I agree with all of the comments about disease and such, but I think it's more specifically about the plague (The Black Death)- references to boils, falling limbs, people dying by the masses (about 60% of Europe's population died). This plague caused people to live a life similar to a morbid mutation of "Carpe Diem," in anger, depression, mistrust- ravenous animals. What really points to the plague, however, is the line, "Science becomes futile in the chaos," which I think is a clear reference to the blow medieval science took because of the plague- doctors became ultimately untrusted, as they could not do anything for anyone.
Then again, it could be a prediction of something similar...who knows? It could also be an extended metaphor, or a combination of the three.
I agree with all of the comments about disease and such, but I think it's more specifically about the plague (The Black Death)- references to boils, falling limbs, people dying by the masses (about 60% of Europe's population died). This plague caused people to live a life similar to a morbid mutation of "Carpe Diem," in anger, depression, mistrust- ravenous animals. What really points to the plague, however, is the line, "Science becomes futile in the chaos," which I think is a clear reference to the blow medieval science took because of the plague- doctors became ultimately untrusted, as they could not do anything for anyone.
Then again, it could be a prediction of something similar...who knows? It could also be an extended metaphor, or a combination of the three.