Bingen Responsory For The Virgin Analysis

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On the other hand, the poem, Responsory for the Virgin shows influences similar to the Song of Roland, but in a tone that is less imperialistic. Hilegard of Bingen became a nun in her early adulthood. She was very influential, spreading Christianity through her poetic works. With her poems she was essentially a lyrical mouth piece of the Roman Catholic Church. In the poem, Hildegard describes the scene of the immaculate conception of Christ. In the lines, “Priceless integrity / Her virgin gate / opened to none,” she explains that the gate is the unbroken hymen of Marry (Hildegard lines 1-3). Also, the line is a reference to Mary being a virgin at the time Christ was placed into her womb. The next lines, “But the Holy One flooded her with warmth / until a flower sprang in her womb / and the Son of God came forth,” explains the point where the Immaculate Conception is occurring (1-6). Bingen compares the blooming of the flower Mary to Jesus being in her womb. The allusion to Jesus is further supported with “the Son of God came forth” (4).
Next, Bingen describes the birthing of Jesus, with detailed imagery: Sweet as the buds of spring, her / son opened paradise / from the cloister of her womb. / And the Son of God came forth
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Without the influences from the Catholic Church, masterpieces, such as, Dante’s Inferno and Petrarch’s sonnets would not have resonated with the people, who were still interested in leading a pious life based on Christian values. In other words, the rise of secularism did not stop writers of the Renaissance from adhering to Christian values for the ones who still followed the church, but also crafted their message for the more secular audience also. Overall, the influence of the Catholic Church altered the literary work of its time, and led to a united Christian voice between shown within both time

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