Wife of Bath
According to the tale of "The Wife of Bath," women want companionship and love with a man rather than sex or gossip. In the tale, a knight seeks to learn what women want most after he is tasked by the queen to do so. He asks around the country and gets answers including sex, wealth, and secrets (1751). However, a women cannot keep a secret as seen from Greek writings and are not comforted by getting them. After the knight marries an older woman, he treats her poorly and she confesses the true want of women. She would feel like a noblewoman when she lives "in virtue and [casts] out sin" (1755). She wanted respect and the freedom to live according to virtue from her husband.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
10/22 Everyman (#8b)
Human Nature
The view of human nature that is illuminated is his tendency to do evil without guidance and help from God and other believers. In the beginning of the play, God send for Death to wake up Everyman from his life of sin. God sends Everyman on a pilgrimage to show him his "many bad deeds and good but a few" and to seek redemption (1825). Everyman seeks help as he starts his journey from Fellowship, Cousin, and Kindred (representing other believers and men) but they all leave before going far. God sees man as weak, but wants man to believe in him so he has man go on a long, hard journey to see his weaknesses and trust only in him. After man is purified by God after passing into death, God will "bring us all thither and we may live body and soul togither" (1843).
Friends
The various companions that join Everyman on his journey eventually leave him except Good deeds and knowledge showing that only God can help man come close to him.
The view of human nature that is illuminated is his tendency to do evil without guidance and help from God and other believers. In the beginning of the play, God send for Death to wake up Everyman from his life of sin. God sends Everyman on a pilgrimage to show him his "many bad deeds and good but a few" and to seek redemption (1825). Everyman seeks help as he starts his journey from Fellowship, Cousin, and Kindred (representing other believers and men) but they all leave before going far. God sees man as weak, but wants man to believe in him so he has man go on a long, hard journey to see his weaknesses and trust only in him. After man is purified by God after passing into death, God will "bring us all thither and we may live body and soul togither" (1843).
Friends
The various companions that join Everyman on his journey eventually leave him except Good deeds and knowledge showing that only God can help man come close to him.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
10/20 1001 Nights (#8a)
Motifs
There are several motifs shown in "The Thousand and One Nights." An example is the role of women in Arab society; both the wickedness and the goodness of women is seen. The wickedness of women is seen when the wife of Shahrayar, a king of Persia, cheats on her husband with a kitchen boy (1773). The king comes to the conclusion that "women are not to be trusted" (1773). He further believes in this idea when he visits his brother in a neighboring kingdom. He sees ten slaves have sex with ten concubines and loses his faith in women (1776). When he returns home, he decides to kill his wife and "marry for one night only and kill woman the next morning, in order to save himself from the wickedness and cunning of women" (1778). This view of women is countered with the appearance of a good woman who comes to save the reputation of women and their lives. The woman, Shahrazad, decides to marry the king, but tells him a story each night to keep his attention away from his negative view of women. She stops each night before finishing the story to enthrall him. Through listening to the stories, the king begins to heal and eventually abandons his killing policy (1771). Shahrazad shows the ability of women to have courage, intelligence, and goodness. Another motif shown is heroism. Shahrazad can be seen as a hero for stepping in to stop the king from his murderous actions. She decides to offer herself as a wife to the king despite the objections of her father. She is aware of her fate, so that she may "either succeed in saving the people or perish and die like the rest" (1778). She showed her intelligence, wit, and bravery in her nights with the king.
There are several motifs shown in "The Thousand and One Nights." An example is the role of women in Arab society; both the wickedness and the goodness of women is seen. The wickedness of women is seen when the wife of Shahrayar, a king of Persia, cheats on her husband with a kitchen boy (1773). The king comes to the conclusion that "women are not to be trusted" (1773). He further believes in this idea when he visits his brother in a neighboring kingdom. He sees ten slaves have sex with ten concubines and loses his faith in women (1776). When he returns home, he decides to kill his wife and "marry for one night only and kill woman the next morning, in order to save himself from the wickedness and cunning of women" (1778). This view of women is countered with the appearance of a good woman who comes to save the reputation of women and their lives. The woman, Shahrazad, decides to marry the king, but tells him a story each night to keep his attention away from his negative view of women. She stops each night before finishing the story to enthrall him. Through listening to the stories, the king begins to heal and eventually abandons his killing policy (1771). Shahrazad shows the ability of women to have courage, intelligence, and goodness. Another motif shown is heroism. Shahrazad can be seen as a hero for stepping in to stop the king from his murderous actions. She decides to offer herself as a wife to the king despite the objections of her father. She is aware of her fate, so that she may "either succeed in saving the people or perish and die like the rest" (1778). She showed her intelligence, wit, and bravery in her nights with the king.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
10/15 Medieval Lyrics (#7b)
Religion
The poem, "A Hymn to Holy Women," is about Christ's offer of redemption to those who choose his way of righteousness. The devil, or the Ethiop, guards a ladder to keep people from leaving the place of sin. Christ, with his great love, makes a way for people to leave and lead a holy life. The women, in particular, mock the devil by doing good deeds and raising children to do good deeds. The poem uses the idea that women were essentially corrupt through the sin of Eve in the garden of Eden and then purified by the deed done by Mary, the virgin who "brought forth God incarnate, only begotten of the Father" (1387). This son was Christ, who opened the gates of hell for mankind to leave. Women, who were seen to be wiley temptresses, could be pure and virtuous as a wife and mother to knights and nobles. The poem uses the symbol of the ladder to show Christ helping sinners out of hell, the domain of the serpent, or the devil (1387). The phrases "vessels," "burnished temple," refer to human souls that are made pure by the love of Christ (1388). The form of half-sentences separates the ideas allows the reader to flow from the the doom of mankind to salvation of it.
Love
In "A Lover's Prize," love is seen as a passionate thing associated with sex and is an excuse for betrayal of one's marriage. The woman was "betrayed, [her husband] calims [she] did not give him love" (1403). Therefore, she feels open to give her heart and her body to her lover instead her husband. This supports the fact that having lovers in the Medieval era was commonplace as the husband and wife were apart a lot with the wife at home and the husband out fighting and hunting.
The poem, "A Hymn to Holy Women," is about Christ's offer of redemption to those who choose his way of righteousness. The devil, or the Ethiop, guards a ladder to keep people from leaving the place of sin. Christ, with his great love, makes a way for people to leave and lead a holy life. The women, in particular, mock the devil by doing good deeds and raising children to do good deeds. The poem uses the idea that women were essentially corrupt through the sin of Eve in the garden of Eden and then purified by the deed done by Mary, the virgin who "brought forth God incarnate, only begotten of the Father" (1387). This son was Christ, who opened the gates of hell for mankind to leave. Women, who were seen to be wiley temptresses, could be pure and virtuous as a wife and mother to knights and nobles. The poem uses the symbol of the ladder to show Christ helping sinners out of hell, the domain of the serpent, or the devil (1387). The phrases "vessels," "burnished temple," refer to human souls that are made pure by the love of Christ (1388). The form of half-sentences separates the ideas allows the reader to flow from the the doom of mankind to salvation of it.
Love
In "A Lover's Prize," love is seen as a passionate thing associated with sex and is an excuse for betrayal of one's marriage. The woman was "betrayed, [her husband] calims [she] did not give him love" (1403). Therefore, she feels open to give her heart and her body to her lover instead her husband. This supports the fact that having lovers in the Medieval era was commonplace as the husband and wife were apart a lot with the wife at home and the husband out fighting and hunting.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
10/13 Medieval Women (#7a)
Misogynists
Women were labeled as "inferior" to men in the Medieval times due to the roles that women took in society and the interpretation of beliefs by the majority of society. The majority of male writers held the opinion that all women were guilty through Eve's transgression in the Garden of Eden and that they were cunning and caused men to sin. The writer Tertullian widely supported this idea in his work "The Appearance of Women." He recognized the beauty and tendency for manipulation of women and thus suggested that women dress themselves "in the silk of modesty, with the linen of holiness, and with the purple of chastity," in order to please God and resist the urge to make men stumble (1848). John Chrysostom shared this view and added that women are inferior to men in everything and were chronic and dangerous talkers. Another view was that marriage inferred with the male need for devotion to their work, although writers and the clergy did concede that marriage was still a holy union from God and was from those with the right intention. The friar, Guillaume de Mailly, supported this view. These views of women are still held today, but are decreasing in popularity as feminism increases in popularity. Feminism holds that women are equal if not a little superior to men in all capacities and that women can take any role that a man can. However, men still have a "higher place" in society and take the lead in the home, church, and in most public, political arenas, as it was in Medieval society.
Feminists
Along with the many Medieval documents supporting the misogynistic view of women, there are many that defend the status of women. An English work called, "The Southern Passion," reviews the story of Mary Magdalene and shows how she wept at the cross and was one of the first to see Christ after his resurrection. Other documents cover the story of Joan of Arc, a french woman who was instrumental in persuading the prince of France to establish his political and religious legitimacy to the throne. She also physically defended France from an English attack and was captured and burned by the French. Both of these actions put her on equal footing with men. It also supported claims that women were supposed to be helpmates to men, not just slaves as the misogynists believed.
Women were labeled as "inferior" to men in the Medieval times due to the roles that women took in society and the interpretation of beliefs by the majority of society. The majority of male writers held the opinion that all women were guilty through Eve's transgression in the Garden of Eden and that they were cunning and caused men to sin. The writer Tertullian widely supported this idea in his work "The Appearance of Women." He recognized the beauty and tendency for manipulation of women and thus suggested that women dress themselves "in the silk of modesty, with the linen of holiness, and with the purple of chastity," in order to please God and resist the urge to make men stumble (1848). John Chrysostom shared this view and added that women are inferior to men in everything and were chronic and dangerous talkers. Another view was that marriage inferred with the male need for devotion to their work, although writers and the clergy did concede that marriage was still a holy union from God and was from those with the right intention. The friar, Guillaume de Mailly, supported this view. These views of women are still held today, but are decreasing in popularity as feminism increases in popularity. Feminism holds that women are equal if not a little superior to men in all capacities and that women can take any role that a man can. However, men still have a "higher place" in society and take the lead in the home, church, and in most public, political arenas, as it was in Medieval society.
Feminists
Along with the many Medieval documents supporting the misogynistic view of women, there are many that defend the status of women. An English work called, "The Southern Passion," reviews the story of Mary Magdalene and shows how she wept at the cross and was one of the first to see Christ after his resurrection. Other documents cover the story of Joan of Arc, a french woman who was instrumental in persuading the prince of France to establish his political and religious legitimacy to the throne. She also physically defended France from an English attack and was captured and burned by the French. Both of these actions put her on equal footing with men. It also supported claims that women were supposed to be helpmates to men, not just slaves as the misogynists believed.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
10/1 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (#5b)
Games
Games represent the testing of men's civility and bravery. The Medieval culture expected men, especially men of noble birth, to behave in a manner above reproach and with the highest honor and courage. Men had to be courteous and the perfect gentlemen as well as strong in body and mind. The nobles and knights had as their main pass-times hunting and partying, along with the occasional war. Games were an interlude to these events to see if a man was really up to par and able to sacrifice himself to become the perfect gentleman. The first game had Gawain allow his head to be chopped off. Gawain flinched and pulled back in order to preserve his life. At the second test, Gawain kept back his expensive gift that had received, a magical belt, from his host, Bertilak. However, no one knew until the end of the holiday festivities. There was another test where Gawain had to resist his host's wife while his host was off hunting for three days. This he was able to do with a lot of mental strength. This test took just as much strength as the first test and Gawain saved himself with his verbal dexterity. When he was brought to King Arthur, he confessed to withholding his gift of the belt and to not allowing the axe blade to fall. He fell short of the perfect model was supposed to live up to and proved that he was human. Bertilak, the green knight, recognized that he was only human and did not fault him for this.
Testing
Gawain is tested physically through the first test. He has to submit himself to an axe coming down on his neck without moving. He fails this test by flinching in order to save his own skin. On the second test, he has to prove his social skills by giving his host the gift that he received during the celebrations. He fails this test by keeping the gift a a magical belt with protective abilities. Again, this shows Gawain's want of self-preservation. The third test was mental and had Gawain resist the temptation of his host's wife while his host is out on a three day hunting trip. He passes this test, showing his string mental strength. His human, sinful nature prevails since he does what is necessary to save his own life rather than what is necessary to be a perfect model knight/noble in King Arthur's court.
Games represent the testing of men's civility and bravery. The Medieval culture expected men, especially men of noble birth, to behave in a manner above reproach and with the highest honor and courage. Men had to be courteous and the perfect gentlemen as well as strong in body and mind. The nobles and knights had as their main pass-times hunting and partying, along with the occasional war. Games were an interlude to these events to see if a man was really up to par and able to sacrifice himself to become the perfect gentleman. The first game had Gawain allow his head to be chopped off. Gawain flinched and pulled back in order to preserve his life. At the second test, Gawain kept back his expensive gift that had received, a magical belt, from his host, Bertilak. However, no one knew until the end of the holiday festivities. There was another test where Gawain had to resist his host's wife while his host was off hunting for three days. This he was able to do with a lot of mental strength. This test took just as much strength as the first test and Gawain saved himself with his verbal dexterity. When he was brought to King Arthur, he confessed to withholding his gift of the belt and to not allowing the axe blade to fall. He fell short of the perfect model was supposed to live up to and proved that he was human. Bertilak, the green knight, recognized that he was only human and did not fault him for this.
Testing
Gawain is tested physically through the first test. He has to submit himself to an axe coming down on his neck without moving. He fails this test by flinching in order to save his own skin. On the second test, he has to prove his social skills by giving his host the gift that he received during the celebrations. He fails this test by keeping the gift a a magical belt with protective abilities. Again, this shows Gawain's want of self-preservation. The third test was mental and had Gawain resist the temptation of his host's wife while his host is out on a three day hunting trip. He passes this test, showing his string mental strength. His human, sinful nature prevails since he does what is necessary to save his own life rather than what is necessary to be a perfect model knight/noble in King Arthur's court.
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