Hudibras · Theme
Religious Hypocrisy
How Hudibras develops Religious Hypocrisy.
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.
Where it surfaces
- 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.