The Pilgrim’s Progress

The Pilgrim’s Progress

by

John Bunyan

Giant Despair Character Analysis

Giant Despair lives in Doubting Castle, somewhere between Vanity Fair and the Delectable Mountains, with his wife, Diffidence. After wandering off their path to the Celestial City and getting stranded in a storm, Christian and Hopeful accidentally trespass on Giant Despair’s land. Giant Despair throws them into a dungeon and denies them food. On his wife’s advice, he also beats the prisoners and tries to provoke them to suicide. Mr. Great-heart and his friends later destroy the giant’s castle.

Giant Despair Quotes in The Pilgrim’s Progress

The The Pilgrim’s Progress quotes below are all either spoken by Giant Despair or refer to Giant Despair. 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:
The Burden of Sin and Salvation through Christ Theme Icon
).
Part 1: Giant Despair and Doubting Castle Quotes

My Brother, said he, rememberest thou not how valiant thou hast been heretofore? Apollyon could not crush thee, nor could all that thou didst hear, or see, or feel in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. What hardship, terror, and amazement hast thou already gone through, and art thou now nothing but fear? Thou seest that I am in the Dungeon with thee, a far weaker man by nature than thou art; also this Giant has wounded me as well as thee, and hath also cut off the Bread and Water from my mouth; and with thee I mourn without the light. But let's exercise a little more patience[.]

Related Characters: Hopeful (speaker), Christian, Apollyon, Giant Despair
Page Number: 121
Explanation and Analysis:

Well on Saturday about midnight they began to pray, and continued in Prayer till almost break of day.

Now a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out in passionate speech: What a fool, quoth he, am I, thus to lie in a stinking Dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty. I have a Key in my bosom called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any Lock in Doubting Castle. […]

Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the Dungeon door, whose bolt (as he turned the Key) gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out.

Related Characters: Hopeful (speaker), Christian, Giant Despair
Page Number: 123
Explanation and Analysis:
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Giant Despair Quotes in The Pilgrim’s Progress

The The Pilgrim’s Progress quotes below are all either spoken by Giant Despair or refer to Giant Despair. 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:
The Burden of Sin and Salvation through Christ Theme Icon
).
Part 1: Giant Despair and Doubting Castle Quotes

My Brother, said he, rememberest thou not how valiant thou hast been heretofore? Apollyon could not crush thee, nor could all that thou didst hear, or see, or feel in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. What hardship, terror, and amazement hast thou already gone through, and art thou now nothing but fear? Thou seest that I am in the Dungeon with thee, a far weaker man by nature than thou art; also this Giant has wounded me as well as thee, and hath also cut off the Bread and Water from my mouth; and with thee I mourn without the light. But let's exercise a little more patience[.]

Related Characters: Hopeful (speaker), Christian, Apollyon, Giant Despair
Page Number: 121
Explanation and Analysis:

Well on Saturday about midnight they began to pray, and continued in Prayer till almost break of day.

Now a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out in passionate speech: What a fool, quoth he, am I, thus to lie in a stinking Dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty. I have a Key in my bosom called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any Lock in Doubting Castle. […]

Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the Dungeon door, whose bolt (as he turned the Key) gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out.

Related Characters: Hopeful (speaker), Christian, Giant Despair
Page Number: 123
Explanation and Analysis: