The Poem "Mopsus, or The Castle Builder"
Today, when a person says that someone builds castles in the air, they are usually metaphorically describing someone who dwells in a realm of fantasy, and has a poor grip upon reality. The poem "Mopsus, or The Castle Builder" literalizes the metaphor of castle-building in the air in its tale of a central character with a poor grip upon reality, as well as deals with this phenomenon on a metaphorical level. Mopsus wishes to live in a fantasy castle of his own making, even though he is of humble birth. He is thrown out of the real castles he believes will be his destiny to live in, but always has the security of the castles of his mind, that he dwells of, as a lord, a castle of dreams and darkness. Throughout the poem, Mopsus' gullibility and tendency to build "castles in the air" proves his undoing, as it provokes a pattern of deceit in people who wish to profit from his inability to distinguish what is true and what is fiction. The poem is structured upon contrasts between the real and the unreal, the humble and the high, and darkness and light. The irony of Mopsus' birth, the poem begins, is that it proved to be a curse upon his father, rather than a blessing, although Mopsus believes himself deserving of high birth, rather
Now finally: "Here with calm Virtue, and a peaceful Mind, /In rural Plenty, dwells the sober Hind. /Then for Relief she rais'd a fearful Cry. Unfortunately for poor Mopsus, not only is his own self-image highly fantastic, so is the imagination of this Lord's daughter, who fears for her chastity, rather than laughs and passes the young man on her early walk. " He tells her abruptly, that he is destined to marry her, because she has dark hair, as was foretold, and that it is foolish for her to attempt to shirk her fate. More like a female rather than a male, this demonstrates how Mopsus is passive and dreamy in the ways that he hopes to gain his fortune, by standing still rather than taking action. Rising from darkness and the dream-world that is more real than the reality of the sun is always harsh for Mopsus, and unpleasant, although he must finally leave his false self image and dreams, at the end of the poem. "See her gilt Chariot cut the smoking Fields, /And twelve gay Youths attend the gaudy Wheels. He wishes to rise above his station, but without demonstrating in a concrete fashion why he should feel so confident. His father and mother accept their son, now that he is older and wiser with real experience. Still filled with his castles and dreams, rather than return sensibly home, Mopsus continues to wander: "From Place to Place romantic Fancy flew;" looking for a way to fulfill his perceived destiny of greatness with as little effort as possible. Through real experience, Mopsus becomes seasoned and appreciative of his real, good, humble status, family and beginnings. Of course, this lovely woman is merely used as a lure to get the boy drunk and take the few coins he does possess in the real world. "Stupid Limbs" forget their trade and purpose, as he enters the darkness of dreams during the sunlight of the workday. than the actual state of his parentage.
Common topics in this essay:
Eyelids Slumber,
Castle Builder,
Dreams Glory,
Sire Mopsus,
Door Mopsus,
Jest Clowns,
Gypsy's Words,
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Mopsus' Pride,
Grove Pride,
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humble birth,
real experience,
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son mopsus,
darkness dreams,
dark hair,
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