King John and the Abbot of Canterbury
- Anonymous, England(before 1695)
King John hears that the abbot of Canterbury was living a very luxurious life. He had a hundred men in his house to serve. He had a lot of expensive ornaments. The king was envious of the abbot and he called him to the palace. Then the king accused the abbot that was plotting against the king. Abbot denied the king’s accusation. He replayed that he was enjoying what he had. Then the king asked him three questions. If Abbot could not answer the questions, the king would kill him.
The first question was what his worth was? Then he asked how much time he would take to go-round of the earth? And the last question was what he was thinking. Abbot could not reply to those questions because the questions were very difficult and deep to answer for the questions from the king.
Abbot went to Oxford and Cambridge University to get answers from the scholars, but no intelligent person could answer those questions. He left his hope. Then he went to his villages, he meet a shepherd. Shepherd asked him about the king. Abbot told him everything that he was facing. Shepherd was ready to help the Abbot. They almost looked similar. So, he took Abbot's clothes and to go to ready the king's questions. Shepherd reached the place and the king asked him the answers to his question. King could not recognize the shepherd because his face was similar to Abbot.
Shepherd replied that their god was sold in thirty pence and the king was not as worthy as a god. So his worth was 29 pence, one penny less than the god. His second answer was if the king woke up with the sun and rode at the speed of the sun, he would go-round of the earth in twenty-four-hour. His third answer was that the king was thinking of him as the Abbot of Canterbury but he was not, he was a Shepherd. King became happy with the answer of the Shepherd and wanted to make him abbot. But Shepherd denied it because he was not literate. The king planned to send four intellectuals a week to teach him. And the king also sent a message to Abbot that he forgave.
King John ruled over England mighty but he maintained little right. He had a humble Abbot. One day, the king heard that the Abbot of Canterbury lived in a better way than the king did. The king was jealous of the Abbot and plotted to ruin his life and property. He called the Abbot and asked three nonsense questions. What he was worth. How long it would take for him to go round the world and what he thought. He warned the abbot to answer them rightly within two weeks. Otherwise, his head would be cut off.
The Abbot looked very depressed and consulted many scholars to find the solution but vain. On the twelfth day, he returned home and his humble shepherd knew his problem and promised to help the Abbot in this matter. He looked like the Abbot outwardly. So, he disguised as the Abbot and went to answer the king's questions with Abbot's servants on the horse.
The king asked him if he was ready. As he replied positively the king began to repeat him to the questions. The shepherd replied that the king was worth twenty-nine pence. He would ride around the world in twenty-four hours and the king thought he was the Abbot of Canterbury. Everyone was surprised and being impressed by the replies the king offered the shepherd the post of the Abbot but the shepherd refused and requested the king to pardon his Abbot. The king told him that the Abbot was pardoned.
Interpretation
This poem may be trying to tell us that an absolute ruler is very dangerous for the people. A despotic ruler does not hesitate even to seize the life and property of his people. Rulers like King John are found in almost every country where weak and slow thinker people can't live peacefully. The poem also tells us that a learned man can't always find the solution to any serious problems. But even an uneducated practical man can find the right solution and he can give good knowledge to the educated ones through the characterization of Abbot and the shepherd. Likewise, the story beautifully shows that jealousy and fear are inseparable realities of human nature because the king, who had ruled England with fame and might, decides to kill an abbot so that his reputation as a rich ruler would not be questioned. The poem is humorous and satirical.
From the moral point of view, the poem is much impressive. Through the poem, the poet proves that bookish and formal education is not so effective and useful to solve practical problems. It has a great lesson that people and their knowledge shouldn't be judged on the ground of their profession and appearance. Thus the text has taught a great lesson that makes it clear that much is learnt through their daily life activities than from the universities. So the so-called ignorant ones in terms of getting formal education aren't to be ignored and devaluated
Critical Thinking
After reading this poem I got the impression that an absolute ruler is really dangerous. But do such events as explained in the poem take place in real life? Can a man be valued in terms of money? Can a man be compared to god? Can a man ride around the world in twenty for hours on the horse? Doesn't a man recognize his own serviceman? Can an educated man like the shepherd find the solution to such different questions so easily?
So, I don't totally agree with the poet. The poem seems to be much humorous and satirical. So far it imparts the idea of human knowledge and wisdom, it is appropriate but in whatever way King Abbot and the Shepherd are presented, they don't seem believable and convincing. Since the king fails to recognize the shepherd changed as abbot. Similarly, the shepherd is presented in such a way that doesn't fit him to be more than that it mocks the formal education. It is too difficult to accept it.
Assimilation
This poem presents how cruel rulers torture their countrymen without reason to fulfil their desire. This poem also shows that powerful rulers are corrupted. They never fall behind to fulfil their even bad intention. I also came to know from the poem that practical knowledge is really strong. Even a scholar can't find the solution to difficult problems. It is because they don't have practical knowledge. An uneducated person also can teach educated people many good lessons. The shepherd was quite ignorant but his knowledge was greater than of the doctors of Oxford and Cambridge. "Loyalty is really great in need" is the main point of the poem.
Reading this poem, I am too much impressed with the fact that only formal education doesn't make people capable, rather they may learn many things from practical experiences too. Having seen in my village, I come to know that many old people are capable of doing various things which other educated men don't know. So people can learn many things from their practical knowledge and experience.