists, too. Plus, the Medici family held onto their
political power by corrupt means. Cheevy ignores
the unpleasant realities of Medici history but imag-
ines if he had been one of them he would have
sinned as much as they did. In line 18, Robinson
explains that the fact that Cheevy had no firsthand
knowledge of the Medici did not stop him from
idealizing them.
Inthelasthalfofstanza5,thepoemshows
how self-contradictory Cheevy is. On the one
hand, he dreams of chivalric knights who followed
strict codes of ethics. Here, however, he is so enam-
ored with his ideas of the Medici that he is beguiled
by the thought of sinning in order to be one. His
interest, then, is not in exceptional conduct. He is
infatuated with images he has of the past because it
keeps his mind off the present.Stanza 6
This stanza continues to expose the contradictions
of Miniver Cheevy’s worldview. He looks down
on the ordinary fashions of his time, like a com-
fortable khaki suit; at the same time, he idealizes
medieval armor, which was in fact the exact oppo-
site of the ‘‘grace’’ that Cheevy imagines in his self-
deluding dreams.Stanza 7
Lines 24 and 25 show the height of this man’s
inconsistency. He would like to be rich, and the
fact that he is not rich bothers him, but he also
looks down on wealth. Finding nothing good in
his actual life, he would like to advance to a better
life, but, since that is unlikely, he is quite willing to
dismiss what modern life offers. There are two
reasons that Cheevy hates his life. One is that he
is forced to live in the present, feeling cheated of
the glories of the past, and he thinks that his
knowledge of history makes him important. His
resentment about being poor, however, simply
makes him average.
Cheevy is confused by the contradictory ideas
he uses for escape. He thinks about his ideals and
illusions and gets no where doing it.Stanza 8
Miniver Cheevy simply is not intelligent enough
to understand that he is living a life of contra-
diction. He thinks that he is unhappy because he
cannot experience the glory of the past. Stuck in
the present, he can only enjoy the past vicariously,
by dreaming about it. But such dreaming sets him
up to be continuously frustrated in the present.
The poem’s last line indicates that the real
reason Cheevy cannot understand why he is the
source of his own unhappiness: He drinks. He
does not see the relationship between drinking,
his scorn toward the world around him, and his
inability to move forward with a life that might
give him some satisfaction. Being unable or
unwilling to see the source of his problem, heMiniver Cheevy