A Medieval Lay Sir Orfeo Analysis

Hallowed Affliction The author of a medieval lay takes on the challenge of convincing an audience to open their minds to the mystical and suspend disbelief. The medieval lay, a poetic work usually put to music, often asks people to actively take away the themes, criticisms, and messages from magical and mythical stories. In its written form, the lay retains its song-like quality and utilizes a plethora of poetic devices in order to convey its meaning. Sir Orfeo, written by an unknown author, employs a variety of poetic devices to immerse the audience in the tale and evoke a myriad of pathos. In the excerpt from lines 387 to 404, the author achieves this level of engagement through the use of imagery, rhyme, and repetition. The ravaging and grotesque scene created in this passage drastically differs from the majority of the poem. The passage, in conjunction with its poetic devices, culminates in a distinctly gruesome, yet magnificent spectacle. In Sir Orfeo lines 387 to 404, the author introduces a divergence from everything that precedes and …show more content…
The pattern of rhyming couplets continues throughout the lay maintaining the sing-song feel and allowing the reader to follow the lines easily. Furthermore, the lyrical rhyme provides a counterpoint to the horrific imagery presented in the excerpt. The author shows this in the rhyming couplet, “Sum stode withouten hade, / And sum non armes nade” (391-392). While describing people with missing heads and other appendages, the rhyme keeps within the boundaries of a joyous and mystical lay. The choice to maintain the rhyme scheme throughout this grotesque portion allows for a vail of tranquility, as if the reader can almost excuse the sorrow due to the eloquence of the writing. Unlike the rhyme of the piece, the repetition of the passage interrupts the flow of the poem to emphasize the negative