#anglitora

One of the things that catches my attention the most in chapter 6 of the second part of Tom a Lincolne is the huge inspiration it takes from Shakespeare (mainly Hamlet) and from the Greek tragedy works, the "Oresteia".

In this text, Tom's ghost appears to his son, the Black Knight, announcing he wants revenge for the manner in which he was murdered by his wife, Anglitora. The Black Knight is conflicted but he decides to avenge his father. He finds his mother's slave, who has eaten his own hands out of hunger. The slave tells the Black Knight what has happened. As a result, both men proceed to plot the demise of Anglitora and her lover. The chapter ends with a lot of deaths (Anglitora included), burials and the Black Knight feeling tormented over the whole thing.

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The use of Greco-Roman mythology to compare the current events happening in chapter four is nothing short but brilliant.

As it happens, Anglitora, her son and slave arrive to an island inhabited by a knight and his dwarf servant. The knight receives them in his castle and entertains them. Before supper, Anglitora’s son, the Black Knight, decides to hunt for food so that his mother may have something to eat.

Whilst the Black Knight is gone, Anglitora and the knight flirt like no tomorrow and end up hooking up (and on the first day of arrival 😆). Meanwhile, the Black Knight gets lost in the forest, gives up trying to get back to the castle and decides to become one with nature.

And so, seven years pass. Anglitora is happily living with her lover, while her son has become a hermit.

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This part above is the most striking part of chapter five. Because it describes Tom's death at the hand of his wife and lover (who plan for his death the moment he arrives at the castle, determined to win his wife back). Unfortunately, for Tom, things don't end well for him and he meets his demise, then buried in a dunghill.

Another interesting of this chapter is that, while Tom is traveling, his ship somehow can't stop in land and remains in a constant storm in the high seas for seven years. This causes the crew to resort to cannibalism (which Tom participates in as well). He ends up being the sole survivor of his crew.

By the end of the chapter, Anglitora and her lover are happy to have gotten rid of Tom and go back to their lives. In addition, they bury Anglitora's slave (for telling Tom of what happened) from the waist down and leave him to die.

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