I find it interesting that Friar John is praised or looked up to throughout certain parts of the text as a part of comedic effect. Unlike Aristotle who claimed that, "comedy represents human beings as "worse than they are,'" (Hawaii Education 1), Francois Rabelais writes one specific character to be praised, to make the rest look worse. This is an interesting way to create comedy, by raising one, and demeaning many others. This can create a contrast. While it works with Aristotle's claim of comedy, it also goes against it, as not all characters are written as worse than they are.

Aristotle: Poetics. (n.d.). https://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink/aristotle/terms/comedy.html

I find it interesting that the author mentions the tripes not being very commendable (not very good/outstanding), when tripes also can mean nonsense or stupidity. So, bringing his wife into eating as much nonsense as she wants brings a bit of a negative connotation to this phrase. Could this relate to the value of the wife in this text?

Tripe | English Meaning - Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tripe

This shows the text's purpose of humor and comedic effect. In The Grub Street Lodger, the article reviews the text as being a "freewheeling prose fiction," and states that, "Rabelais doesn’t want to tell a psychologically complex, long story; he wants to tell anecdotes, to prod thoughts and tickle laughter" (Stevenson 1).

Review: Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais. The Grub Street Lodger. (2023, February 15). https://www.grubstlodger.uk/2023/02/review-gargantua-and-pantagruel-by.html

Medea killed her brother in order to elope with Jason. Her brother was sent to stop them from doing so, by grabbing Medea from the ship and bringing her back to their father for punishment. While Jason's crew struck against her brother, you never witness Medea fighting for them to stop. However, at the time, Medea was under Hera's spell, meaning she was not entirely in control during these disasters.

Source: The Story of Jason & Medea: Love, witchcraft & betrayal. The Collector. (2025, January 28). https://www.thecollector.com/jason-and-medea-myth/

Despite Jason being described as an unloyal villian, he is portrayed here to be extremely loyal to his children. In fashion of Greek societal standards, men were meant to care for their children heavily, and to protect them against any hardships. Their job as males was to nurture a child. Medea takes this away from Jason when she kills their children

There is a deeper layer to the betrayal that Medea feels from Jason. In interest of the prequel into their relationship, I researched the backstory of Jason and Medea. Medea once protected Jason against "the bull's fiery breath." Medea was also Aeetes' daughter, who fell in love with Jason due to Eros, the god of love. Her love for Jason was not a choice, but her protection of him was. Therefore, the betrayal is deeper to Medea as she went out of her way to protect him and lead him through his goals. This is why Medea is so hurt by Jason's later actions.

Source: Medea and jason. Medea and Jason | Metropolitan Opera. (n.d.). https://www.metopera.org/discover/education/educator-guides/medea/medea-and-jason/#:~:text=The%20Golden%20Fleece,-Jason%20set%20sail&text=Second%2C%20he%20must%20plant%20a,fall%20in%20love%20with%20Jason.

Aegeus was used in this play to be a persuading point for Medea. His sorrow due to infertility suggests to Medea that being childless may be the ultimate revenge towards Jason, and may sway him to be loyal and committed.

Source: Ipl.org. (2021, May 31). Aegeus pivotal plot point in Euripides Medea. Essays, Research Papers, Term Papers. https://www.ipl.org/essay/Aegeus-Pivotal-Plot-Point-In-Euripides-Medea-FKE35MM4N8TT

As Euripides was known as woman-hater, Medea peaked the interest of many readers. There is an argument in regards to if Medea was meant to be considered a strong female role or a victim. As Euripides often portrayed strong male leads, oftentimes considered more moral than the women in his playwrights, it leaves the question of his intent behind the character, Medea.

Source: Gill, N.S. (2024, June 25). The Surviving Tragedies of Euripides. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-surviving-tragedies-of-euripides-118749

I would correlate this to an afterlife. "Surely shall his spirit rise, to those regions where the Blest..." could represent the peace after death. It gives comfort to those fighting, to those beside Arjuna.

This is in reference to the status of Arjuna. It represents his lineage and authority. According to the story of Jada Bharata, he was a powerful, high standing king, but one with high paternal instinct. The story states, Bharata, "...rose from his position of meditation and rescu(ed) the fawn from the water, took it to his cottage, made a fire, and with care and attention fondled the little thing back to life." This shows his compassion of youth, whereas Arjuna is considered a harder, more stubborn head of authority.

Source: The Story Of Jada Bharata. The story of Jada Bharata. (n.d.). https://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_4/lectures_and_discourses/the_story_of_jada_bharata.htm

Arjuna is a demigod in Hindu literature. He is represented as a courageous man of duty, one who is stubborn in his ways, and very honorable. According to the World History Encyclopedia, "His name means “shining”, “silver” and similar terms relating to brightness" (Arjuna; paragraph 1, sentence 2). I correlate this with a shining knight, one who wears armor, and fights battles. As Arjuna is a brave "knight", I find it interesting to see his battle with the brutality of war.

Source: Mark, J. J. Arjuna. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Arjuna/

Gandhi was introduced to the Bhagavad Gita by friends of his. According to an MK Gandhi article, "Gandhi's theosophist friends-the two Olcott brothers-were studying the original Sanskrit text of the Gita alongside Edwin Arnold's recent English translation, The Song Celestial." This is tied into the meaning of the title, which is considered Song of God.

Source: Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi and the Bhagavad Gita | About Gandhi | Articles on and by Mahatma Gandhi. (n.d.). https://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/Mahatma-Gandhi-and-the-Bhagavad-Gita.php