King John and the Abbot of Canterbury

Satire on Knowledge as a private property of intellectuals or

scholars
Even uneducated person can solve the riddles of life
King John ruled over England with an absolute power (might
and main) and did many wrong deeds. There was an Abbot
(Bishop) of Canterbury who was well-known for his
housekeeping. He had hundred men serve him on their velvet
coats.
King became jealous of Abbot’s lavish and luxurious life.
Moreover, as an absolute ruler he couldn’t tolerate the fact that
someone else apart from himself was living a lavish life inside his
kingdom. Because of his jealousy, King decided to call the Abbot
in his palace and blamed him of making conspiracy against the
king. After listening to the King, the Abbot of Canterbury argued
that he was simply enjoying what he had. He did not have any
treason against the King. But the king was not convinced. He told
the Abbot either to answer his three questions or the death
sentence.
• Three questions are
• What is my worth?
• How long will it take for me to go around the world?
• What is he thinking right now?
Since, the Abbot couldn’t answer these questions immediately; the king
provided him fifteen days to find the answer. He travelled to places of
higher like Oxford and Cambridge University to find the answer. But
none of the scholars could find answers for him. On the 12th day while
coming back to his home he met his shepherd who was ready to
answer king’s questions on his behalf. He puts on the Abbots gown and
travelled to King John’s place . The shepherd replies the king’s
questions.
His worth is 29 pence one less than that of Jesus Christ
If the King rides along with the sun he can travel around the world in 24
hours.
King John is thinking that he is Abbot of Canterbury but he is not, he is just
a shepherd of abbot.
King becomes so happy with the answers. King was ready to forgive both
the Shepherd and his master. He decided to make him the Abbot of
Canterbury. However, the shepherd rejects king’s proposal declaring that
he is not so educated to be abort.
Lesson: Even a fool can teach a wise a lesson, Knowledge is not a private
property of scholars or intellectuals even a shepherd can be wise when it
comes to solving the riddles of life.
Write this part for literal comprehension
King John and the Abbot of Canterbury (poem)
Shepherd of Abbot of Canterbury

• The Abbot of Canterbury is an anonymous poem. The time of the poem is Medieval England, particularly the days
of King John. The locale (venue/The scene of any event or action ) of the poem is England and as to type it is
southern ballad. The style is entertaining even conversational. Two lessons we get from the poem, one is wisdom
is not confined to the wise, even an ordinary person can at times be as wise as the wisest of the land second idea
that with wit and wisdom we can defeat the might of a king. To generalize wit (brain power) is more effective than
brute (Someone who treats others inhumanely, or is regarded as wildly violent or uncivilized) power.

• In the poem, the writer mentions the two central characters and they are King John and the Abbot of Canterbury.
The king is infamous for his wrong deeds among his people at the one side and on the other side the Abbot of
Canterbury is popular among people due to his popular deeds and behaviours. The Abbot of Canterbury is actually
the head of a monastery. He is so rich and popular that he keeps hundred servants everyday, fifty of them wearing
gold chain and velvet coats.
He is so popular that people come to him from far and wide to see his health, to be his
guest and even to receive charity. This wealth and popularity seemed a challenge to
King John who was not just a king and hence not popular at all.  Because of increasing
rate of popularity of the Abbot among English people, the king becomes jealous to the
Abbot. The popularity of Abbot becomes so unbearable to the king that he makes a
cruel plot to kill the Abbot. Then the king calls the Abbot in his palace in London and
blames to the Abbot that he wants to dethrone or kill the king. The King wanted to cut
off the head of the holy man but he could not do so in straight way because as the
Abbot was highly popular and in case of his beheading people might stand against the
king. So, the king played a trick and thereby knowingly the king asks to solve the three
stupid questions. The questions were:
• What is the value of King John? (What was the worth of king in one penny when he was
having such a precious crown on his head)

• How fast can the king travel around the world?

• What the king is thinking now?

After asking the questions, the king threatens the Abbot that if he is unable to provide the
right answer, his head would be cut off. But the Abbot fails to answer the questions
immediately but he asks one fortnight (two weeks/a period of fourteen consecutive days) to
find the answers, if not answered the Abbot has to accept his death. He visits to the scholars
of Oxford and Cambridge with the hope of solution of the problem. Even the scholars fail to
solve the problem. With the mounting pressure of death and despair he returns his home
town. On the way, he meets his shepherd and reports all the events in palace.
• The shepherd creates hope and begs to the Abbot for permission to answer the
questions in a disguise face of the Abbot directly. Finally, the Abbot gives him
permission to meet the king in the palace to solve the problem. On the appointed
time, the shepherd visits the palace but he is not recognised as shepherd. On the
discussion to the king, the shepherd manages to answer all the non sense
questions and saves the life of the Abbot. In the answer of the first question, he
values the king John less than Jesus Christ (Christ was sold for thirty penny and the
king might be given for twenty nine as he was one penny less than the Lord.). In
second question, he answers that the king can travel around the world within 24
hour if he can travel with rising sun for 24 hours. For the third answer, the
shepherd replies that the king is wrong if he is supposing that the Abbot is making
the response. Instead he says that the poor shepherd is in front of him.
• Ultimately, the king becomes happy with the shepherd and offers him a place of
Abbot in Canterbury. In return the shepherd rejects the proposal of the king saying
that he is not well educated man to be appointed as an Abbot and only had some
common sense which often worked. The king awarded four gold coins a week to
the shepherd and pardoned the Abbot of Canterbury and withdrew all his charges.
Four level analysis: King John and The Abbot of Canterbury
Literal Comprehension: Once the king of England was quite jealous and
suspicious of the prosperity of the Abbot of Canterbury. So he thought that
the abbot might make a conspiracy against his throne. The king decided to
get rid of him. So he called the abbot and asked three nonsense questions
on the condition that he would behead him if he failed to answer the
questions within fifteen days. The questions were: What is the exact
price/value of the king with his crown of gold on his head among the
noblemen? How quickly he may ride the whole world about? What does
the king think at the moment? It made him too sad. He tried his best to find
the answer by consulting the professors visiting the university but couldn’t.
Finally, his own shepherd promised him to help him. So one day, in
order to answer the questions raised by the king, the shepherd
changed himself as the abbot and went to the palace. One by one he
answered that the value of the king was twenty nine pence less than
the savior, for the second he responded that it takes a whole day if he
rose and ran in the speed of sun that rotates round the earth and for
the last, he responded that the king might be thinking that he was the
abbot of Canterbury but he was wrong because he was a simple
shepherd to abbot.. Finally, the disguised shepherd i.e. the abbot
exposed all the truths. The king pardoned them and withdrew all his
charges.
Interpretation: From the moral point of view, the poem is much
impressive. Through the poem, the poet proves that the bookish and
formal education is not so much effective and useful to solve the
practical problems. On the one hand, it has a great lesson that people
and their knowledge shouldn’t be judged on the ground of their
profession and appearance. Thus the text has taught a great lesson that
makes it clear that much is learnt through their daily life activities than
from the universities. So the so called ignorant ones in terms of getting
formal education aren’t to be ignored and devaluated.
Critical Thinking: 
The poem seems to be much humorous and satirical. So far it imparts the idea of human
knowledge and wisdom, it is appropriate but in whatever way the King Abbot and the
Shepherd are presented, they don't seem believable and convincing.
• The poetic story is first of all hard to believe because it creates debatable further questions. 
Can we imagine existence of cruel king like John? Why the scholars from Oxford and
Cambridge fail to solve the problem and can we trust the uneducated people like shepherd
in terms of intellectuality? Can a king ask such nonsense question to a reputed Abbot?
Further, the answers of shepherd are also controversial. Since the king fails to recognise the
shepherd changed as Abbot. Similarly, the shepherd is presented in such a way that doesn't
fit him to be more than that it mocks the formal education. It is too difficult to accept it.  
Hence before taking any message from the story, the story has to be analysed on its
authenticity.
• Assimilation: Reading this poem, I am too much impressed with the fact that only the
formal education doesn’t make people capable, rather they may learn many things from the
practical experiences too. Having seen in my village, I come to know that many old people
are capable of doing various things which other educated men don’t know. So people can
learn many things from their practical knowledge and experience.
(A) King John recounts a conflict between the King and the abbot
i) Describe the conflict
ii) Explain the reasons for this conflict
iii) How is it resolved?
iv) Describe a similar conflict you may have had with a friend, stranger, child, or
parent
A) King John recounts a conflict between the King and the abbot
i) Describe the conflict
King John ruled over England with an absolute power (might and main) and did
many wrong deeds. There was an Abbot (Bishop) of Canterbury who was well-
known for his housekeeping. He had hundred men serve him on their velvet
coats. King became jealous of Abbot’s lavish and luxurious life. King decided to call
the Abbot in his palace and blamed him of making conspiracy against the king.
After listening to the King, the Abbot of Canterbury argued that he was simply
enjoying what he had. He did not have any treason against the King. But the king
was not convinced. He told the Abbot either to answer his three questions or the
death sentence. Since, the Abbot couldn’t answer these questions immediately;
the king provided him fifteen days to find the answer. He travelled to places like
Oxford and Cambridge University to find the answer. But none of the scholars
could find answers for him. On the 12th day while coming back to his home he
met his shepherd who was ready to answer king’s questions on his behalf. He puts
on the Abbots gown and travelled to King John’s place . The shepherd replies the
king’s questions.
ii) Explain the reasons for this conflict

Ans: The main reason between the conflict between the king and the Abbot of
Canterbury was the jealous of King John. The king John could not tolerate the
popularity of Abbot which resulted into the plot. The autocrat king of England,
John was self-centric and whimsical ruler which called for the conflict. The King
John was notoriously famous among his people where as Abbot was famous for
his good deeds. The popularity of ideal deeds of Abbot of Canterbury became the
reason for the conflict. As a result his crown was shaken and blamed the innocent
Abbot had committed treason. When his ego was hurt by the popularity of Abbot
he asked three too subjective questions. It clearly shows the psychology of ruler.
III.

The conflict between King John and Abbort of Canterbury is resolved by the creative answers
of Shepherd of Abbort. When the ego of King John is respected and addressed by the answers
of shepherd, King became ready to pardon Abbort and the conflict resolved. The shepherd
studied the psychology ok the despotic ruler, King John and exaggerated his position. When
shepherd told that the value of King was just one penny less than god, he felt that he was very
powerful and glorious person. That answer pacified the King. Similarly the shepherd answered
that King took just 24 hours to move around the world, he became happy. The last answer
was told by shepherd begging excuse from king that the king was thinking that he was Abbort
of Canterbury but actually he was the really his shepherd. All of these answers really touched
the heart of king John and convinced him. As a result the conflict is resolved.
iv) Describe a similar conflict you may have had with a friend, stranger, child, or
parent
Ans: I had similar type of conflict with my colleague when I was studying in
grade 11. I used to think that I was only the brilliant student in my class. The
teachers also relied on me if there was a need to answer a question. My friend
also used to appreciate me and used to copy answers from my register. As a
result I had a type of ego that no one of my class can defeat me intellectually. In
contrast to my expectation one of my colleague, Dinesh had scored better marks
than me in my first term exam. I felt that my ego is hurt. For two days I didn’t go
to my school. I had a type of enmity with Dinesh. Later I disliked to speak with
Dinesh. But after few days I have realized that my creativity is degraded due to
ego problem. I had been moody. One day my English teacher counseled me the
bad impacts of negative thoughts and feelings. After it, I began to speak with
Dinesh and began to ask help from Dinesh. In second term exam I became class
topper. But Dinesh congratulated me which made me to realize my past mistake.