It is also explicitly said by Khunanup that what Nemtinakht did was wrong, when he says to him that the High Steward of Egypt, Nemtinakht’s direct authority, punishes all robbers in their land (Parkinson, 60). Additionally, to say that his heart was tempted possibly suggests that his inclination to rob Khumansup was failure of purity on the part of his soul, which Egyptians believed resided in the heart. For instance, when Nemtinakht first spots Khunanup, it is said that Khunanup’s goods “tempted his heart” (Parkinson, 59), which implies that Nemtinkakht knew internally that he wasn’t supposed to do what came to mind. These events in the text are described in a way that makes clear that Nemtinakht’s actions are neither justified nor ordinary for a man in his station. It is to this High Steward that Khunanup relays his messages to the royal court. Khunanup subsequently tries to appeal for justice, first by attempting to contact Nemtinakht himself to get him to return his goods, and then by going to Nemtinakht’s liege, the High Steward of Egypt. An ordinary peasant, Khumansup is beaten and robbed by a high status man, Nemtinakht, despite doing nothing wrong. The story of The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant begins with a disruption to order and justice, which in the case of the story, constitute the stability of society and the punishment and mending of unlawful behavior. Through the appeals of the peasant to the High Steward and the ideals he cites, it is evident in the The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant that the pharaoh and his court were believed to be obligated to maintain order in Egypt and protect the well-being of the pharaoh’s subjects. The story is centered around an injustice done to an ordinary Egyptian peasant, who eventually turns to the pharaoh to right the wrongs he has suffered. The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant is a text that demonstrates the responsibilities the royal court in ancient Egypt had to common people.
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