Piers Plowman

Tina Barnett

En 620

16 January 2008

Piers Plowman

Piers Plowman starts out with a poet who falls asleep in the Malvern Hills and dreams of a place between God (Truth) and the devil (Dungeon of Wrong), symbolic of heaven and hell. The hills are also full of people (“fair field full of folk”). While the poet is asleep, he describes all the people he sees living there. He sees visions of people working with joy staying away from worldly matters and pleasures hoping to live in peace in heaven when the world is over. But even in his vision of the happy moral workers, there exist evil doers, jokers and word jugglers who are considered Judas’ children and also those who speak filthy language that Paul preaches against. The Pilgrims, Palmers, and Pardoners are misusing God to take advantage of the people and make themselves wealthy. The people are ignorant and believed their words and give them money for their service to the lord. Prologue line 74 says, “He banged them with his brevet and bleared their eyes.”

Some of the themes in this section of the story are about social class, poverty, and appearance versus reality. One major theme is about Christianity. According to Christian tradition, the society has failed because of the corruption of the church where they are suppose to take money for charity for the sufferings of the poor but use it for their own gain.

Langland shows the plight of the poor and the commoners in his poem by using satire against the corrupt church and the wealthy. The theme of appearance versus reality is seen in the poet’s vision of what he dreams. He dreams about the land and the people but the reality is about good and evil, heaven and hell, God and the Devil.

Pier’s Plowman can be compared to Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales in several ways. In Passus I the lady, The Holy Church, speaks to the poet to explain to him truth and refers to God as “The tower on the hill-top.” She says that people should live modestly and be glad for clothes, food, and a little drink but warns not to drink too much or the devil will take over and be ready to destroy the soul and lead them to hell. This is similar to Chaucer’s “Pardoner’s Tale” when the Old Man warns the men that death, referring to Greed, will be found under a tree. The Holy Church refers to the captain of the Castle of Care as the Father of Wrong or the devil and just as in “The Pardoner’s Tale”, those who give into greed will be destroyed. Like the “Pardoner’s Tale” where the men are searching for Death, the poet in Piers Plowman is searching for Truth. In Piers Plowman The Holy Church explains Truth and in “The Pardoner’s Tale” the Old Man explains Death. Another of Chaucer’s stories “The Wife of Bath” is also searching for Truth. When the Knight is accused of raping a maiden, the Queen tells him that the only way to save his life is to find the truth to the question What do women desire? So the Knight goes out and searches to find the answer to the Queen’s question.

Passus II, III, and IV deals with the identity of Meed. Meed seems to be symbolic of a scarlet woman who can not be trusted and who is entirely corrupt and evil. But Meed seems more to be symbolic of “the power of money” which during this time period, those who were in control misused money. Meed represents all those who are taking money from the mouths of the poor to use for sordid gain. And God is very displeased with this. Passus III, line 83 and 84 says, “They get rich through their retail-sales and buy rental property / With what the poor people should be putting in their bellies.”

Langland’s Meed is similar to Chaucer’s Wife of Bath in her dress (the wearing of red) and the fact that she is a lover of men. As the Wife of Bath is searching for a husband, so is Meed. Meed is able to get a husband because of her wealth. In Passus II, line 76 it says, “Meed is married more for her property / Than for any goodness or grace or any goodly parentage.” Chaucer’s Wife of Bath is also able to choose a good husband because of her wealth and not because of her beauty or good charms.

Meed wants to be married to Conscience. But Conscience knows evil deeds that have been committed by Meed, but if Meed repents and turns to a righteous life and gives to the poor, God will forgive her of her evil deeds. Passus III line 67 says, “For God can see your conscience and the kindness of your will.”

The king asks Conscience if he will marry Meed, but he thinks Meed is too evil. In Alexander G. Mitchell’s Lady Meed and the Art of ‘Piers Plowman’, Mitchell says that Meed is neither entirely evil nor entirely moral though Conscience seems to think Meed entirely evil. Meed defends herself against Conscience saying that if it wasn’t for her some things would not go right. Conscience causes people to recognize fear and causes them to give up, but Meed gives them courage to get things done. Meed may be Conscience seared.

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Online. Google. 14 January 2008.

http://www.luminarium.org>.

Langland, William. Piers Plowman. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2006.

pgs. 2-63.

Mitchell, Alexander G. Lady Meed and the Art of ‘Piers Plowman’. New York: Books

Libraries Press, 1956, pgs. 3-13.