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Allusion
Explanation and Analysis—Solomon in All His Glory:
Walter returns to the scene of the fire the second day after Sir Percival's death. In his description of the sight that meets him and his lament over what happened, he cites the Gospel:
There is nothing serious in mortality! Solomon in all his glory, was Solomon with the elements of the contemptible lurking in every fold of his robes and in every corner of his palace.
"Solomon in all his glory" is a direct citation of Matthew 6:29, from the Sermon on the Mount. In this part of the Sermon, Christ says "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Solomon, the son of David, was a king of ancient Israel. He was known for his immense wisdom, extravagant wealth, lavish palaces, and beautiful clothing. In the sermon, Christ is saying that the sumptuous signs of Solomon's beauty can't measure up with that of the wildflowers.
When Walter returns to the site of Sir Percival's death, he feels disturbed to see how quickly people seem to have forgotten what happened there. He laments how "the trivial and the terrible walk hand in hand together" in "our unintelligible world." He is surprised by how quickly Sir Percival's circumstances changed—and, as a result, his own—because of the unexpected fire. Through the allusion to Matthew, Walter reflects on the incomprehensible ugliness of the world.
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