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The term allegory derives from Greek allegorein "to speak figuratively". In medieval studies the term is used with at least three different meanings:

1. as a rhetorical figure,
2. as a text form or even as a genre,
3. as a mode of text production or understanding.

Allegories frequently occur in prose or verse narratives and medieval drama. In these texts the characters and events refer to more levels of meaning than the literal one alone. We can distinguish between two different types of allegory:

• the historical or political allegory,
• the allegory of ideas.

In the first type, the characters and events represent their historical counterparts. In the second type, the allegorical effect is created by means of personifications of more abstract concepts, e.g. virtues and vices. An allegory can be either a single work or as well only a shorter episode woven into a larger work.

Allegorical interpretation, allegoresis or exegesis, has a long tradition and can be traced back to classical texts. During the 4th century A.D. there emerged the influential system of the fourfold interpretation.

Allegorical elements can be found in many genres such as parables, fables, exempla, dream visions, etc. Le Roman de la Rose, Pearl , Piers Plowman, and Everyman are typical medieval allegories.