“And did those feet in ancient time…” #2: The Goldfish of Time

How can a goldfish convey the fleeting nature of human existence?

In Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem, the goldfish in a bag emerges as a poignant symbol of Johnny's life, slowly ticking away in the face of inevitable time.

“Hurry up. Time’s running out.”

Phaedra’s urgent fixation on the fish and her desperate desire to save it, mirrors earlier references to time made by Fawcett and Parsons at the play’s opening (“Time.”). Her insistence, “Hurry up. Time’s running out,” underscores the mounting sense of responsibility that Johnny must confront, marking a subtle shift from his once-defiant, carefree ideals. However, Phaedra’s use of natural imagery in the simile “Like I had a stomach full of squirrels” complicates this interpretation of fixation. By choosing squirrels over the expected phrase “stomach full of butterflies,” she subverts the typical metaphor, signalling a deeper, more unexpected connection to Johnny. This unusual comparison might symbolise her own metaphorical transportation, moving closer to Johnny’s worldview on modernity, perhaps also foreshadowing the dance between them at the end of the play. The language here suggests that Phaedra, whilst concerned with time, is also connecting with Johnny’s more primal, instinctive relationship with nature and the passing of time.