How is the figure of thought, allegory, used in the selections from Piers Plowman that you have read? Why might this be an effective medium for the content of this poem?
Allegory is used fluently throughout Langland's work, both on a micro and a macro level. Langland uses allegory in both of these ways to make a moral lesson to his audience. He names different virtues as virtues as people, "Charity has proved a peddler and principally shrives lords" and, "Reason shall rule you all" and, "the captain of the castle is called Wrong". Later he assimilates Piers the Plowman with the figure of Christ. He describes Piers "appareled like a pagan in pilgrims' manner" and "as lowly as a lamb". Piers guides some noblemen to Saint Truth, "Conscience and Kind Wit...persuaded me to swear him I'd serve him forever". The medium of this allegory is quite powerful to his intended due to the strong socio-economic connotations that his society held with the idea of the lower class. The upper class and ecclesiastically-associated figures held such negative connotations, it would have destroyed the character of Piers.
Insightful comments here, Luke. Allegory seems particularly appropriate to the dream-vision genre and setting, allowing the dreamer-poet to say one thing in terms of another and the ability to investigate and question powerful ideological concepts that he perhaps could not if awake.
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