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.