Examples Of Allegory In The Middle Ages

Allegory in the Middle Ages
As we have seen, Aristotle and Plato had strong, but differing views on the idea and the significance of art and beauty. In relation to the Middle Ages, there were differing views when it came to symbol and allegory. In the simplest form and according to Eco as well as Cook and Herzman, the Middle Ages believed that allegory was made up of components from classical antiquity and biblical traditions. Therefore, in this age they were taking from their predecessors and incorporating the ideas they found into their present day ideas. Furthermore, it is evident that the Middle Ages saw a continuity of thought with the past that we in the modern day cannot fully comprehend (Cook & Herzman xviii). The Middle Ages used allegory
Eco defines this term as ‘perceiving the world as a divine work of art, of such kind that everything in it possesses moral, allegorical, and anagogical meanings in addition to its literal meaning’ (Eco 56). It demonstrates that there is interconnectivity between symbols within a narrative. For example, in Henryon’s fable The Cock and the Jasp, the jasp represents knowledge, enlightenment and protection, making the precious stone a symbol. However, in relation to the story as a narrative, the fable acts as an allegory. The cockerel represents the individual, who is ignorant towards education, but also someone who does not feel that they are worthy of knowledge because of their background and status. Therefore, the stone or symbolically knowledge is not of any use to
This in turn highlights the question of interpretation that not everyone is going to have the same outlook or view on a piece of art, whether it is a painting, sculpture, craft or literature. This idea brought to mind the Rorschach test from 1921. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the Rorschach test is comprised of ‘a standard set of inkblots of different shapes and colours [is] presented one at a time to a subject with the request that he or she should describe what they suggest or resemble’ (OED). (Side note: symmetry, which we looked at in last week’s class, is an important aspect to the Rorschach test as it is part of an artistic composition, but allows for more common interpretations). Here, there are no right or wrong answers in what a subject interprets. But moreover, what one interprets has a particular symbolism in relation to their psychological framework and their livelihood. From the given image on this slide, it is said that if the subject sees a bat, they are in touch with their dark side and are said to have an unbalanced life. However, if the subject sees a butterfly, it is a symbol of transformation and transition, meaning changes are occurring in their life. Furthermore, there is also the idea of intention, meaning that art and literature are not ambiguous in their meaning and have a clear motivation and symbolism. As a result, the audience is restricted to that