Ugolino of pisa

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Often appears with: starvation in prison · plague, famine, and mass death · imprisonment · immortality of the soul · fortune and reversal · fate, destiny, and necessity · family tragedy

Usually: narrative (1) · confronting death (1) · grief and loss (1) · lament (1) · resignation (1)

The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems primary

Geoffrey Chaucer · c. 1387–1400 (composition of The Canterbury Tales and included poems; some items likely earlier/later)
i.e. > Book of Marriage”) quoted by Hieronymus, “Contra (90/117)

The poem tells the tragedy of Ugolino of Pisa, imprisoned with children, starving until the children die in his lap, ending with a brief lesson on Fortune taking high-rank people away.

thought, That they for hunger woulde *do him dien;* *cause him to die* “Alas!” quoth he, “alas that I was wrought!”* *made, born Therewith the teares fell from his eyen. His youngest son, that three years was of age, Unto him said, “Father, why do ye weep? When will the jailor bringen our pottage? Is there no morsel bread that ye do keep? I am so hungry, that I may not sleep. Now woulde God that I might sleepen ever…