Question

Explain the phrase 'forbidden ear'.
(2 Points

Answer 1

Answer:

The ear, is the ear of the purple host, or honorable person. The ear is forbidden to hear because he did not live to see success.

Similarly, what does the defeated dying soldier hear? In this scenario, a soldier lies “dying” on the ground, hearing the “distant” sounds of “triumph” made by the victorious army (the “purple Host”). It is this dying soldier, not the victors themselves, who best understands what success actually means.