Hudibras · Question
How does Hudibras develop the theme of Religious Hypocrisy?
Answer
Hudibras by Samuel Butler develops Religious Hypocrisy across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The book satirizes the Puritan and Presbyterian factions of the English Civil War, exposing their self-serving piety, doctrinal absurdities, and use of religion as a pretext for violence and political ambition.
Hudibras and Ralpho's pious justifications for violence and their petty theological squabbles expose the gap between religious profession and action.
Hudibras is portrayed as a knight whose piety is a mask for self-interest and absurdity, embodying the hypocrisy of the Puritan cause.
Ralpho argues that saints may perjure themselves for self-advantage, exposing the hypocrisy of those who claim moral superiority while breaking oaths.
Evidence in the book
- Hudibras Part I
Hudibras and Ralpho's pious justifications for violence and their petty theological squabbles expose the gap between religious profession and action.
- Canto I
Hudibras is portrayed as a knight whose piety is a mask for self-interest and absurdity, embodying the hypocrisy of the Puritan cause.
- Canto II
Ralpho argues that saints may perjure themselves for self-advantage, exposing the hypocrisy of those who claim moral superiority while breaking oaths.
- Canto II
The speaker accuses the Presbyterians of using piety as a mask for political ambition, greed, and treachery, exemplified by their 'sanctify'd impertinence' and manipulation of scripture.
- The Lady’s Answer to the Knight
The Lady accuses Hudibras of perjury and using the Gospel to justify his treachery, paralleling religious hypocrisy.
