MollieReiter Mr.

Faris English9 March2013

ThePlague Todays societyis filled tothebrimwithterroranduncertaintyofwhattomorrowmay bringknockingontheirfrontdoor. Sickness or even death,perhaps?Englandishiddenin the cloak of sickness known as the Black Death and no matter how hard people try to escapefromitsfolds,nooneissafefromthisplague. Inapanic,healthypeoplehavedone all they can to avoidthissickness. Thedoctors refusetoseepatientsthepriestsrefuseto administerlastrites.Shopkeepershaveclosedtheirstores,andmanypeoplehavefledthe cities for the countryside, but even there people are finding that the plague has spread (BlackDeath). The farmers and retailers of farm produce are alsoin dangerofcatching the Bubonic plague due to the fact that there are fleas on their animals (Spread of the ElizabethanBubonic Plague inElizabethan England). Theplaguecausesmanyproblems forthevictim, such as very high fever, delirium,vomiting,muscularpains, and the swelling oflymphnodes. Manybelievethat theplagueisapunishmentfromGod.Theybelievetheonlywayto overcome the plague is to win back Gods forgiveness. Some people are having a hard time coping with the terror theyhave forthe plague andare lashingout at their neighbors (Black Death). The reason for this is because many of these people dont know howto

deal withthisnew terror andsuspense ofnot knowingwhatisgoingto happentothem,so they turntheir fear into anger andusethat anger tolash outatothers.Thisisalmostaway of blaming others for the problems that have taken over everyday life because of the plague. While this may seem outlandish to do, its not as crazy as the way some of the upperclassmenare coping withthis timeof terror.Manyofthemhavejoinedprocessions of flagellants and travel from town to town to engage in public displays of penance and punishment. A flagellant is someone who whips themselves as a part of a religious penance. They do this by beating themselves and each other with heavy leather straps studded with sharp pieces of metal while townspeople look on (Black Death History Society). You are more prone to germs and disease with cuts andwoundsallover your body. These people who believe in bringing punishment on themselves do this act of beating themselves for 33 days, three times a day. Thentheywouldmoveontothenext townandbegintheprocessagain. Strangely enough, this actof whipping themselves intoareligiousfrenzyis a way of relief. What motivated people to this extreme act was the prolonged plague, hunger, drought, and other naturalmaladies(The Flagellants AttempttoRepealtheBlack Death, 1349). Here is a description of the Flagellants from Sir Robert of Avesbury, who has witnessedtheirritual: In that same year of 1349, about Michaelmas (September, 29)oversix hundred men came to London from Flanders, mostly Zeeland and Holland origin. Sometimes at St. Pauls and sometimesatother points in thecity, they made two daily public appearances wearing clothes from the thighs to the ankles, but

otherwise stripped bare. Each wore a cap marked with a red cross in front and behind. Each had in his right hand a scourge with three tails. Each tail had a knot and through the middle of it there were sometimes sharp nails fixed. They marched nakedin a file one behind the otherandwhipped themselves withthesescourges ontheirnakedandbleedingbodies. Four of them would chant in their native tongue, and another four would chant in response like a litany. Thrice they would all cast themselves on the ground inthis sortof procession,stretching out theirhands like the arms of a cross.The singing would go on and, the one who was in the rear ofthosethus prostrate acting first, each of them in turn would step over the others and give one stroke with his scourgetothemanlyingunderhim. This went on from the first to the last untileach ofthem had observedthe ritualto the fulltake of those on the ground.Then eachput on hiscustomarygarmentsand always wearing their caps and carrying their whips in their hands they retired to their lodgings. It is said that every night they performed the same penance (The FlagellantsAttempttoRepeltheBlackDeath,1349). Not only men, but women also, take place in these beatings through the towns. They do this all in the name of God. Other than beating themselves, they also preach, confess, and forgive sins, andthey declarethat thebloodshed intheir flagellations has a share with thebloodofChristinatoningforsin. Thisgroupalsobelievesthattheirpenance is a substitute for the sacramentsofthe church,and that the absolution thatis grantedby

theclergyisofnoavail(TheBlackDeathAndTheFlagellants).

WorksCited "BlackDeathHistory."BlackDeath.N.p.,n.d.Web.18Mar.2013. "BlackDeath."History.N.p.,n.d.Web.18Mar.2013. "BubonicPlague."WilliamShakespeareSiteMap.WilliamShakespeareInfo.,n.d.Web. 18Mar.2013. Morris,Charles."TheBlackDeathandtheFlagellants."TheBaldwinProject.N.p.,n.d. Web.14Mar.2013. "TheLatestNewsandUpdatesonBubonicPlague."BubonicPlagueOutbreak.N.p.,2 May2008.Web.18Mar.2013.