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The busy, bustling “field full of folk” that Will sees in his first few dreams represents society, which is populated by humans from each of the three estates, or social classes: the clergy (first estate), the nobility (second estate), and the peasantry (third estate). However, the field also symbolizes society on a grander scale, as it symbolizes the whole earth, teeming with people from all different walks of life. Since the field is positioned directly between the castle on the hill and the dungeon in the valley, the field symbolizes the way that all people have the capacity to go to either Heaven or Hell, depending on their behavior on earth.
Field Full of Folk Quotes in Piers Plowman
The Piers Plowman quotes below all refer to the symbol of Field Full of Folk. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Prologue
Quotes
I saw a tower on a hill-top, trimly built,
A deep dale beneath, a dungeon tower in it,
With ditches deep and dark and dreadful to look at.
A fair field full of folk I found between them,
Of human being of all sorts, the high and the low…
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Field Full of Folk Symbol Timeline in Piers Plowman
The timeline below shows where the symbol Field Full of Folk appears in Piers Plowman. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
In his dream, Will sees a “ field full of folk ” nestled between a tower on a hill and a dungeon in a valley. The...
(full context)
Back in the “ field full of folk ,” Will sees all kinds of people in the bustling town, including bakers, brewers, butchers,...
(full context)
Passus V
...dream only to drift back to sleep moments later. Once again, Will sees the “ field full of folk ,” but this time he also sees Reason preaching to all of the people in...
(full context)
