Struts And Frets

 

"A Sun Invisible," V.

Despite what I wrote here, Beljagor does, in a later conversation, express some racial prejudice:

"'You! Do you suppose I'd get up for a pestilential human?'" (p. 296)

A strange attitude toward the leading species in the Polesotechnic League.

Falkayn mollifies him with:

"'If I get clobbered, I'm a mere journeyman, a human at that. You're a Master Merchant from Jaleel.'" (p. 304)

Immune to sarcasm but finally persuaded by the rightness of Falkayn's arguments, Beljagor makes amends:

"'Right!' he cried, choked by emotion. 'How noble of you to admit it!' He wrung Falkayn's hand. 'Please don't think badly of me. I may be loud now and then - I may talk rough when my patience wears thin - but believe me, I've got no prejudice against your race. Why, some of my best friends are human!'" (ibid.)

Obviously, humor has come on stage here so our textual analysis need not be too serious. That reference to patience, or rather to the lack of it, reminds us that Beljagor, only a meter in height, is like a miniature parody of van Rijn. When Falkayn suggests that Beljagor play act by throwing a tantrum:

"Beljagor grew rigid. 'What are you saying? I'm the most patient, long-suffering entity in this cosmos.'

"Huh?'

"'When I think of what I have to put up with, impertinence like yours, stupidity, greed, thievishness, lack of appreciation -' Beljagor's tone mounted to a dull roar.

"Falkayn smothered a second yawn." (p. 303)

In the early installments of a future history series, we have no way of knowing which characters will recur and become important and which will be like life:

 

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

-copied from here.