Return of the Plagosus – Chapter 8, Act 3, Strip 44

Mopey is quite correct in pointing out that “anger is a brief madness”, but on some level she is still misusing that quote.

For the full quote (by nobody less than Horace) actually goes “Ira furor brevis est: animum rege: qui nisi paret imperat” and translates to “Anger is a brief madness: govern your mind [temper], for unless it obeys it commands.”

So while Horace prefers his animus to be paret-ing instead of imperat-ing, Mopey would prefer exactly the opposite, at least right now. And, admittedly, her current circumstances and situation would both look a lot better if she couldn’t see them due to being blinded by rage. In that regard, she would have been well-advised by the first part of Horace’s words, at least: When trying to face the world in a blind rage, pacing is key. Don’t start raging too soon, or it’ll burn out long before reality has become bearable again.

And, in Mopey’s case, that moment will definitely not come before the encounter with her nemesis and mentor lies behind her. And, yeah, who else could her nemesis have been? Mopey isn’t afraid of any shadows save one: the long shadow of the Professor, with its attendant question of whether she’ll ever be able to escape it. Which might explain why Horace’s preferences differ so much from hers – after all, he not only managed to escape the shadow (and the beatings) of his hated mentor Orbilius, but utterly ruined the man’s reputation for all time.

Will Mopey achieve the same? Doubtful.

More on Monday.

*But then, Orbilius was not nearly as long-lived as the Professor, dying in 13 BCE at the tender age of not even quite 100 years.