Josh Ward, Prologue and Passus 1
I don't enjoy this reading.
I understood all of the Biblical references only because I have read a lot of the Bible, otherwise I probably would have been pretty lost. The narrator here seems to be speaking to some kind of angelic maiden in Passus 1, and she just keeps talking about the Bible while explaining the activities of some people on this mountain. She eventually reveals herself to be a representative of the "holy church(???)" Maybe. Anyways the man having the vision, continues speaking to the woman eventually inquiring about the "Castle of Care," which is a scary dungeon on the "dale." I found the name of the dungeon interesting as the individual who lives inside, from the descriptions given, can determined to be the devil. Names such as "Father of falsehood" and descriptions such as the one who deceived Adam and Eve and "counseled" Cain to kill his brother make it quite clear that this "wight" is satan. I found it interesting that the dungeon he inhabits is called the "Castle of Care," as the words "satan" and "care" are rather opposite in connotation. Perhaps this was done to illustrate that while oftentimes in the world it may sound as though sinful actions are appealing, by the look of the dungeon and by knowledge of who is inside any individual would know to not enter. The speaker asks the woman to pray for him so that he may abstain from evil. Perhaps he does not want to be deceived by the evil that surrounds this mountain.
As for a mystery, the only mystery I've solved so far is that "schep" is a stand in for "sheep" in this antiquated cesspool of bizarre diction. I'm still not really sure what this story is about. My guess is like the Irish version of Pilgrim's Progress. Perhaps that is what the mystery in this story really is; discovering what's actually taking place as the language does it's best to cloud any image you attempt to form.
I understood all of the Biblical references only because I have read a lot of the Bible, otherwise I probably would have been pretty lost. The narrator here seems to be speaking to some kind of angelic maiden in Passus 1, and she just keeps talking about the Bible while explaining the activities of some people on this mountain. She eventually reveals herself to be a representative of the "holy church(???)" Maybe. Anyways the man having the vision, continues speaking to the woman eventually inquiring about the "Castle of Care," which is a scary dungeon on the "dale." I found the name of the dungeon interesting as the individual who lives inside, from the descriptions given, can determined to be the devil. Names such as "Father of falsehood" and descriptions such as the one who deceived Adam and Eve and "counseled" Cain to kill his brother make it quite clear that this "wight" is satan. I found it interesting that the dungeon he inhabits is called the "Castle of Care," as the words "satan" and "care" are rather opposite in connotation. Perhaps this was done to illustrate that while oftentimes in the world it may sound as though sinful actions are appealing, by the look of the dungeon and by knowledge of who is inside any individual would know to not enter. The speaker asks the woman to pray for him so that he may abstain from evil. Perhaps he does not want to be deceived by the evil that surrounds this mountain.
As for a mystery, the only mystery I've solved so far is that "schep" is a stand in for "sheep" in this antiquated cesspool of bizarre diction. I'm still not really sure what this story is about. My guess is like the Irish version of Pilgrim's Progress. Perhaps that is what the mystery in this story really is; discovering what's actually taking place as the language does it's best to cloud any image you attempt to form.
I completely agree. I am also very confused as to what this story is about. I also picked up on some of the religious references, and I agree with your theory that this passus illustrates the temptation of evil. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is one confusing passage!! I haven't read much of the Bible, so yes, I am lost. If you read it out loud, you'll notice that some of the words are spelled the way they are pronounced. Really relatable post! :-)
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