From "Lycidas," consider the famous passage questioning the value of arduous study for a poet whose life is cut short: "Alas! What boots it with uncessant care / To tend the homely slighted Shepherd's trade, / And strictly meditate the thankless Muse?" What is the most complex layer of significance in the phrase "the thankless Muse" within the context of the poem's broader critique?
1
It simply reflects the lack of financial reward for poetry.
2
It highlights the Muses' indifference to human suffering and death.
3
It implies that dedicating one's life to divine or artistic inspiration might be futile if worldly corruption (like that of the clergy) is rampant and unaddressed.
4
It suggests that the poet's own talent was insufficient to earn true recognition before death.