Piers Plowman

by William Langland

Start Free Trial

Piers Plowman Questions and Answers

Compare and contrast Everyman and Piers Plowman in detail.

Which was written first: Piers Plowman or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?

How is movement explored in Piers Plowman (with particular reference to the first vision and the prologue)? I'm confused as to how exactly movement is conveyed within the text. I refer to movement both as spatial movement (therefore Will's movement between places and what it means, eg. his shift from one place to another to convey morality) as well as structural movement (a lot of research papers focus on William Langland's use of alliteration to evoke a sense of movement and stasis. Are there some actual examples of alliteration being employed this way?)

What is the vision of Piers Plowman in a summary, and what is the vision of Piers Plowman from a modern perspective?

Comment on the line "do well, do better, do best" in Piers Plowman.

What part does Conscience play in Piers Plowman?

What role does Wit play as a teacher in William Langland's Piers the Plowman?

Did Piers Plowman have any themes regarding the plague?

How is morality explored in Will's dream vision? His pilgrimage is a quest for salvation and the justness of society, but how exactly are these elements of morality explored in the text (with particular references to the prologue)? The allusions to the tower and dungeon as representations of Heaven and Hell are clearly a first indicator of his concern with right and wrong, however, I'm not sure in what other ways his visions are concerned with morality. Could you please clarify the ways in which Piers Plowman relates to morality, and are there any concrete examples within the text? Thank you.

Why was Jesus compared to a knight who jousts with Satan for the redemption of fallen mankind in "Piers Plowman"?