What is the French saying in Handmaid's Tale?

Near the end of The Handmaid's Tale's season two finale, in one of her final acts before escaping from the Waterford household, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) plasters one of the classic sayings from Margaret Atwood's novel all over her bedroom wall: “nolite te bastardes carborundorum,” which translates from Latin into “don't ...

What does Nolite TE Bastardes Carborundorum translate to?

The novel explains that when translated from Latin to English, “Nolite Te Bastardes Carburondorum” roughly translates to “don't let the bastards grind you down”. In the Handmaid's Tale episode, June's pronunciation of the phrase sounds like “no-lee-tey teh bas-tar-dehs car-bor-un-door-room”.

What is the saying in The Handmaid's Tale?

“Blessed be the fruit”: the typical greeting to a Handmaid in Gilead. The phrase also has Biblical ties to encouraging fertility.

What does it say on June's wall?

Plot. Offred has been banished to her room by Serena Joy for "lying" about being pregnant. She goes into the closet where she finds the Latin phrase "nolite te bastardes carborundorum" scratched into the wall.

What does Carborundorum mean in Latin?

“My guess is that c. 1890-1900, some American people thought it would be funny to pretend like 'carborundum' was actually a Latin word meaning 'needing to be worn down' or (making allowances for ignorance, which is surely part of it) 'to wear down.

Top Five Quotes From The Handmaid's Tale

What is written on the wall at the end of handmaid's Tale?

What does “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” mean? The Latin sprayed on the wall underneath Fred's hanging corpse roughly translates as “Don't let the bastards grind you down,” and is a recurring phrase on The Handmaid's Tale taken from Margaret Atwood's original 1985 novel from which the TV series is adapted.

What is written on the wall under Fred Waterford?

In a brief flash, Fred's headless body is shown hanging from a wall — like so many Gilead victims at his hand — with the key Handmaid's Tale phrase written in blood below him: “Nolite te bastardes carburondorum.” His ring finger was also mailed to his pregnant wife, Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski).

Is Fred Waterford sterile?

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Bruce Miller explained why Fred and Serena were finally able to conceive. “Well, Gilead works,” Miller said. “They cleaned up; they did everything they could do to make fertility rise. They don't have sterility; men are not sterile.

Why did JUNE say give me 5 minutes?

It can go a lot of ways.” Rather than needing five minutes before she faces the authorities, five minutes before she goes on the run, or five minutes before her and Luke's marriage is over, Miller says that final moment was June wanting to remember her past self.

What phrase does Offred find in her closet?

"Nolite te bastardes carborundorum" is both the title of the most recent Handmaid's Tale episode and the phrase Offred finds carved into her closet, a message left by the previous handmaid.

What does the phrase May the Lord open mean?

“May the Lord open”: The classic response to “blessed be the fruit.” Again, it suggests that they're praying for God to bring fertility to Handmaids. “Under His Eye”: Another Biblical reference, intended for saying hello or goodbye.

What does blessed be thy fruit mean?

In Margaret Atwood's „The Handmaid's Tale“, „Blessed be the Fruit“ is a form of greeting between the people of the Republic of Gilead. This encourages fertility in a society where women with healthy reproductive system must produce children for the ruling class of men „Commanders“.

What does the phrase under his eye mean?

“Under His eye”: How Handmaids formally say goodbye to each other in person. By extension, the phrase suggests that someone—a Guardian, a Commander, a fellow Handmaid, God—is always watching.

What did June bite off Fred?

June also makes sure to bite off Fred's tongue, which speaks to their own relationship - the finale shows them in flashbacks at Jezebel's, and his sleazy behavior (which includes biting her neck and ear), that she has to resist biting back at.

What does it say under Commander Waterford?

At the end of season 4, Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) has been lynched and his body hangs over a phrase written across the wall. It says "nolite te bastardes carborundorum." In reality, and also in the series, it's explained that it is a made-up phrase in mock Latin.

Where does the saying don't let the bastards grind you down come from?

This is a great quote in fake latin that says “Don't let the bastards get you down.” It originated early in World War II in British Army Intelligence. The mock latin phrase was adopted by US Army General “Vinegar” Joe Stilwell as his motto during World War II. Its another great way of saying, Let It Go.

What did June mean by I'll go?

As her final words of the season indicate when she tells husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle), “I'm sorry. Just give me five minutes with her [Nichole] and then I'll go,” she has potentially risked her freedom in order to further her war on the fascist regime of Gilead. “June says, 'A good mother would be able to let it go.

Does JUNE get Hannah out?

The audience received this gift at just the right time but one question remains: Will June ever truly find peace? "Not until she gets Hannah out of Gilead and home to her father," said Moss, who directed three of the episodes this season, in a recent interview.

What did Ofglen have removed?

Immediately after the hanging, Ofglen has her clitoris surgically removed as punishment for being gay.

Why can't Serena get pregnant?

Serena assumed Fred was infertile and orchestrated a sexual encounter between June and Nick. This resulted in June's pregnancy with Nichole. (This act is what ultimately got her arrested.) It was also previously implied Serena couldn't get pregnant because of a gunshot wound she suffered before the Gilead coup.

Is June's baby nicks or Fred's?

In season 3 episode 5 of The Handmaid's Tale, “Unknown Caller,” June gets a cassette tape to Luke with a message on it. With the message, June reveals that Nichole is actually a love child and Nick is her father.

Who is the father of Mrs Waterfords baby?

But Fred is the father.” Fans of the show will have to wait until season five to see how the rest of Serena's pregnancy will go, especially when she finds out that Fred has been killed.

Why does Fred Call Nick son?

With this in mind, Fred's use of "son" may have been just another way to emotionally manipulate Nick. He may have been trying to keep Nick on his side and make him feel as if there was still a close bond between them both. However, with Nick and June bound together by love, he would have always taken her side.

Did Fred end up on the wall?

In the cryptic final scenes of The Handmaid's Tale finale, Fred's mutilated body is hanging on a wall, likely somewhere in No Man's Land. The message, “Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum,” is written in red (perhaps blood) beneath his body. It is a semi-Latin phrase that appears in Margaret Atwood's novel.

Does June get Hannah back in the book?

But she grows up in Gilead and becomes an Aunt. And then, after a life-changing adventure including Nichole, Aunt Lydia, and new characters, Hannah and Nichole make it out of Gilead. They are reunited with June at the end. And the book confirms the girls are both reunited with their biological fathers.