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Motifs
Definition of Paradox
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar Wilde's famous declaration that "Life is... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel... read full definition
Book I: Canto IV
Explanation and Analysis—Plenty Made Him Poor:
Spenser uses paradox in his depiction of Avarice, a figure who represents greed. Redcross encounters Avarice in Lucifera’s palace, where he serves as a royal advisor alongside figures representing the other “deadly sins”: Idleness, Gluttony, Lechery, Envy, and Wrath (Lucifera herself represents Pride). Of Avarice, the narrator states:
His life was nigh vnto deaths doore yplast,
And tired-bare cote, and cobled shoes he ware,
Ne scarse good morsell all his life did tast,
But both from backe and belly still did spare,
To fill his bags, and richesse to compare;
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