Elde and His Teaching in The Parlement of the Thre Ages.

P3A offers a critique of all stages of life in order to focus our attention on life after death. Elde is shown to be a seriously flawed character who can formulate impeccable truths; most of his digressions serve to answer his companions’ imagery and arguments, yet his motives in sermonizing are based in pride, envy, and ire, and his inordinate fear of death shows his imperfect understanding of death’s place in the Christian scheme of things. “Elde is thus a perfect example of a moral physician who needs to heal himself …”