Piers Plowman Passus 4-5
Considering the dictionary definition of the word 'mystery' involves religion and the pursuit of an answer that cannot be answered by humans, I would say Piers Plowman is a mystery story. The author constantly criticizes religious officials and the corruption of the church due to their avarice. The story already seems to be playing with the idea of mystery and what sin, repentance, and forgiveness are.
In lines 34-46 of Passus 4, Peace reveals to everyone all the immoral deeds Wrong committed. These actions represent people's general idea of sin because of how horrendous they are. However, this idea of wrong reveals how people view and weigh sin. They may consider thievery and rape to be awful sins without recognizing that immoral use of payment is considered a sin as well.
In addition, Peace takes a different role in this story than usual. Most people love peace, but the character Peace displays corruption when he agrees to forgive Wrong because Mede paid him (A. 4. 88). Through this, the author shows how things regarded as 'good' can be used for evil as well.
The king also asks Reason for his opinion on how to deal with the situation regarding Wrong. Reason shares the logical solution to the problem because that is his nature. However, the king does not ask Conscience for his opinion and even asks Reason to advise both him and Conscience (A. 4. 96). Since Peace argues to free a criminal, there is an ethical dilemma involving Wrong's behavior and his consequent punishment, but Conscience still does not share his opinion on the situation. If the king represents people and our perspective towards these abstract ideas, then this shows how people may value reason over conscience. Although this worked well in this situation, the author may point out the significance of the relationship between Reason and Conscience later in the story.
Passus 5 begins with Conscience taking a pastoral role when he carries a crozier (a hooked staff symbolizing pastoral office) and warns people against sin (A. 5. 11-20). Conscience then continues to explain how religious officials need to practice what they preach (A. 5. 34-37). The pastoral role of Conscience in this passus contrasts with the description of actual bishops and priests in this story and emphasizes the importance of the human conscience.
The confessions of six of the seven deadly sins seem empty and overly dramatic. They make unrealistic promises about their repentance that they either cannot keep or do not intend to keep. Meanwhile, Robert the Robber seems willing to turn his life around, but the narrator admits that he does not know what happened to Robert after this (A. 5. 242-244). The juxtaposition of these confessions draws upon the questions of what true repentance is and what forgiveness entails. Is it a bold, yet empty, proclamation of one's sins? Is it true remorse and repentance? How do both of these contrast with the pardons sold by religious officials in the Middle Ages? This all takes root in this idea of a mystery story, the questions the author proposes about the Christian faith, and the analysis of human behavior.
In lines 34-46 of Passus 4, Peace reveals to everyone all the immoral deeds Wrong committed. These actions represent people's general idea of sin because of how horrendous they are. However, this idea of wrong reveals how people view and weigh sin. They may consider thievery and rape to be awful sins without recognizing that immoral use of payment is considered a sin as well.
In addition, Peace takes a different role in this story than usual. Most people love peace, but the character Peace displays corruption when he agrees to forgive Wrong because Mede paid him (A. 4. 88). Through this, the author shows how things regarded as 'good' can be used for evil as well.
The king also asks Reason for his opinion on how to deal with the situation regarding Wrong. Reason shares the logical solution to the problem because that is his nature. However, the king does not ask Conscience for his opinion and even asks Reason to advise both him and Conscience (A. 4. 96). Since Peace argues to free a criminal, there is an ethical dilemma involving Wrong's behavior and his consequent punishment, but Conscience still does not share his opinion on the situation. If the king represents people and our perspective towards these abstract ideas, then this shows how people may value reason over conscience. Although this worked well in this situation, the author may point out the significance of the relationship between Reason and Conscience later in the story.
Passus 5 begins with Conscience taking a pastoral role when he carries a crozier (a hooked staff symbolizing pastoral office) and warns people against sin (A. 5. 11-20). Conscience then continues to explain how religious officials need to practice what they preach (A. 5. 34-37). The pastoral role of Conscience in this passus contrasts with the description of actual bishops and priests in this story and emphasizes the importance of the human conscience.
The confessions of six of the seven deadly sins seem empty and overly dramatic. They make unrealistic promises about their repentance that they either cannot keep or do not intend to keep. Meanwhile, Robert the Robber seems willing to turn his life around, but the narrator admits that he does not know what happened to Robert after this (A. 5. 242-244). The juxtaposition of these confessions draws upon the questions of what true repentance is and what forgiveness entails. Is it a bold, yet empty, proclamation of one's sins? Is it true remorse and repentance? How do both of these contrast with the pardons sold by religious officials in the Middle Ages? This all takes root in this idea of a mystery story, the questions the author proposes about the Christian faith, and the analysis of human behavior.
I really like that you mentioned how the story seems to be playing with the idea of sin and forgiveness are because I really didn't think of that. I also like that you mentioned that humans may prefer reason over conscience. However, I don't particularly think that Peace took on a too different role from what I would've expected. Though Peace does seem to have a positive connotation, I think that Peace's main role was just to prevent conflict, even at the expense of doing something that may be considered "wrong" as long as peace is achieved--though not necessarily justice.
ReplyDeleteI like how you commented on Conscience and how he calls out the clergy. Even though Piers Plowman predates the Reformation, the words and actions of Conscience can be interpreted as the origins of the movement. Also, your point on how the king valuing Reason over Conscience is excellent, as we could interpret ourselves as "King", choosing to listen to which adviser we like the most.
ReplyDeleteYour final few comments questioning the value of repentance are a really well-founded response to the end of passus 5. I also was getting very frustrated while reading this part, because it to me it seemed so easy for them to follow through with their promises yet they proved to be unable to. It made me think about repentance in today's age and how people simply repent in order to convince themselves that they will go to heaven without having any true or genuine sense of remorse or regret for their actions. I think it bodes well that the meaning behind this text still applies to such a huge part of religious life today and the question of if it is really meaningful or not.
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