Antony and Cleopatra Group

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uopwoman
Student
College - Freshman

What was meant by "fleshpots of Egypt"?

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Posted by uopwoman on Saturday June 16, 2007 at 5:20 AM and tagged with antony and cleopatra, fleshpots, quote.

Answers:


  1. jamie-wheeler Teacher
    College - Sophomore

    eNotes Editor

    The "fleshpots of Egypt" were so called because of their loose sexuality and equally loose morals. (In the Bible, the "fleshpots of Egypt" are what the Israelites were trying to flee from due to the overt sexuality, greed, and general sin of the Egyptians against the One True God.) Egypt was all about excess.

    Other examples of places being called "fleshpots" are Sodom and Gommorah and Las Vegas, both deemed places were sexuality and morals were/are loose, to say the least! (New slogan: What happens in Egypt stays in Egypt! :)

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/shakespearean-criticism/antony-cleo...

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    Posted by jamie-wheeler on Saturday June 16, 2007 at 5:39 AM

  2. m5m
    m5m

    "fleshpot" as a place of sexual immorality or excesses is a derived meaning and was probably coming to mean that in the 16th century England.  It is what we think of today when we hear the word.  But the "flesh pots" of Egypt referred to in Exodus 16 was an actual king of cooking pot.  The following definition comes from http://www.bible-history.com/isbe/F/FLESH-POT/   In the original Hebrew it is two words. 

    flesh'-pot (cir ha-basar, "pot of the flesh"): One of the six kinds of cooking utensils spoken of as pots or pans or caldrons or basins. Probably usually made of bronze or earthenware. The only mention of flesh-pots, specifically so named, is in Ex 16:3

    Sources:
    http://www.bible-history.com/isbe/F/FLESH-POT/

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    Posted by m5m on Wednesday September 17, 2008 at 2:37 AM