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PHARAO, PHAROO. Pharaoh is the hereditary title of the ancient Egyptian kings. The pharaoh who appears in Chaucer's work is Amenhotep IV, also known as Akhenaten, the heretic pharaoh who ruled during the eighteenth dynasty, 1375-1358 B.C. He is believed to be the pharaoh whose dreams Joseph interpreted (Genesis 40, 41).

Joseph interpreted Pharao's dreams, which foretold coming events, NPT 3132-3135. God blesses those who repent as he blessed Pharao because of Joseph, ParsT 441-442. Not even Joseph, who interpreted Pharao's dream, can interpret the poet's dream, BD 277-283. The dream of the eagle is more wonderful than Pharoo's dream, HF II.515-516. [Joseph1]

Pharao reflects Dante's spelling in De monarchia II.iv.2. It occurs in final rhyming position, NPT 3133, BD 282, and in the prose of ParsT 443. Pharoo, with a long final vowel, occurs initially, HF II.516.


Dante, De monarchia, ed. P.G. Ricci, 182.
From CHAUCER NAME DICTIONARY
Copyright © 1988, 1996 Jacqueline de Weever
Published by Garland Publishing, Inc., New York and London.

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