Mother Hubbards Tale by Edmund Spenser - Essay Example

Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Mother Hubbard’s Tale’ The poem ‘Mother Hubbard’s Tale’ written by a renowned poet, Mr. Edmund Spenser and published in 1591 is a master piece of a satirical fable written in Chaucer’s style. It consists of four tales. The tales are supposedly being narrated by an old lady given the name ‘Mother Hubbard’ while the poet plays the role of the audience. Mother Hubbard supposedly narrates the tales in order to offer comfort and relieve to the poet at a time when he is taken by illness (Ebenezer 190). The thesis of this paper accentuates that: Edmund Spenser is a talented poet who perfects the use of animal characters with human traits as a form of satiric device. A style he borrows and revitalizes from the medieval literature and Chaucer’s animal fables. The tales revolve around an ape and a fox that forged a partnership to go out and look for fortunes and make a living by using the easiest means possible. They begin their fortune search by masquerading as beggars. The ape disguises himself as a soldier while the fox cunningly takes the role of his dog. The fox is poisoned by a rogue ambition to gain fame, wealth and status in the world and was ready to use any means possible to achieve this goal. Their first expedition lands them in a farm where the farmer unaware of the wicked schemes employs the ape as the shepherd of his flock. The trio without shame embark on a plan to feast on the flock slowly and cunningly without drawing the attention of their employer. When they realise the size of the flock has dwindled to a level of being noticed they secretly take off (Ebenezer 190). Their next port of call is the church where they inquire from the priest whether they can make a successful career serving in the church. The priest wets their appetite by informing them the simplicity of the priestly life since much change had taken effect after the reformation of the church. This is exemplified in the narration below: ‘Of such deep learning little had he neede, Ne yet of Latine, ne of Greeke, that breede’ (Lines 334-35) ‘But this good Sir did follow the plaine word, Ne medled with their controversies vaine;’ (Lines 339-40) ‘And to read Homelies upon holidayes; When that was done, he might attend his playes: An easie life, and fit high God to please.’ (Lines 342-44) Upon the advice of the priest they are given positions in the church. The sly fox is appointed to the position of the priest while the ape takes the position of parish clerk. Not long after they begin their evil and corrupt schemes where they cunningly abuse their offices for selfish gains. They persist in their crimes despite the constant complaints lodged by the church members. In the long run, they secretly run away at night after being brought to question by the bishop about their evil schemes. They secretly approach a neighbouring priest whom they engage after offering him a small amount of money and disappear in the country side in order to cover their tracks (Hamilton 184-189). After a while they meet with a mule who tells them about the successes of a life in the courts. They immediately begin to hatch out a plot of how they would disguise their way to the courts. Their plan is simple, the ape will cloth himself as a gentleman while the cunning fox will disguise himself as his groom. The two manoeuvre their way into the very top of monarchy where the ape eventually steals and makes away with the crown while the Lion was asleep and quickly enthrones himself as the king and the fox taking the place of a powerful minister in his kingdom. As is characteristic of them, the two immediately begin to plunder the kingdom and amass wealth for themselves. Their unethical and gross misuse of power is spotted by Jove who quickly commissions Mercury to carry out a thorough investigation into their activities. Finally, Mercury jolts the Lion to his senses and awakens him from his slumber. The lion regains control of his kingdom and consequently punishes both the ape and the fox for their misdeeds and evil schemes (Hamilton 184). Edmund Spenser use of the fox, ape, mule and lion as characters in his poem follows in the footsteps of medieval literature and Chaucer’s animal fables. He personifies these animal characters with human traits to present a poem that had both literal and hidden meanings. By doing so, he skilfully uses satire to encode a message aimed at pointing out and criticizing the ills in the society especially in the church and the courts. For example, the fox, just as represented in the medieval French Reynard tales is a cunning and shrewd monitor of other individuals’ actions and behaviour for the purpose of spotting their area of weakness so that he can vigorously exploit it for his own personal gain. This is clearly witnessed in the poem when the fox cleverly exploits the position of the ape as shepherd and embarks on a ruthless mission of feasting on the farmers flock. The ape is basically an herbivore while the fox is a carnival. Therefore it was the fox who was clearly to benefit when the ape become the shepherd. It is highly probable that the fox crafted the plan for the ape to be the shepherd so that he can hide in his shadow as he committed his crimes. If their evil scheme had suddenly been discovered the ape would have most certainly taken the lion share of the blame since he was the shepherd while it was actually the fox that should have bore the greatest blame. It is also worth noting that it was the fox that suggested the idea that the ape should take the position of a soldier as shown in the following lines. ‘(Said then the Foxe) but I this doubt will save;’ (Line 144) ‘Be you the Souldier, for you likest are For manly semblance, and small skill in warre: I will but wayte on you, and, as occasion Falls out, my selfe fit for the same will fashion.' (Lines 149-52) Again the personified character of the fox as a mischievous opportunist resurfaces in the fourth tale when the ape surreptitiously steals the lion pelt and forcefully inaugurates himself as king. The fox is briefly seen to argue with the ape since he also wanted the top slot but finally agrees to let the ape become king on condition that he will rule the ape. The fox is therefore given the role of a prime minister. He is seen employing his evil schemes by maximising on the opportunity at hand to greatly amass wealth for himself and his kin in the pretext that he is acting in the common good of all. Although, he is not the installed leader he is working the background to control the mind of the leader on all affairs and this gives him the opportunity to devise ways and means of achieving his selfish ambitions. He pretends that his efforts are for the common good of the ‘new’ leader, that is, the ape while in actual sense he manipulates all the affairs of the kingdom in a manner that will ensure he remains in the spotlight (Dutton 370-374). This is clearly evident in the following lines: ‘Justice he solde injustice for to buy, And for to purchase for his progeny. Ill might it prosper that ill gotten was; But, so he got it, little did he pas. He fed his cubs with fat of all the soyle, And with the sweete of others sweating toyle; He crammed them with crumbs of Benefices, And fild their mouthes with meeds of malefices: He cloathed them with all colours, save white, And loded them with lordships and with might, So much as they were able well to beare.’ (Lines 1147-57) ‘The cloke was care of thrift, and husbandry, For to encrease the common treasures store; But his owne treasure he encreased more,’ (Lines 1170-73) Therefore it without doubt that the character of the fox has been employed by Edmund Spenser in this poem with similar qualities as those used in the French Reynard tales and Chaucer’s animal fables. The French Reynard tales bring out the fox as having an evil character fuelled by a rogue ambition. He is seen has a fraudulent animal driven by an ingenious character (Chan 76). Rightfully positioned to exploit any visible weakness in any individual for his own personal gain. This is consisted with Spenser’s depiction of the fox who presents himself as a ‘friend’ but only to seize the opportunity to exploit and plunder his victims such as the farmer and the innocent parishioners. The victims of his rogue ambition and shrewd character are not limited to those individuals who are afar of but also his own friend and accomplice- the ape falls prey to his acts. The ape similarly appears to have a character that bears resemblance to that of the fox. He is also driven by personal ambition to acquire wealth and status and is thoroughly involved in the scheming process. For example, it is the ape that earnestly and persistently lied to the farmer therefore convincing him to put as the shepherd of his flock. The ape was determined to get his way both before the farmer and also in the animal kingdom. He approaches the lion while he is asleep and takes off with the crown. He strongly argues with the fox when he shows interest in the crown until the fox has no choice but to let him be crowned the king although under certain conditions. In addition, it is the ape who first inquires from the mule how they can disguise their way into the courts. Therefore Spenser creates two characters with similar human traits probably with an aim of pointing out how the evil people in the society combine their efforts to exploit the weak and vulnerable. Furthermore, Spenser builds the satire in the poem but personifying two animals that are distinct both in nature and association. Naturally the ape does not exist harmoniously with a fox. The ape being a herbivorous feeds on vegetation while the fox feeds on meat from its prey. Therefore naturally the ape would be prey for the fox. However, it is interesting to note that Spenser presents these two animals as characters with a common bond and aim. The hunter and the hunted are seen to work together to achieve a common goal. It is satirical to note that the ape does not at any one given time question or express fear over his association with a natural enemy. Similarly, the fox does not show any interest to maul the ape even during the most trying moments of their adventure. In addition, the two animals are seen to possess human attributes such as they can think, plan, scheme, talk and advance human desires of amassing wealth, fame and status. It is satirical to see them engage humans in conversations without being noticed to be animals. For example, they are seen to interact with the farmer and the priest calmly without the two noticing their animal attributes. In fact the farmer even appoints the ape as the shepherd of his flock while the priest is instrumental in their appointment to serve in the church. While at the church the parishioners do not see them as animals but as ministers of God’s word. In additional the bishop is quick to admonition them when he receives complains of their ungodly behaviour (Hamilton 184-189). In another instance, the fox is seen to regularly embezzle the church offerings brought in by the parishioners, another character that can only be associated with human behaviour. It is also satirical for Spenser to use animal characters as the key holders of sensitive church positions. The satire is build further by the fact that the Ape and the fox are given positions in the church without being first screened and there character being first established. This is also seen in the case of the farmer who employs the two strangers without first establishing their credibility. It was unwise for both the farmer and the church leadership to appoint the two in very sensitive positions without the prior knowledge of their background and character. Spenser is certainly using this form of satire as applied in both the French Reynard tales and Chaucer’s animal fables to criticize the ills in the society particularly in the leadership of the country and the Anglican Church (Dutton 355). Like Chaucer’s Canterbury tales, where animals were personified with human characters to make a mockery of certain human behaviour without directly offending those who it was aimed at, Spenser prevails in this art of personification. Spenser’s mastery of transforming and skilfully blending traditional medieval literature has been an envy for many a poet. Hamilton Charles argues that the main inspiration into Spenser’s Mother Hubbard’s tale is the French medieval tale on romance called ‘Renard the fox’ where animal allegory is used to skilfully bring out the general satire in the literature (Hamilton 184). By so doing, he personified animal characters especially the fox and the ape to criticize the behaviour of certain individuals in the society. Therefore, it is mainly believed that the character of the fox represented Lord Burghley who was a powerful minister appointed by Queen Elizabeth (Dutton 354). Spenser might have employed this satiric technique to bring out Lord Burghley’s unethical character mainly because it was almost unthinkable back in the days to directly question or criticize those in authority whenever they faltered. The personified attributes of the fox bear great resemblance with the character of Lord Burghley who was well known to amass wealth for himself and his sons while disregarding the needs of scholars, soldiers and other individuals. He was also known to block other individuals from meeting with the queen. Lord Burghley’s character is synonymous with that of the fox who also enriches himself and his cubs (Judson 145- 149). Here Spenser uses animal allegory to satirically criticize Lord Burghley’s behaviour. The Earl of Essex also at one point called Lord Burghley ‘the old fox. It is highly probable that it is for the same reason that Edmund Spenser’s Complaint’s where withdrawn immediately after being published (Dutton 354). In addition, the poem was conspicuously omitted in the Folio of Edmund Spenser’s poems in 1611 (Craik 63-79). If this was not the case there would not have been any political pressure to have this poem omitted. Spenser himself admits that the publication and release of Mother Hubbard’s Tale made him lose the friend ship and affection of an influential figure in the Elizabeth’s government (Smith 27). Furthermore, the description of the fox in the poem highly supports this argument. For example, as noted earlier, the fox was appointed as a powerful minister by the ape. He therefore used this position to amass wealth for himself and his kin in the disguise that he was doing this for the common good. This bears striking resemblance with Lord Burghley who was also the chief minister in the Elizabeth’s government. He was known to use state resources for his own personal gain. When the old guard in the Elizabeth’s government were on their way out of leadership, he was actively involved in positioning himself as an influential figure in the government. He also orchestrated plans to have his youngest son succeed him when he was out of power (Dutton 355). Spenser might have made use of this satirical style in order to indirectly criticize Lord Burghley for his shrewd and unbecoming behaviour and also for orchestrating the marriage of Elizabeth to the French and Catholic d’Alencon whom Spenser portrays as the ape (Heinemann 57). Spenser held the view that the ploy to have Queen Elizabeth marry the French duke was generally suspicious and was possibly being used by Burghley to consolidate power to himself. Therefore, he used the fox to point out Lord Burghley ill motives in the proposed marriage. More animal allegory is visible in the fourth tale where Spenser is believed to be presenting a warning to the queen Elizabeth (who is represented as the sleeping lion) about the French ambassador’s cunning schemes as evident in the ensuing events of 1579. The ape in this case is the French ambassador, Mr. Simier while the fox is the Lord Burghley. This is supported by the fact that the queen had on some occasions referred the French ambassador as his ‘ape (Hamilton 184-185). Spenser in an effort to indirectly warn the queen about the evil schemes and machinations of the French ambassador and the Lord Burghley’s made use of personified animal characters to present his case without offending the real culprits. Spenser skilfully exposes the behaviour and character of both Lord Burghley and the ambassador by embodying their true self in the characters of the fox and the ape respectively. However, there is also another differing point that the ape also may have represented Sir Robert Cecil son of Lord Burghley queen Elizabeth’s treasurer (Harris 191). In this case, Spenser was out to expose Lord Burghley’s perceived desire to have his son succeed the queen in the throne. Lord Burghley had been seen as conspiring to manoeuvre his way and skilfully convince the queen to entrust Sir Robert Cecil with the throne (Harris 192; Judson 148). Spenser therefore employs the use of animal allegory in order to point out and bring to order the moral decay he envisions in the society. He chronologically places the four tales in his poem with the aim of exposing corruption at different levels in the society. For example, in the first tale, corruption and evil is introduced in the low ranks of society. This is seen when the ape and fox slay and feast on the innocent and unsuspecting farmer’s livestock while in the last tale evil is introduced at the very top of the society where the sleeping lion is dethroned by the ape (Hamilton 185). The farmer and the Lion are completely unaware of the evil elements in the society and due to their ignorance they fall prey to this evil and corruption. Before the entry of these two corrupt and selfish individuals the world is seen to be calm and harmonious but this immediately changes when the trio enter the scene (Hamilton 185). Therefore, Edmund Spenser in his Mother Hubbard’s Tales has succeeded in using animal allegory to set out the satire in his poem. This hidden role represented by the character of the ape and the fox can only be noticed by those who are keen to examine and assess the underlying aspects of the poem. As much as the poem nourishes the souls of the reader it also admonishes the society to rectify and do away with the evil within it. Spenser points this out by showing that the evil schemer may have his way for the moment but his injustices will always come back to haunt him. Those who promote evil and advance injustice will never succeed in their ploys since at one point the society will seek to rectify the wrong and punish the evil. This is well depicted in the last tale where the ape and the fox are finally punished for their evil. They may have got away in the initial stages but justice finally caught up with them. This is a remarkable admonition which the society as a whole should emulate. Works Cited Ebenezer, Brewer et al. Hubbard “Character Sketches of Romance. Fiction and the Drama 2 (2004): 190. Chan, Mary. Music in the theatre of Ben Jonson. New York: Oxford Press, 1980, p.76. Craik, Katharine.”Spenser’s complaints and the new poet.” Huntington library quarterly_64.1/2 (2001): 63-79. Dutton, Richard. “Volpone and beast fable: early modern analogic reading.” Huntington library quarterly _67.3 (2004) 347-70. Hamilton, Albert.The Spenser encyclopaedia. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.1990, pp.184-189. Harris, Brice. “The ape in Mother Hubbard’s tale.” Huntington library quarterly _4.2 (1941): 191-203. Heinemann, Margot. Puritanism and Theatre. New York: Cambridge University Press. 1980, p .57 Judson.A.C. “Mother Hubbard’s ape.” Modern language notes.63.4 (1948): 145-49 Smith, Sydney. “The genius of Dryden.” Edinburgh Review or Critical Journal _102 (1855): 27. Read More