Poetic Analysis of the Proud King – SS1 Literature-in-English Lesson Note (Second Term)

The Proud King is a narrative poem about King Jovinian, who is humbled by an angelic figure because of his pride and his neglect of God.

• Main poetic devices: biblical allusion, rhetorical question, antithesis, irony and narrative form.
• Main themes: pride, and the sovereignty and supremacy of God.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. identify the poetic devices used in The Proud King;
2. explain how the poem alludes to the Bible story of King Nebuchadnezzar;
3. give examples of rhetorical question and irony from the poem;
4. explain the themes of pride and the sovereignty and supremacy of God.

What happens in The Proud King?

The poem tells how a proud king loses his throne and learns humility.

1. King Jovinian is proud and says he has no need of temple and priest.
2. God sends an angelic figure who takes his place as king.
3. Jovinian is left naked and poor, and nobody recognises him.
4. The impostor is accepted as king, even by the Queen.
5. Jovinian is humbled and learns how great God is.
6. He returns as king with a changed conduct.

What are the poetic devices in The Proud King?

There are five main poetic devices in the poem: biblical allusion, rhetorical question, antithesis, irony and narrative form.

1. What is biblical allusion in the poem?

Biblical allusion is a reference to a Bible story, and here it is the story of King Nebuchadnezzar.

• Similar story: the Bible records that Nebuchadnezzar suffered a fate like Jovinian’s because of pride and neglect of God.
• Great power: Nebuchadnezzar was so powerful that no other throne could challenge him in any respect of kingship during his reign.
• Divine lesson: God taught him a lesson by making him act like an animal.
• Rejection: his people rejected him as their king.
• Seven years: for seven years he could not sit on the throne, until he cried to God for mercy and forgiveness.
• Link: Jovinian’s experience is modelled on that of Nebuchadnezzar.

2. What is rhetorical question in the poem?

A rhetorical question is a question asked to make a point, not to get an answer, and it is the major device in this poem.

• Who uses them: King Jovinian uses them when he finds himself in a mess.
• To God: ‘Lord God, what bitter things are these?/What hast thou done, that every man that sees/This wretched body of my death is fain?… Why am I hated by everyone? Wilt thou not let me live my life again….’
• To the priest: ‘Father…knowest thou Jovinian? Knowest thou me not, made naked, poor and wain? Alas, O father! Am I not the King?’
• Effect: they show his shock, confusion and helplessness.

3. What is antithesis in the poem?

Antithesis is the placing of opposite ideas or situations side by side for contrast.

• Wealth and want: the affluence around Jovinian is the complete opposite of the penury and lack he met in less than twenty-four hours.
• Throne and street: he moves from kingship to helplessness in the streets, searching for help to regain his throne.
• Before and after: his conduct when he returned as king is the exact opposite of what he showed before he was displaced.

4. What is irony in the poem?

Irony is a situation in which what happens is the opposite of what is expected, and the poem is full of it.

• The impostor’s claims: he says he has been a king for many years and that his own real name too is Jovinian.
• Claim about birth: he says his mother, the Queen, bore him as a baby boy in that house for his royal father (‘When in this house the Queen my mother bore/unto my longing father…’).
• The Queen’s speech: when the impostor asks her to speak, she says, ‘Thou art the man/By whose side I have lain for many years/Thou art my lord Jovinian life and dear.’
• Dramatic irony: the Queen mistakes the impostor for the king, while the reader knows the truth.

5. Why is The Proud King a narrative poem?

A narrative poem is a poem that tells a story, and The Proud King is told in that way.

• Storyteller: the poet-speaker narrates the shaking experience of a proud king.
• Purpose: a supreme power made Jovinian go through shame so that his conduct and manners would change.

What are the themes of The Proud King?

The two main themes are pride, and the sovereignty and supremacy of God.

1. What is the theme of pride?

Pride is an excessive opinion of oneself, and it is the major theme of the poem.

• Common saying: pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
• Arrogance: in the first eight stanzas, Jovinian shows great arrogance even towards God, saying he has no need of temple and priest.
• Boasting: he says his father’s reign and throne can only be measured by the portion of land where he keeps his dogs.
• Name for his land: hence, he calls it the prince of narrow land.
• Punishment: God took away his subjects’ recognition of him as their king.
• Humbling: an angelic figure was sent to humble him.
• Lesson learnt: at the end he understood that God alone deserves the praise he had given himself.

2. What is the theme of the sovereignty and supremacy of God?

Sovereignty and supremacy of God means that God rules over all humans, no matter their power and position.

• Clear statement: God’s dealings with Jovinian show his authority over a king.
• Jovinian’s words: in stanza 93 he says, ‘God is good/….and good hope I have/of help from Him that died upon the rood/And is a mighty lord to slay and save….’
• The angelic figure: ‘The God that made the world can unmake thee.’
• Further warning: ‘Thou hast learned how great a God He is/Who from the heavens countless rebels drave.’
• Meaning of the last line: it refers to Satan and his associates.

Evaluation

1. How is the poem similar to the Bible story of King Nebuchadnezzar?
2. Give two examples of rhetorical questions asked by King Jovinian.
3. Explain two ironies in the poem.
4. Where does antithesis appear in the poem?
5. How does the poem show the supremacy of God?

Assignment

Using examples from the poem, explain how the theme of pride is shown in The Proud King.