| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Herodias by Gustave Flaubert: had cherished a dream that some day she would rule over a great
empire. As an important step towards attaining this ambition, she had
deserted Philip, her first husband, and married the tetrarch, who now
she thought had duped her.
"Ah! I found a powerful support, indeed, when I entered thy family!"
she sneered.
"It is at least the equal of thine," Antipas replied.
Herodias felt the blood of the kings and priests, her ancestors,
boiling in her veins.
"Thy grandfather was a servile attendant upon the temple of Ascalon!"
she went on, with fury. "Thy other ancestors were shepherds, bandits,
 Herodias |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Adam Bede by George Eliot: plateful of beef. A grin of delight broke over Tom's face as the
plate was set down before him, between his knife and fork, which
he held erect, as if they had been sacred tapers. But the delight
was too strong to continue smouldering in a grin--it burst out the
next instant in a long-drawn "haw, haw!" followed by a sudden
collapse into utter gravity, as the knife and fork darted down on
the prey. Martin Poyser's large person shook with his silent
unctuous laugh. He turned towards Mrs. Poyser to see if she too
had been observant of Tom, and the eyes of husband and wife met in
a glance of good-natured amusement.
"Tom Saft" was a great favourite on the farm, where he played the
 Adam Bede |