The Bishop Orders His tomb at Saint Praxed's Church Competition Quotes

Here we get a hint at the past competition between Gandolf and the bishop. Unsurprisingly, it was over a woman. Still, both of these men are going to be buried in a church, which suggests that Gandolf was a celibate church official just like the bishop. Why, then, is this competition over a woman so important?

First Gandolf was jealous of his woman, and then he stole the primo tomb lot in the church. This, it seems, is enough to send our bishop into a competitive fever. Do you think his reaction is warranted here? It certainly doesn't strike us as very godly.

The bishop is so obsessed with competing against his rival that he envisions their competition lasting after they're both dead. Forget heaven. The bishop apparently views the afterlife as a continuous opportunity to one-up his competitor. That's depressing.

The reason that the bishop gives for having himself posed like, you know, God is that doing so will make Gandolf super-jealous. His competition with his rival has driven him to some pretty blasphemous lengths.

The very last words that the bishop leaves us with are of his competition with Gandolf. He just can't wait to die and rub the splendor of his tomb into his dead rival's face, just as he used to flaunt his relationship with his dead mistress/wife. Yeah, that doesn't sound unhealthily obsessed or anything.