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Essay on Seven Deadly Sins: Personification

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The Seven Deadly Sins: How Deadly Can They Be The Seven Deadly Sins is a major aspect to the religion of Christianity. Religion in the Middle Ages was exceedingly important and the central character to the lives of the people living in this time era. In early fourteenth century, Robert Manning of Brunne wrote a poem of an educational text informing people to avoid the seven deadly sins. Sometime later, in the late 1500s, Edmund Spenser wrote a book entitled The Faerie Queene and in Book 1, Canto 4, Spenser discusses the Seven Deadly Sins as the two characters, Redcrosse and Duessa, embark on their journey to the sinful House of Pride. Spenser has a unique way of which he alters to readers an artful conception of such a broad aspect …show more content…

Spenser chooses to portray Lucifera as the sin of pride because it is the most deadly, serious and powerful out of the Seven Deadly Sins. Pride is considered the original and the source of the others. Lucifera full of pride, shows off for the Redcrosse knight by calling her couch, which is pulled by six beasts upon which ride her six counselors: Idleness, Gluttony, Lechery, Avarice, Envy and Wrath and their appearances are appropriate to their names. The remaining six sins are seen as her counselors traveling on beasts, or respectable animals, in the parade alongside their queen, Redcrosse and Duessa. The second that Spenser talks about “Was sluggish Idlenesse the nourse of sin / Upon a slouthfull Asse he chose to ryde” (599). Sloth is personified as Idleness and Spenser chooses the character to ride on an ass. Sloths and asses are relevant characters to each other in that they are both portrayed as lazy and boring. “For of devotion he had little care / Still drowned in sleepe, and most of his days ded / Scarse could he once uphold his heavie hed” (599). Spenser is describing the way Idleness is leading this pact of unequal beasts and counselors and how he seems to have very little care as to the others who are following him. Spenser uses the sin of Gluttony next and the corresponding animal to it, a pig. Spenser refers to it as a “Deformed creature, on a filthie swine / His belly was up-blowne with luxury / And eke with fatnesse

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