The poet combines satire with various stylistic elements to explore the moral divide that reflected within the estates of the fourteenth century English society. For instance, the tower of truth is contrasted with the dungeon of immorality to provide a symbolic distinction between good and evil. The poet illustrates the satirical element in the lives of the different classes of people in this dream. For instance, the tramps and beggars are represented as pretenders whose bellies and bags are crammed with bread (Langland, 13). They are also described as gluttons who still aspire to a false sense of godliness. Hermits and pilgrims are equally included among the dishonest people in the society.
The persona describes them as individuals who do not portray the essential attributes of holiness. In a thorough-going exposition of the level of rot within the religious establishment, the persona provides a most acerbic criticism against the friars for appropriating the gospel for their private gain. He captures the dimension of rot within the Christian establishment by describing the group as one driven primarily by monetary objectives. For instance he offers that “For money and their preaching both go together,” (Langland, 18). It is evident that Langland invested a heavy element of satire throughout this poem as a device to unsettle the fundamental weakness in the European society1.
Set in the fourteenth century, this poem captures the prominence of religion in the lives of Europeans at that early stage. The moral compass is portrayed as having been entirely dependent on the church and its agents. The satirical aim of this poem is to capture the rhythm of deceit and moral corruption that emerged within the estates in the Europe of the fourteenth century. Another purpose of the satire in this poem is to capture the theme of exploitation. In the eleventh stanza the poet’s focus narrows down on the task of exposing the systematic exploitation that the more privileged classes exerted upon the less privileged ones. The satire has also been enlisted in the task of portraying the vanity in man’s earthly pursuits and intentions.
The poet blends satire with metaphor to explore the manner in which the ruling estate misuses power for the benefit of a few powerful individuals. The futile response of the citizenry is captured in the fable of the rats and their intention to tie a bell around the neck of a prowling cat, (Langland, 31). The futility of the mission mirrors the inability of the Europeans of the fourteenth century to emancipate themselves from oppressive systems. In the last two stanzas, the poet turns the searchlight on the conduct of lawyers. They are portrayed as greedy individuals who only argue out their cases for the sake of money. Consequently, the systems of justice have been marred by greed for transient monetary gains on the part of lawyers.
Generally, the use of satire in this poem appears to illustrate the point that all aspects of the society have fallen captive to the greed of mankind. This greed is manifested almost equally in all the four estates of humanity2. The poem explores the corruption that reflected within the seat of power and the inability of the common people to challenge its roots. The system of government is captured in satirical terms as an organ that is made up of an elaborate network of mischievous elements whose sole objective is to exploit the commonwealth. The use of satire as a weapon of attack cuts in all ways. The governors and the governed are exposed to the critical light of assessment and all found lacking in the requisite discipline that is prescribed by society.
The moral corruption of the ruling elite is placed side by side with the inability of the citizenry to reflect the values of honesty and uprightness. One clear illustration of this element of juxtaposition is to be found in the persona’s criticism of the rats. He argues that even if the rats were let to govern themselves, they would equally succumb to the same weaknesses for which they suffer from the cat. In other words, moral corruption is effectively portrayed as an element within the entire system, and one that burrows deep within the marrow of the social psyche.
The use of satire to criticize and challenge institutions and society was common among the fourteenth century poets. The poets of the time let loose their creative element to probe the contradictions and the deficiencies that existed within the systems of government and society. Critics had begun observing the weaknesses in the structures of the estates and the problematic distinctions that existed between them. Langland successfully dissects the folds of deceit and mischief which might be taken as proof that a compartmentalized society can never hold for long. When viewed within the context of this poem, the leaders are not essentially made up of superior judgment in their being. Similarly the clergy cannot be assumed to be essentially holly.
The satire also dismisses the assumption that the citizenry is primarily an innocent suffering lot within a corrupt and villainous leadership. Langdon’s satire therefore opens up debate on the existence of possibilities within the lives of individuals. One central argument that the satire in Langland’s poem builds is that it is not possible to confine individuals or groups within a specific social setting. The human agent is born with a multiplicity of possibilities that shape his conduct and preferences. In some way the satire effectively argues against classes or estates that have been imposed on people by the society.
The satirical aspect of the Prologue of “Piers Plowman” is to be found in the moral corruption individuals and institutions as described by their prescribed social roles. The use of satire in this text has the effect of exploring the extent of moral corruption that works within the fabric of humanity. The prologue exposes official corruption and the degree of complicit relations between corrupt elements of the societies and the institutions charged with the restoration of order3. In the persona’s dream, human nature is reduced into fables and personification of virtues and vices in a pattern that reflects a network of relationships. Humanity is portrayed as being under the spell of lust and corruption.
In the fable of rats, the poem reveals the powerlessness of humankind against the inevitability of destiny. The obvious warning in this text is that there are limits and consequences to every human endeavor. The only available caveat according to the poem is restraint and the pursuit of a virtuous lifestyle. For instance when the Antichrist appears, he attracts the friars and regular clergy. They are known to dispense prayers for profit. For this reason they fall perfect candidates to the dictates of the flesh. The satirical aspect of this part is that they very people charged with the custodian of souls fall prey to corruption.
The poem projects a searchlight into the merits of the institutions that fail to live up to their socially prescribed expectations. The level of corruption within humanity is also captured by the many times that Reason and Conscience are disregarded by humanity. The poem dedicates a lengthy section on the collapse of the church as an edifice and fortress of spiritual purity. One illustration is in the way the church comes under the attack of pride. It becomes evident that the course of human spirituality will now be determined by specific elements in the church that are decidedly opposed to the counsel of wisdom. The destruction of the human spirit is further perpetuated by the decision of men to seek for the atonement of their sins from the corrupt friars instead of parish priests (Langland, 24).
There is also a determined shift of the center from the realistic projection of the society towards a caricatured lifestyle that falls below the threshold of justice. The satire that is employed in this poem successfully captures and challenges the greed and materialism that has infiltrated mankind and institutions. The ability of the author to represent this text in a multiplicity of moral dimensions has been achieved by the shifting of scenes and characterization. There is a dichotomous depiction of characters whereby those with evil qualities are placed parallel with those with virtuous inclinations.4 This technique allows the weapon of satire to become significantly effective. The effectiveness in the positive qualities engages the negative qualities in a way that exposes the underlying folly and weaknesses.
On this score, the element of satire in Langland’s poem effectively exposes and challenges the citadels of individual, official, and institutionalized moral corruption in the most potent manner. A rich combination of metaphor, irony and juxtaposition allows the poet sufficient room for an incisive exposition of the moral dilemma in the fourteenth century Europe.5 The metaphors used in this poem have had the effect of highlighting on the system of differences that exist between the idealized forms of the estates and the actual representation of the agents. The purpose of irony throughout the poem is the buttress the fact that human agents are essentially incapable of attaining the requisite qualities that befit any estate. In a variety of stanzas, this irony combines with the element of parody to complete the satirical representation of moral corruption.
Works Cited
Carter, Ronald., and John McRae. The Routledge history of literature in English: Britain and Ireland. London: Routledge, 2001.
Hewett-Smith, Kathleen, M. William Langland's Piers Plowman: a book of essays. London: Routledge, 2001.
Jones, Mike, R. Radical pastoral, 1381-1594: appropriation and the writing of religious controversy. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2011.
Langland, William. Piers Plowman. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing, 2004.
Quintero, R. A companion to satire. New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2007.
