In many stories, the distressed figure is typically the damsel. A knight rescues her from various evils, whether it's her husband, a magical creature, or a lord, and they marry, living happily ever after. Françoise Le Saux, in "'Gloser la Lettre': Identity and Power in the Poetry of Marie de France,” contends that alongside numerous themes, the abuse of power is notably prominent in many of Marie de France’s Lais, particularly Bisclavret, which tells the tale of a werewolf and his turmoils. Bisclavret, a knight of the King, is married to a woman who doubts his trust and when she finds out he is a werewolf, she betrays him to remarry. Eventually, the King befriends the werewolf and defends him against the wife and her new partner. Bisclavret regains his human form, the wife …show more content…
She might be the person in the right as her actions might be for courtly love or the determined pursuit of love. However, the King’s abuse of power shows that she is treacherous for her acts, deserving of exile. For example, the excerpt, “"'Gloser la Lettre': Identity and Power in the Poetry of Marie de France”, mentions, “The benign nature of Bisclavret is confirmed by the words of the king and the wise man who champions his cause, and by the end of the lay the werewolf is perceived by many critics as more human than his wife, whose act of treachery turns her, according to Kathryn Holten, into a ‘voluntary werewolf’” (Le Saux 209). The text illustrates that, in the eyes of humans, Bisclavret appears blameless in his actions towards his wife, as acknowledged by the King. Without the King's support, the wife could freely pursue her unjust, desired life with her adulterous partner but the King's overwhelming power is evident as he defends the creature and dismisses the accusations against the werewolf, traditionally seen as savage. Thus, the misuse of the King's authority, the wife is in the wrong for betraying her
Isobelle Carmody’s short story, “The Pumpkin-Eater”, portrays a middle eastern woman, a lone rider and former princess in the days of the crusades, retelling her story of her childhood living in a tower with her mother and maid, leaving to accept the engagement proposed by a prince, only to discover that in this, she is to be exchanging one prison for another. The discovery of self-reliance is seen through her leaving to take care of herself, to not be locked up and kept hidden away to preserve beauty. Foreshadowing of her journey is utilised through the drawing of tarot cards to set the story in motion. “I remember drawing the card of long journeying the year my firstblood came. The bird of my heart, caged for so long, beat its wings against my chest” The mention of her “firstblood”, a significant component to becoming a woman, as a normally hidden bodily function attends to the process of maturity, and the metaphor of the caged bird of her heart symbolises the anticipation and excitement to escape her tower prison to find love of her own. The drawing of this particular card acts as a catalyst to the protagonist’s story, providing reason for her to leave and start anew. The world the protagonist is confined to the tower, with her mother and her maid warning her from love, therefore, forming her basis of rebellion, challenging the views of the world seen through other’s eyes. “ ‘Was it love then?’
In Bisclavret, the supernatural lord is, “a good knight, handsome, known to be / all that makes for nobility. / Prized, he was, much, by his liege lord; / and by his neighbors was adored.” (De France 17-20) His virtue is established before his mythical curse is revealed. His wife, “a worthy soul, / most elegant and beautiful” (21-22) is concerned that his is breaking his marriage vows and has taken a mistress. She pleads, “Tell me, dear husband; tell me, pray, / What do you do? Where do you stay? / It seems to me you've found another! / You wrong me, if you have a lover!” (48-52) In order to convince his wife that he is innocent, he tells her of his condition. Upon hearing his confession, “Terror, she felt, at this strange tale. / She thought what means she could avail / herself of how to leave this man. / She could not lie with him again.” (98-102) She is so disgusted by the concept that her loyal husband is not purely human, she agrees to be the lover of a chevalier if he will help her distance herself from the beast she imagines her h...
Facing felony charges of misdeed, Lanval’s entire fate lies solely in the hands of his lady. When King Arthur agrees that: “if he [Lanval] can produce proof; / if his love would come forward, / if what he said, / what upset the queen, is true, / then he will be acquitted” (451-455), Marie places incredible power in the presence of a woman. In a time when being male was the prime prerequisite for holding authority—and women were openly seen as senseless and insignificant—Lanval’s lover’s ability to determine a knight’s fate makes a mockery of the current societal
In one of her lays, "Lanval", Marie de France presents Guinevere approaching the main character,Lanval, one of Arthur's knights, with a proposition. She offers herself to Lanval to be his mistress, willing to satisfy his sexual joys:
Women were always viewed as weak, dependent, and powerless in the Middle Ages. Not only is it a common view during that time period, but this also is often stereotyped labeled to women today as well. In the romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the hatred of women is portrayed throughout. However, while women are certainly looked down upon, they also are influential to the knights. This romance also portrays how a woman having different characteristics, could change the way she was viewed as well. Although women in the Middle Ages appeared to lack power, the women in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight have a hidden influence over the men and actually drive the action of the medieval romance.
Popular culture depicts Medieval chivalry as a glamorous and high time for women, with knights bending their knees in worship to them in Pre-Raphaelite paintings, and the fairness and virtue of women being celebrated in literature. Chivalry is often understood as the elevation of the lady fair, with men taking upon themselves the task of protecting and defending women. In fact, though, this was not an elevation of women but a limitation of their freedom and an undermining even of their intelligence and strength of will. Medieval chivalry, in essence, subordinated women to men while claiming to elevate women. In Lanval and Laustic, women are shown to have a subordinate status to men in three ways: being painted as temptresses, being subject to protection from men, and being subservient to orders from men.
The ideal man is brave and strong, and in The Lady of the House of Love, the soldier is unafraid despite the strangeness of the surroundings, and remains untroubled when the Countess reveals that he shall be her prey. Therefore, it could be said that he fits the typical masculine role. However, it is abundantly clear that he is a rational character, and so does not believe in the supernatural; therefore, it may be said that he is not heroic, but simply ignorant – he is not afraid, because he is unaware that there is something to be afraid of. Whilst the soldier is rational and protective, some of the masculine and feminine roles in the story have been switched: the soldier is good, kind, and gentle, whereas the Countess is cruel and sadistic – this is illustrated by their behavior with the lark. The countess enjoys keeping the lark trapped, and takes pleasure from the control, whereas the soldier releases it from its cage with “a lift of joy in his heart” (Carter 123). This reversal f gender roles can also be seen in the Countess’ assertion of power over men. The traditional, extremely sexual, scene depicts a male vampire feeding on a female, but by taking on the role of the vampire, the Countess becomes the predator and the villain. Typically, women are the submissive gender, but Carter
knight on a horse to come rescue and provide for her as well as the acceptance of women
Women will do almost anything for love, to be loved, or to keep love. That is their mission. When women become jealous, however, the love they want to hold onto disappears, becomes selfishness, and one does not know if it is love anymore. In the short story “The Lady, or the Tiger?” written by Frank R. Stockton, a semi barbaric princess motions which door her lover, the accused man, must open to either receive punishment or a reward. The punishment is to be devoured by a fierce tiger and the reward is to be married to a lovely damsel of the court. This semi barbaric princess loves the man and chooses which door the man deserves to open. Like many women in love, this princess would not dare to let another woman take her lover away from her. Instead, jealousy takes over and the door that opens will emerge a tiger because she will go berserk to see her man happy with another woman, and will prefer to have him eaten by a tiger and await the princess herself on a heavenly earth.
This type of love is shunned because it was selfish to abandon her husband and find a new man that she did not admire. As a result of her selfishness, Bisclavret’s wife suffered in the end: “He banished the wife,/ and chased her out of the country” (305-306). The culmination of their love exhibits another facet of love; one should be devoted to their lover. Bisclavret never changed from the honorable person he was when he transfigured into a werewolf. The loss of devotion to her husband ultimately caused the woman to leave, which the author showcases as harmful. While the author postulates that one should be devoted to their lover, there is a limit to that
Many short story writers have written about the gender and role of woman in society. Some of these stories express what Barbara Walter calls, “The Cult of True Womanhood” meaning the separation of both man and woman in social, political and economic spheres. In order to be considered a “true woman” woman were to abide by the set of standards that were given to her. Women were expected to live by the four main principal virtues - piety, purity, submissiveness, and domestication. In Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Storm,” Calixta the main female character breaks away from “The Cult of True Womanhood” when she has a sexual encounter with her past lover Alcée. The storm goes through many twists and turns that tie with their adulterous actions. Although she breaks away from the four main principal virtues, she in the end is considered to be pure innocent of heart because the action in which occurred happened instantly, and as white as she was, she was taken away from her innocence.
She is the most perdurable female figure in King Arthur and his Knights. Without her the suspense and the plot flow could not have been achieved. Her influence has enabled her to penetrate into men’s world a trait that distinguishes her from the rest of the women. Knights are referred to as the queen’s knights. We could say the same of the ladies who accompany the queen and keep the knights in good company (pg.52) .Queen Guinevere, as the King’s wife, is acknowledged by males.
Back in the old days, women were practically enslaved in marriages. Meaning they really did not have any rights and their masters were their own husbands. Kate Chopin, author of many different short stories, wrote a few stories where the female character shows signs of her being in an enslaved marriage. Kate Chopin stories have a common theme of, women suffering from being enslaved in a marriage and denial of any type of freedom. To prove this, in Kate Chopin stories it shows, one woman cheating and dishonoring her current husband with one of her old lover is “The Storm”.
Despite the fact that this lady was supposedly untouchable due to her status as “taken” this man or rather knight made it his mission to win her over or it was his mission to please her. This Knight would go to great lengths sometimes setting into long journeys, battling other knights and going into chivalric adventures in what is known as the other world. This knight or the courtly lover is like a slave to this passionate, romantic love for example in the tale “Le Chevalier de la charrette”, a courtly romance whose hero obeys every imperious and unreasonable demand of the heroine. A slave willing to put his own life at risk in order to show his love and passion for this one woman. For example, In “Lancelot, the Knight of Cart” Lancelot first part is a physical quest though driven by love, the knight tries to rescue Guinevere. However, once he finds her, he does not stop, he continued to quest in order to deserve her love. Even after they consummate their relationship in the tower, he must continue to do her bidding, suggesting that the quest for love never ceases. We see this untouchable love through his love and adulterous feelings for the queen, Lady Guinevere, this lady made untouchable through her marriage to King
Mary Shelley’s magnificent minor character Justine endures a horrendous death and maintains courage and grace when faced with a daunting trial. The powerful description of this strong young woman magnifies the gross wrongdoings of Victor Frankenstein and belittles his masculinity as he is seen as weak in comparison. Frankenstein is incapable of possessing the qualities inherent to Justine thus supporting the idea of womanly might as a formidable force.Through the representation of Justine’s intense, unwavering courage during her trial and Frankenstein’s absence of masculine bravery and justice, one can see that Shelley’s minor character is an affirmation of the undeniable strength of women.