The Four Great Christian Epics
Surrounding the Milbank Choir to the north and south are four of the
Chapel’s most detailed expressions. On the north side is Malory’s Le
Morte D’Arthur, which contains the legend of King Arthur and the Holy
Grail. Highlights include the sword in the stone and the winning of
Excalibur in the bottom right tier, and Tristan and Isolde in the
center-left of the middle tier. Perhaps the most developed window
of all is the one depicting Dante’s Inferno. As one might
expect, each tier is divided (starting at the bottom) into Hell,
Purgatory, and Heaven. All quotes are in the original Italian!
Highlights include a three-headed Lucifer in the bottom left in
Hell, and Beatrice just below the oculus’ mystic Rose at the very top.
While both of the north epics are Catholic, the ecumenical theme continues
with two Protestant epics on the south. The first window depicts John Bunyan’s
Pilgrim’s Progress, the English Baptist’s parable of Christian life. The
pilgrim named Christian must make his way between “Worldy Wiseman” on the
top left of the bottom tier and “Ignorance, Obstinate and Pliable” on its
top right. One would hope the same for the Princeton student. Also notice
above Worldly Wiseman the origin of the term “Vanity Fair.” The next window is John
Milton’s great theodicy, Paradise Lost. Milton can be found in the bottom left
reciting the famous lines that mirror the purpose of the Chapel, “That… I
may… Justifie the wayes of God to men.” To his right reads the likewise
famous utterance of Satan, “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in
Heave’n.” Satan’s rebellion is transferred to the middle tier where he
tempts Adam and Eve, but is rectified in the top tier with the Passion of Christ.
