20
E
UR
A
MERICA
Meanwhile, the narrator points out that the appearance of things is
essentially treacherous: “Allas, what harme doth apparence / Whan
hit is fals in existence!” (Chaucer, 1997: 265-266).
20
While
lamenting Dido’s misjudgment, the narrator at once explodes the
classical myth about Aeneas by denouncing him as a false lover
(280-285), arguing that the pretext used by Aeneas to desert Dido
is totally untenable. In a certain sense, by reinterpreting the
relationship between Dido and Aeneas, Chaucer intends to
demonstrate that their canonical images are open to revision even
though these images were created by Ovid and Virgil. The natural
corollary of this reflection is that even the judgments rendered by
classical authorities might be problematic. Therefore, if the
judgments of previous authorities do not necessarily guarantee
accuracy, the value of worldly fame, which essentially builds on the
popular opinion, is dubious.
In the
House of Fame
, fame is far from an approving term as
it is transitory and, more importantly, arbitrarily bestowed.
Chaucer’s vivid delineation of the architecture of the house of fame
is indicative of his awareness of the limitations of worldly fame.
The rock on which the house of fame is perched baffles the
narrator, who cannot name the “congeled matere” (1997: 1126).
Metaphorically speaking, the name of the crystal and the nature of
fame are analogous in at least one aspect: both are mysterious
unknown quantities waiting to be explored. When later it gradually
dawns on the narrator that the foundation of the house is entirely
made of “roche of yse” (1130), the reader meanwhile becomes
conscious of the caprice of fame since its house is constructed on a
shaky and unstable foundation.
The fickle nature of worldly fame is further highlighted by
the narrator’s portrayal of the inscriptions of past luminaries’
names on the slope. All the names, according to the narrator, were
20
In this paper, citations from the
House of Fame
are cited by line number and in
accordance with Chaucer
(
1997).
