|
|
|
 
"The Princess, the Knight, and the Dragon" by Malarkey - Poetry Analysis
The human institutions of nobility and dignity are often criticized by
satirists. These satirists see these as arbitrary rules that man has
placed on himself that do not help, and may even hurt them, in the long
run. This point is capitalized upon by Stoddard Malarkey in his poem "The
Princess, the Knight, and the Dragon". In the poem Malarkey's opinions can
clearly be seen through the examples of the characters Princess Miranda,
the maid, and the knight.
The character of Princess Miranda is the obvious representative of
ideas of dignity and nobility. She, fully aware of her own danger, does
what the code of nobility that she follows dictates her to do, ignore the
threat of Faggon the Dragon. She ignores the natural, logical warning of
fear that she has in order to strictly follow her code. It is because of
this that she can is taken prisoner and eventually eaten, for if she had
not been so eager to be courageous she would have run home and avoided
being captured by Faggon.
The princess is directly contrasted by the characters of the maid and
the knight. Where the princess follows her code of noble action and is
punished, the knight and maid undertake unchivalrous actions and are
rewarded. Both the maid and knight follow the natural instinct that is
ignored by Miranda. Faced with the same threat the maid and the knight
both react in a logical manner. They see that there is little chance of
being in any way triumphant over Faggon, and violate the code of nobility
for something that is more important to them, their lives. As such they
manage to survive and live out the rest of their lives in happiness, where
the Princess is forced into a life of torture and finally death.
Malarkey effectively conveys his point through the consequences of his
characters. Despite it light, Horatian nature it conveys the message that
codes of honor and other such rule systems only serve to endanger man. He
displays that dignity can sometimes turn winning situations into losing
ones.
|
|
|
