`The Passion` by John Milton and `Gentilesse` by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Geoffrey Chaucer 's poem Gentilesse ' and John Milton 's fragment The Passion ' both speak of noble and highborn persons . The poems speak of virtues and qualities that these persons possess and the methods by which they display these . Chaucer 's work is prescriptive of the kinds of behaviors to be expected in nobility and Milton 's poem is descriptive in its expression of similar virtues possessed by Christ . However , the two poems differ in their moods , Milton 's being more expressive of sentimentality . Whereas Milton uses more figures of speech and makes

associations between the emotional content of his poem and its setting Chaucer 's makes little reference to outer (physical ) objects . Therefore though the poems are similar as far as they describe the virtues of men they differ in the mood , tone , and language

Both the poems direct the attention of the reader toward attributes that exist within the hearts of virtuous men . Milton points mainly toward the self-sacrificial nature of Christ , declaring him a most perfect Hero who takes on the burdens too difficult for a mere human to bear (II .13-14 . He (Christ ) fills the elevated office of lord and priest and displays all the nobility that befits such a position . This is comparable to Chaucer 's of the founder of gentilesse , whose perfection is seen in his truth , sobriety , piety (Chaucer , II . 9 . He is a lover of business and despiser of sloth , as proves the Christ in Milton 's poem who comes down to earth on strict business to give his life for man and to return

Chaucer goes further to write of his ideal Gentilesse ' that this first stok was ground of rightwisnesse (II .8 . This gives the idea that the basis of this person 's personality is perfection itself . Such a person cannot be seen as being born in sin ' as is the idea of man given by the Christian Bible . Therefore , this person described by Chaucer might be taken as being comparable to the heavenly creature of Milton 's poem - Christ , who knew no sin but was righteousness himself Milton uses such a view of Christ as the basis of his reference to the ethereal mirth ' that attends the heavenly Infant 's birth (I . 1 3 . Furthermore , Chaucer 's man of virtue points toward an ideal , and Milton 's Christ is the archetype toward which the salvation won by his death is said to transform Adamic man . The two poems are therefore similar in their of a flawless nature as the foundation upon which virtue is laid

Though the extent to which Chaucer refers to the natural word is limited (while Milton 's is extended , there does exist a similarity in their s of the physical attributes of the virtuous person . The similarity is in the paradox both poets indicate , as they consider the virtue of the man to be irrespective of his dress . Chaucer 's poem contains the refrain Al were he mitre , crown , or diadem (lines 7 14...