Write On The Epic Elements In The Proud King By William Morris

NECO JUNE/JULY 2016 QUESTION:-
Write on the epic elements in "The Proud King" by William Morris.

ANSWER:-
What Is Epic? According to the dictionary of English language, an epic is an extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a deity or demigod (heroic epic) or other legendary or traditional hero.

Judging by the totality of the poem, its form is truly epic. It holds a long detailed narration of more than 840 lines about Jovinian (a very proud king) who because of his riches, worldly respect and status, became very proud to humanity and God. He lost his status and recognition within a twinkle of an eye but regained it after days of shameful experiences accompanied with sincere repentance.

Another epic element of the poem "The Proud King" by William Morris can be found in the poem's setting and diction. The poem's setting is far behind this period, it belongs to the period when monarchy is supreme, the period when horse riding is for the royals, the period when hunting is a royal delight. The problem of the proud king began when he rode his horse out on a fun hunting expedition. The diction likewise shows epic element with the poet's use of old English language "...everything thou hast to say" though the rhythm and the rhyme scheme are carefully chosen.

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Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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The Theme Of Vanity In The Proud King By William Morris

So many themes run through this narrative masterpiece; among them are the supremacy of God, the act of sin and repentance, the effective power of death, etc.

This article will be discussing the theme of vanity. "The Proud King" by William Morris reminds the reader through his prominent character (Jovinian) of how vain life and wealth are.

The poem opens as follows:
"In a far country that I cannot name,
And in a year long ages past away,
A King there dwelt, in rest and ease and fame,
And richer than the Emperor is today:"
The mammoth wealth and high status triggered the pride in Jovinian to the extent of believing himself a God on earth but within a blink of eye, he was mysteriously dethroned and relegated to a state of wretchedness: "the real King by the roadside lay, Panting, confused, scarce knowing if he dreamed" (line 253-254), "The hot sun solely burned his naked skin" (line 100).

According to line 190-193 of the poem, those who saw Jovinian admitted he resembled their king but refused to reckon with his laments and never gave him the respect he used to get:
"He to the King is nothing in aught
But that his beard he weareth in such guise
As doth my lord: wilt thou that he be brought?
Perchance some treason 'neath his madness lies"

In a nutshell, the theme of vanity is based on the fact that nothing is certain on earth.

Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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Prove That The Proud King By William Morris Is A Narrative Poem

Narrative poetry is such that tells tale with the use of dramatic elements. Paradise Lost by John Milton, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge,
The Proud King by William Morris also falls under the category of narrative poetry; and we shall support this claim with just four points below:

(1) Lengthiness:- One of the common characteristics of a narrative poem is the three
digit length of lines it mostly possesses. The Proud King by William Morris has a total of 849 line which is way more longer than Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner which is merely 625 lines in total. William Morris' attempt to give a detailed account of Jovinian's err and repentance led to such mammoth number of lines.

(2) Storytelling:- As mentioned before, tell-tale is paramount in the craft of a narrative poetry. In the poem "The Proud King" by William Morris, a certain wealthy and highly respected king who goes by the name Jovinian, suddenly became proud and arrogant by likening himself to God. When the morning arrived, he decided to go hunting and stopped by a river to swim but an angel sharing his resemblance took his kingly robe and horse. Jovinian became a nuisance none could recognize him despite his multiple try to claim his rightful status. When he finally became sober and repented, the angel put him back to his throne.

(3) Poetic devices: It has been noted that most narrative poetry embrace the use of dramatic monologue which is not lacking in the poem "The Proud King" by William Morris. Another poetic device common in narrative poetry is apostrophe; in the poem we see "Ah God!" occurred many times in the words of Jovinian.

(4) Rhyme and rhythm:- "The Proud King" by William Morris was carefully composed to follow a stick rhythm and its end rhyme pattern looks ABABBCC.

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Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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