Hudibras · Chapter
Canto III explained
Hudibras, having fled the widow's masquerade in terror, discovers that his rescuer is actually Ralpho.
What happens
Hudibras, having fled the widow's masquerade in terror, discovers that his rescuer is actually Ralpho. After debating the nature of fear and its illusions, the Knight resolves to pursue his suit through legal means rather than force. He visits a corrupt and self-serving lawyer to seek counsel on how to prosecute Sidrophel and the widow, planning to turn his romantic pursuit into a lawsuit.
Themes in this chapter
Human Vanity and Self-Deception
Hudibras's fear and self-deception are explored through his mistaken belief that Ralpho is a fiend, and his rationalization of legal action as a means to pursue the widow.
Satire of Ideology
The lawyer's corrupt practices and the Knight's hypocritical turn to law satirize the ideological and moral inconsistencies of the Puritan and legal establishments.
Political Corruption
The lawyer is depicted as a venal official who profits from both justice and injustice, highlighting systemic corruption in the legal system.
Characters to notice
- Hudibras
Flees the widow's masquerade in fear, mistakes Ralpho for a fiend, and later decides to pursue legal action against Sidrophel and the widow.
- Ralpho
Rescues Hudibras from the masquerade, reveals his identity, and advises the Knight on legal strategy.
- Sidrophel
Mentioned as the astrologer whom Hudibras cudgeled and who now threatens to sue the Knight.
- Widow
The widow who orchestrated the masquerade and is now the target of Hudibras's legal plans.
Key passages
“Who would believe what strange bugbears Mankind creates itself, of fears That spring like fern, that insect weed, Equivocally, without seed; And have no possible foundation, But merely in th’ imagination;”
It's hard to believe the strange terrors that people invent for themselves, fears that arise spontaneously without any real cause, existing only in the mind.
The narrator reflects on the irrational nature of fear, a central theme in this canto.
“For fear does things so like a witch, ’Tis hard t’ unriddle which is which.”
Fear behaves so much like a witch that it's difficult to tell them apart.
Fear is personified as a witch, blurring the line between supernatural and psychological causes.
“He that complies against his will, Is of his own opinion still;”
A person who goes along with something against their own wishes still holds their original opinion.
Hudibras acknowledges that forced compliance does not change one's true beliefs.
“For courts of justice understand The plaintiff to be eldest hand; Who what he pleases may aver, The other, nothing, till he swear;”
Courts favor the plaintiff, who can make any claim, while the defendant can say nothing until they take an oath.
Hudibras notes the procedural advantage of being the first to file a lawsuit.