How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
"We shul first feyne us cristendom to take,—
Coold water shal nat greve us but a lite –
And I shal swich a feeste and revel make,
That, as I trowe, I shal the Sowdan quite." (351-354)
The Sultan's mother references the possibility that the cold water of Baptism might upset the Muslims. The idea is rejected, but it, does call to mind the medieval Christian belief that the bodies of evil people will reject the holy sacrament. Think about what holy water does to vampires, in like every vampire movie you've ever seen. Yeah—it's like that.
Quote #2
O Sowdanesse, roote of iniquitee!
Virage, thou Semyrame the secounde!
O serpent under femynynytee
Lik to the serpent depe in helle ybounde! (358-361)
Semiramis was an ancient Babylonian queen who is said to have had her many lovers slain after she had sex with them. Harsh. Supposedly, she was afraid that they would take the fact that she slept with them as an invitation try to steal power from her. Calling the Sultaness both Semiramis and serpent links her to the evil figures of both pagan and Christian traditions. In other words, it's not a compliment.
Quote #3
O feyned womman, al that may confounde
Vertu and innocence thurgh thy malice
Is bred in thee, as nest of every vice! (362-364)
Since we already know Custance to be the paragon of virtue and innocence, this passage positions the Sultan's mother as her nemesis. And if Custance is the paragon of virtue and innocence, what does that make her sworn enemy?