2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
3. Hahn's essay (see critical reader) on The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle identifies the motif of the loathly lady, but arguably it has a different purpose than asserting the feminine. What does he think the function of the story is?
4. In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"?
5. Discuss what you think is the most striking or outrageous example.
6. What does Revard (1997) suggest about the relationship between language, sex, power and transgression in the English Renaissance?
Cite some variations in the Loathly Lady fabula across the three tales in your Reader. Focus on the conditions by which the lady is either beautiful or ugly, and the actions of the knight/king/"hero"...
ReplyDeleteThe different use of language when describing the loathly lady is the most obvious variation in the three tales. In Chaucer’s (1976) Wife of Bath’s Tale, the loathly lady is only describe as ugly, old and poor “There can no man imagine an uglier creature,” (999), “For though I am ugly, and old, and poor” (1063). However in the Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle by (Hahn, 1995), the loathly lady is depicted with much more vivid imaginings: “a loathly lady, with foot-long nose, donkey ears, neck sores, a gaping mouth, and blackened teeth” (Hahn, 1995, p. 98). This gives the reader a much more devastating image of this said ‘ugly’ women. In the last fabula, Steeleye Span’s (1972) King Henry, the loathly lady is described as “a fiend that comes from hell” (Steeleye Span, 1972, p. 80). This is an extremely dark depiction, even going on to mention that “she's eaten up both skin and bone” (Steeleye Span, 1972, p. 80), which is almost animalistic and wild. This creates very powerful imagery for the reader, of some sort of demon, and maybe not even a women at all.
The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
I would disagree, it’s hard to believe that Chaucer would’ve been a feminist, when the social and gender norms were so severely ingrained in the society at the time. I think he more likely took upon the role of a feminist as more of a stab at the original telling of the story, it was probably so outrageous to think of women as being capable of having that much power: "Women desire to have sovereignty, As well over her husband as her love, And to be in mastery above him” (Chaucer, 1976, l. 1038), that the gender reversal would’ve been seen as a bit of a laughing matter. The Celtics used to run their society as a Matriarchy and this would have been seen as a funny and strange thing to the English who organised themselves in a Patriarchal fashion. The Shmoop Edtorial Team (2008) agrees that “After the loathly lady transforms into a beautiful young woman, she seems to lose some of her chutzpah, becoming a wife who's obedient to her husband in everything” (para. 3), so we can understand from this that even when she is given the choice, she chooses to submit to her husband. Which can prove that Chaucer was most likely, not a feminist, and in fact, just jabbing at Celtic beliefs.
Chaucer, G. (1976). The wife of Bath's prologue and tale: From the Canterbury tales. London: Cambridge University Press.
Hahn, T. (1995). The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle: From Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications
Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). The Loathly Lady (the Hag) in The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Tale. Retrieved April 7, 2019, from https://www.shmoop.com/the-wife-of-baths-tale/the-loathly-lady-the-hag.html
Steeleye Span. (1972). King Henry: From Below the Salt. US: Shanachie
The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
ReplyDeleteOne of the critics, Carter (2003) states that, “Niall’s final evaluation of the Sovranty Hag is that she is “manyshaped,”an assessment that accepts both the double-sided nature of kingship and an expanded version of femininity” (p.331). The author adds that Jill Mann points out which is convincing in the Wife of Bath’s Tale. Jill notes that ‘Chaucer’s surrenders not to the romanticized woman projected by male desire, but to the woman conceived in the pessimistic terms of anti-feminism’. Carter (2003) references and adds her observation to the Jill’s statement: “the loathly lady contributes pagan weight to this task of turning misogyny back upon itself. Acceptance of what is repulsive about women is inherent in the motif. Chaucer’s loathly lady directly relates to the Wife of Bath’s obsession with the dynamics of heterosexual commerce: the manipulation of power ratios by desire, pleasure, and frustration” (p. 333, 334). I agree with this author to some extent. Since loathly lady is so ugly, of course, and not a desirable woman for men. This gives the impression that loathly lady dependently achieves her desire to be loved by a man although she is a woman and even severely ugly. However, if we look at this line:
“1250 And whan the knyght saugh verraily al this, And when the knight saw truly all this,
1251 That she so fair was, and so yong therto, That she so was beautiful, and so young moreover,
1252 For joye he hente hire in his armes two. For joy he clasped her in his two arms.
1253 His herte bathed in a bath of blisse. His heart bathed in a bath of bliss.
1254 A thousand tyme a-rewe he gan hire kisse, A thousand time in a row he did her kiss,
1255 And she obeyed hym in every thing and she obeyed him in every thing
1256 That myghte doon hym plesance or likyng. That might do him pleasure or enjoyment.”
Suddenly, loathly lady turns into woman who is beautiful and young. If observing it in feminist point of view, not only beautiful woman can do the acting of love with somebody but also woman who is not so can do it. In addition, Chaucer used the expression that she “obeyed” him. If Chaucer was a true feminist, he should have used expressions such as “he did her kiss although her hair is grey and her skin is wrinkled” and “he obeyed her in everything”. Therefore, I do not agree that Chaucer is a feminist.
In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"?
ReplyDeleteElizabethan (1558 – 1603) era was the golden age of English literature since it was the Renaissance era as well as breakaway from Roman Catholic Church happened due to the Reformation (the contents of the literatures contains more humanistic story rather than focusing on god’s story), as well as Jacobean (1603 - 1625) era (The golden age of literatures). The lexical meaning of “conceits” is an ingenious or fanciful comparison or metaphor. Moreover, “sonnet” is format of the poetry which was derived from Italy. Generally, sonnet is related to the private and intimate feeling. The Shakespeare’s Sonnet XVIII ‘Shall I compare thee to summer’s day?’ (L1), means summer’s day is like woman’s beauty. However, when it comes to Sonnet CXXX ‘I have seen roses damasked, red and white/ But no such roses see I in her cheeks/ And in some perfumes is there more delight’ (L5, L6, L7), the central conceit is to present that the mistress’s appearance is not good but still, the narrator loves her because she is unique and that means his love is rare. Therefore, the word “conceits” also could be defined as a paradoxical metaphor.
What does Revard (1997) suggest about the relationship between language, sex, power and transgression in the English Renaissance?
According to Revard (1997), an English poet named Cowley has created “the genre as it came to be practiced in the seventeenth century”. The author adds, “His odes in irregular metrical patterns and irregularly numbered stanzas or sections were free imitations of the ancient Greek” (p. 123). Therefore, the language of the English Renaissance should be influenced from the past but also has its own characteristic and tone of voice. With regards to the gender role, feminism has been starting to be established. Moreover, the author states that “both of Cowley's Pindarics emphasize the rivalry between men and women poets as well as the rivalry between men and women. Beauty and wit are the themes, and they are interconnected.” (p. 124). This statement implies that the arguments of women rights for sovereignty has been suggested through the literatures due to increasing number of female intellectuals such as female poet, Katherine Philips who admired by Cowley Abraham. After Katherine’s death, there was a new promising female poet, Behn Aphra. “Now, proposes Behn slyly, the poet-translator has conferred a similar benefit on women, not only alleviating their ignorance and civilizing them but granting them "equality" with men as well.” (p.130). As can be seen, the growth of women’s power on literatures, politics et cetera and their transgression on male-dominated society during the era of Renaissance started to suggest that the concept of “gender equality’ (Revard, 1997).
References:
Carter, S. (2003). Coupling the Beastly Bride and the Hunter Hunted: What Lies Behind Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale. The Chaucer Review, 37(4), 329-345. doi:10.1353/cr.2003.0010
Revard, S.P. (1997). Katherine Philips, Aphra Behn, and the Female Pindaric in Representing Women in Renaissance England,
edited by Claude J. Summers and Ted-Larry Pebworth. Columbia: University of Missouri Press.
The Geoffrey Chaucer Website Homepage. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/index.html
1. Cite some variations in the loathly lady fabula across the three tales in your reader.
ReplyDeleteThe loathly lady motif has been widely used throughout many different medieval-themed pieces. Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale is perhaps what started it all, as well as, the most famous loathly lady plot. The raping of the maiden in the beginning points to the male hunter characteristic. The knight uses force and dominates the woman, "By utter force, he took away her maidenhead;" (Chaucer, -1400). This is a characteristic of male power during that time. It suggests that the knight had power over the maiden, and easily dominated her. In Chaucer's tale, the knight is anything but noble or courteous, whereas, in other stories the knight is seen as noble. Also, a key difference to note in this tale versus other adaptations of this motif, is that King Arthur gives all authority over to Guinevere in matters of deciding the knights fate. "And gave him to the queen, all at her will, / To choose whether she would him save or put to death" (Chaucer, -1400). This could possibly suggest feminist ideas of the male submitting to the female and acknowledging that she has wisdom in the area being examined. This could also be seen as a foreshadow of how the hag will later ask for mastery over the knight when she says, "'Then have I gotten mastery of you,' she said, / 'Since I may choose and govern as I please?'" (Chaucer, -1400). It is a motif about the man submitting to the woman and accrediting her with wisdom. In Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale, the hag gives the knight a choice. That she is seen as ugly but will remain faithful and humble; or seen as beautiful but will be disloyal and disrespectful. Ultimately, following the deconstruction of gender roles concept, the knight submits to the hag and lets her decide. She has been given authority over the man, and then becomes beautiful in his eyes, "And when the knight saw truly all this, / That she so was beautiful, and so young moreover," (Chaucer, -1400).
In contrast to Chaucer's loathly lady tale, Hahn takes a slightly different approach. There is no rape or male domination included in his use of the motif. King Arthur, rather than a knight, comes across the Dame Ragnelle who instantly holds power over Arthur. She tells him, "For your life is in my hand. Only I can prevent your death." (Hahn, 1995). Another difference is that the knight, Sir Gawain is noble and courteous to women. This is seen on many accounts, first at his willingness to marry Ragnell for the sake of King Arthur's life. He tells King Arthur, "For you I will not hesitate," (Hahn, 1995). An acknowledgment of his nobleness is found in the introduction of Hahn's The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell, "Sir Gawain's reputation as a chivalric hero rides to a large extent on his talent for 'luf talking' (as in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, line 927) and courtesy towards women," (Hahn, 1995). This completely contrasts the knight character in Chaucer's tale who is anything but noble.
Lastly, Span's King Henry is also slightly different than the other two tales. In this account, the loathly lady is in the form of a ghost who has outrageous demands. The king, possibly out of fear, grants her every request, and is ultimately rewarded when the ghost becomes a fair young woman. She suggests that he is the first to give her everything she desired, "I've met with many a gentle knight / That gave me such a fill, / But never before with a courteous knight / That gave me all my will," (Span, 1972).
ReplyDelete2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been feminist…
Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale has been commonly seen as a feminist movement piece. This might be because the tale focuses on female power over men. It opens with male domination as seen in the rape scene, "By utter force, he took away her maidenhead;" (Chaucer, -1400). However, it quickly shifts the control to women. The queen gets full authority over the knight's fate, "And gave him to the queen, all at her will, / To choose whether she would him save or put to death," (Chaucer, -1400). The knight is also sent on a task to solely find what women desire most. For a year, his whole life revolved around learning what pleases women, "He seeks every house and every place / Where he hopes to have the luck / To learn what thing women love most," (Chaucer, -1400). Another major seemingly feminist component is the reversal of gender roles. The old hag gains authority over the knight, "'Then have I gotten mastery of you,' she said, / 'Since I may choose and govern as I please?'", to which the knight replies, "Yes, certainly, wife," (Chaucer, -1400). He is even portrayed as possibly stupid when it comes to his decision when given two options. After being explained his two options; her to be ugly or beautiful (conditions apply), he does not even seem to possess the ability to choose. He simply just gives her complete authority to make the decision for him, "This knight deliberates and painfully sighs, / But at the last he said in this manner: / 'My lady and my love, and wife so dear, / I put me in your wise governance; / Choose yourself which may be most pleasure,'" (Chaucer, -1400). This suggests he needed her wisdom to make a decision. This could definitely be seen as a feminist thought since the man is submitting to the woman, and admitting she possesses more knowledge and wisdom than he does. Susan Carter says, "The motif central to the Wife's tale (that a shapeshifting hag becomes beautiful once she gets her own way) makes it more feasible that the Wife's tale is centrally about liberation from gender role restriction," (Carter, 2003). It focuses on breaking out of normal gender roles. For the time that I was written, Chaucer was definitely defying social norms when it came to relationship dynamics between a man and a woman. With the evidence all throughout the tale, it is hard to say it was not fueled by certain feminist ideals. However, I do not think that it automatically makes Chaucer a feminist. That is quite a big conclusion to jump to. However, it is safe to say that the piece itself, aside from Chaucer definitely echoes many feminist thoughts. "If Chaucer is not actually endorsing the strident voice he gives to the Wife, he is certainly making play with textuality, with subjectivity, and with the construction of ideas about sexuality," (Carter, 2003). So, yes, it is clear that the tale follows many feminist motifs, however, I do not think there is enough evidence or outside sources to claim Chaucer as an outspoken feminist.
3. Hahn's essay identifies the motif of the loathly lady, but arguably it has different purpose than asserting the feminine. What does he think the function of the story is?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Hahn's essay on The Wedding of Sir Gawain, the loathly lady motif serves a different purpose than other folktales. Rather than having a seemingly feminist agenda, Hahn suggests that the loathly lady's purpose is to hold the poem together. This is suggested by the following quote, "Through her relations with the various male characters - her kinship with Gromer, her compact with Arthur, her union with Gawain - Ragnelle literally holds the poem together, for she is their link with each other." (Hahn, 1995). She is the only one able to ignite justice since she is connected to each male character. This still suggests slight woman empowerment, but the difference is that it is not achieved by manipulating or dominating the man. Rather, Ragnelle, the hag, changes when she is fulfilled by a man, "The plot of Ragnelle, then, turns on the transformation of its heroine both physically and symbolically, from an ugly hag to a beautiful lady, and from an enigmatic threat to a fulfilled woman," (Hahn, 1995). Whereas, in the other tales, the hag became beautiful when she overcame the male character and gained authority over him. Hahn's essay suggests that she needs a man to fulfill her in order to change for the better. Hahn also discusses the idea of chivalry. The knight Gawain is noble and chivalrous, unlike the knight in Chaucer's tale. I believe Hahn is suggesting that The Wedding of Sir Gawain is more about chivalry and loyalty than feminism, "At the heart of Ragnelle lies the question of how the unknown, the marvelous, or the threatening is brought into line with the legitimate, normative, idealized chivalric society," (Hahn, 1995). Sir Gawain's loyalty is also very emphasized in Hahn's essay, "and courtesy towards women, though according to Ragnelle these in turn are motivated by his fealty to the king," (Hahn, 1995).
Carter, S. (2003). Coupling the Beastly Bride and the Hunter Hunted: What Lies Behind
ReplyDeleteChaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale: The Chaucer Review, 37(4), 329-345
Hahn, T. (1995). The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle: From Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications
Steeleye Span, (1972). King Henry: From Below the Salt. US: Shanachie
1. Cite some variations in the Loathly Lady fabula across the three tales in your Reader. Focus on the conditions by which the lady is either beautiful or ugly, and the actions of the knight/king/"hero"...
ReplyDeleteAcross these three texts, The Wife of Bath’s Tale, King Arthur and King Henry, the Loathly Lady fabula is prevalent and there is a general understanding of the woman’s ugliness established in all texts, Span’s description being more detailed and easier to visualise than the others in my opinion. In Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath’s Tale we have this quote:
“There can no man imagine an uglier creature.” L 999
In Hahn’s ‘King Arthur’ we have:
“She was the ugliest creature” p. 73, L4, and “She had ugliness to spare” p. 73, L21.
And in Span’s ‘King Henry’ we have:
“Her teeth were like the tether stakes,
Her nose like club or mell,
And nothing less she seemed to be
Than a fiend that comes form hell” p. 80, Lines 29-32
The ugliness of each woman, by nature, cause the king/knight to be reluctant towards any romantic actions or deeds by which the woman has promised him to commit to. Though the men act differently towards their respective situations, in the end they all end up with a beautiful woman.
2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
The Wife of Bath’s Tale was written in a different time, not only culturally and politically but socially as well, and his writing stood out amongst the rest for its themes of gender roles and sexuality. Not only that, but we see King Arthur give the Queen the power to decide the fate of the Knight and the Knight gives his wife, the old ugly woman whom he got the riddle’s answer from, the power to control their relationship, something largely unheard of in such a patriarchal society. These ideas and writing choices lead critics to believe Chaucer was a feminist and I admit I am leaning towards that belief myself. He has not written these themes and events in a way that would mock women, rather showing women on the same level of men and informing reader’s that women can in fact make important decisions in society.
4+5. In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"? Discuss what you think is the most striking or outrageous example.
ReplyDeleteDefine a conceit, giving an example (can use the example for the next question), and then explain and draw upon knowledge of concise and poetic language to dissect the conceit
Conceits in these kinds of sonnets are extended metaphors that, at a deeper level, have philosophical, natural or otherwise complex ideas within them which makes the reader develop a more mature understanding of the poem/sonnet. An example of this, and in my opinion the most striking, is in Shakespeare’s Sonnet XVIII (18) ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’
On the surface, this sonnet is a love declaration from a man to his woman, an act of flattery by which he exclaims of her everlasting beauty. Such correlations between her beauty and that of summer can be seen in the following lines:
“Thou art more lovely and more temperate:” L2
In this line, Shakespeare does more than say that his woman’s beauty is like a summer’s day – he’s saying that her beauty is more than that of a summer’s day.
“But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;” Lines 9&10
In these lines, the woman’s beauty is supposedly more so of a summer’s day, and her eternal beauty will remain with her up to and beyond death. In terms of the natural world, this declaration of her beauty comes across as her having an artificial beauty. In a way her beauty is unnatural. She is said to have a beauty that cannot change, despite the obvious fact that she will age and grow old and her beauty will, in the eyes of many, wither. The Christian belief of there being a Heaven to reside in after death, and that everyone becomes the perfect, most refined forms of themselves upon entering Heaven. If she is to be eternally beautiful, to be the most beautiful she can be, surely, she must have an unnatural beauty that does not belong in the world of the living, thus her beauty defies the laws of nature.
Conceits, especially ones as layered and as well-crafted as many of Shakespeare’s creations, change sonnets from a simple piece of poetry into a complex, mature piece of art that can have a lasting effect on its readers
References:
Extract: Hahn, T. (Ed.). (1995). The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle. In Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications
Chaucer, G. The Wife of Bath's Tale
Derived from Harvard University online. Retrieved from http://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/index.html
Extract: Span, S. (1972) Below the Salt
Sonnet XVIII ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ Retrieved from http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18.html
The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
ReplyDeleteWhen she was a old, ugly woman, she makes the assertion that in marriage, there should be equality: each should “ obey each other ”; she describes how she was also able to have some control; One of her husbands hit her so hard that she went deaf in one ear, she did not accept the violence as a man’s prerogative only and do she hit him back on the cheek. (Jone, 2018) In fact, after the loathly lady transforms into a beautiful young woman, she seems to lose some of her chutzpah, becoming a wife who’s obedient to her husband in everything. With the loss of the loathly lady, then, we lose the voice of damage power in the tale, which speaks to the lady’s role as a symbol of women’s sovereignty. (Chaucer, 1976) So I would say Chaucer is not a feminist, she was more tend to obey his husband even though she had a chance to make a choice.
Hahn's essay (see critical reader) on The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle identifies the motif of the loathly lady, but arguably it has a different purpose than asserting the feminine. What does he think the function of the story is?
Hahn’s (1995) essay suggests that the story of Ragnelle shows the ways that chivalry can overcome even the worst threats to harmonious relationships. He elaborates on this by pointing out the ways that Ragnelle disrupts Sir Gawain and King Arthur’s positions, allegiance, and the legitimacy of their titles. And yet their obligations to their duty, oaths and commitments remain and are rewarded with a righting of all situations in the end. Thus Hahn (1995) states that “the narrative unfolds in ways that have the heroine clearly serve the interests of the male chivalric society that the poem good humoredly celebrates” (pg.19).
In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"?
In Spenser's sonnet "Fire and Ice" the conceit are shown in the beginning "my love is like to ice, and i to fire". The conceit here is that Spenser is using the opposing forces of ice and fire as a metaphor of his and his love's desire. In addition, in Shakespeare's sonnet, he uses “conceit” in the opposite fashion: to express contrast of the subject. This is pulled off by continuing the conceit through the whole poem and only by the last line, we know its a false conceit; "As any she belied with false compare" (Shakespeare). The metaphors and conceits are very powerful in different meanings, and in Elizabethan era we can see the poetry and literature were in their prime.
Lewis, J. J. (2018, July 23). Is Chaucer's The Wife of Bath a Feminist Character? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-wife-of-bath-feminist-character-3529685
ReplyDeleteShmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). The Loathly Lady (the Hag) in The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Tale. Retrieved from https://www.shmoop.com/the-wife-of-baths-tale/the-loathly-lady-the-hag.html
1. Cite some variations in the Loathly Lady fabula across the three tales in your Reader. Focus on the conditions by which the lady is either beautiful or ugly, and the actions of the knight/king/"hero"...
ReplyDeleteSome variations in the Loathly Lady fabula across the three tales can be seen in how the Loathly lady is described regarding her physical appearance, usually as ugly, while the knight’s respond to her appearance in shock and disgust. In The Wife of Bath’s Tale by Chaucer, is described as “ugly, and old, and poor” (1063)... and while her appearance is not described as in depth as the other two tales, one can get a could sense with how angry the knight was that he had to marry an ugly woman. “So woeful was he, his wife looked so ugly” (1082)... “My love? Nay, my damnation! Alas, that any of my family should ever be so foully degraded” (1069). The knight was not only embarrassed and outraged he had to marry the loathly lady, but also ashamed for his family.
In The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle by Hahn, the loathly lady is described as, “the ugliest creature that a man ever saw…. Her face was red, her nose running, her mouth wide, her teeth all yellow… she had no ugliness to spare” (73). And is also described as “the foulest person that ever has been seen on Earth” (76). This tale goes into more detail about the physical appearance of the loathly lady, explaining her appearance from head to toe. The knight goes so far as to saying, “I am at the point of killing myself, for I would be better off dead” (75).
In Steeleye Span’s “King Henry,” her appearance is described as “her head hit the roof tree of the house, her middle you could not span, each frightened huntsman fled the hall… her teeth were like tether stakes” (80)... but focuses less on her appearance and more of how greedy she is, “more meat, more meat you King Henry more meat you give me… she’s eaten them up both skin and bone, left nothing but feathers bare” (90). The knight explains her as “That ever a fiend that comes from Hell should stretch down by my side” (80). He describes her as coming from hell as she lays by him, showing how bitter and upset he is he has to marry her.
Sources
Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale: The Chaucer Review, 37(4), 329-345
Hahn, T. (1995). The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle: From Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications
Steeleye Span, (1972). King Henry: From Below the Salt. US: Shanachie
2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
ReplyDeleteIt is believed that Chaucer may have been a feminist because as said by Carter (2003), “Chaucer’s foregrounding of gender exploits the shapeshifting loathly lady motif as a vehicle for examining the sphere of heterosexual power contestation. For example the loathly lady tells the knight what she requires, saying, “‘Pledge me thy word here in my hand,’ she said, the next thing that I require of thee, thou shalt do it, if it lies in thy power, and I will tell it to you before it is night’” (Chaucer, line 1012). This tale illustrates how “gender roles are loosened, dissolved, and resolved,” (82) and this can be seen with how the lady has a role of demanding for what she wants from the knight. Instead of listening to what men want, the gender role is changed from the normal back during the medieval times. It could be considered feminist also because she gets to gratify her own needs, demands and being sexually active, as well as the knights. As I read the review by Carter, I believe that Carter has made a good argument of how The Wife of Bath’s Tale is feminist because of her ability to confound gender restriction, with not complying to what the man wants, and doing what she desires. Another example of a text named sweet nosegay by Isabella Whitney, talks about a young woman has the chance to freely explore London on her own, and “‘exceeds the expected social positions afforded someone of her gender’’ (Howard, 2006: 220), (Wilcox, 2010, p. 7).
Carter, S. (2003). Coupling the Beastly Bride and the Hunter Hunted: What Lies Behind Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale. The Chaucer Review, 37(4), 329-345. doi:10.1353/cr.2003.0010
Wilcox, H. (2010). 'ah famous citie': Women, writing, and early modern London. Feminist Review, (96), 20-40. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40928093
3. Hahn's essay (see critical reader) on The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle identifies the motif of the loathly lady, but arguably it has a different purpose than asserting the feminine. What does he think the function of the story is?
ReplyDeleteThe argument that The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle identifies the motif of the loathly lady that it is not feminist but that it asserts the woman has bringing the whole story together. “Through her relations with the various male characters-- her kinship with Gromer, her compact with Arthur, her union with Gawain… for she is their link with each other” (Hahn, 1995, pg. 99). “Ragnelle ends therefore with everyone established in her or his proper place, and with courtesy restoring the Round Table’s customary mutuality and hierarchy” (Hahn, 1995, pg. 99). There is still women empowerment that is involved in this tale, but more of the focus is on how the loathly lady brings the story together by making compacts, and allowing her to make decisions that bring Arthur and Gromer to reconciliation.
Hahn, T. (1995). The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle: From Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications
ReplyDelete4/5. In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"?
We can define conceits in the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets by comparing two unlike things in complex metaphors. A prime example of this is “Ice and Fire” by Edmund Spenser, which compares love to ice and himself to fire. “How comes it then that this her cold so great is not dissolved through my so hot desire, but harder grows the more I her entreat?... Is not allayed by her heart-frozen cold, but that I burn much more in boiling sweat… (Spenser pg. 106) The comparison is complete extremes yet the way he describes the woman’s heart as being ice cold and that it kindles fire in him, and illustrates the relationship between the woman and man and how they both feel. Another example of a conceit is John Dunne’s The Flea, which describes the relationship between a man and woman that’s marriage that did not go well, and Dunne compares the woman to a flea. “It suck’d me first, and now sucks, thee, and in this flea, our two bloods mingled bee” (Dunne, pg. 108). (5.) I think that this may also be the most outrageous comparison, as he compares her to sucking every drop of love he had for her. It is a very weird comparison, and most definitely most outrageous, but I think that it describes how he feels well.
Conceit. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/conceit
1. Cite some variations in the Loathly Lady fabula across the three tales in your Reader. Focus on the conditions by which the lady is either beautiful or ugly, and the actions of the knight/king/"hero"...
ReplyDeleteLoathly Lady fabula is a popular tale and were commonly used in medieval literature. The motif is that of a woman who appears unattractive (ugly, loathly) but undergoes a transformation upon being approached by a man in spite of her unattractiveness, becoming extremely desirable (Wikipedia, 2019). I want to investigate variations in the two tales, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” written by Chaucer and “The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell” written by Hahn. There are some evident similarities and differences in the two tales.
Both women in the two tales are portrayed as horrible looking women almost beast-like. We can see this in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”:
“There can no man imagine an uglier creature.” (999)
“For though I am ugly, and old, and poor,” (1063)
“...his wife looked so ugly” (1082)
And in “The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell”:
“Her mouth wide, her teeth all yellow.
Her eyes were bleary, as large as balls,
Her mouth just as large.
Her teeth hung out of her lips,
Her cheeks were as broad as a women’s hips.” (P.10)
Although Hahn’s tale shows precis description, Chaucer simply uses the word ‘ugly’ and constantly emphasizes this. Hahn uses words like ‘broad’ and ‘wide’ which are not suitable for a woman but are in fact considered more as terms to describe a man’s feature.
The King in “The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell” meets the ugly woman and we are able to see that the King does not favor her appearance.
We can see this from
"Gawain, I met the foulest lady today,
Certainly the worst I've ever seen.
She told me she would save my life
But first she wants to have a husband.” (p. 76)
"Therefore, I moan. I am woebegone" (p.76).
Yet, the King proceeds to show his dignity by asking her name.
"What is your name, I pray you tell me."
"Dame Ragnell, have a good day." (p. 75)
In contrast, Gawain (the knight) does not care about the appearance of the woman. He says he will marry whomever if it honors the King himself.
“I shall wed her and wed her again,
Even if she be a fiend.
Even were she as foul as Beelzebub,
I would wed here, I swear by the cross. Otherwise, I wouldn't be your friend.
You are my honored king
And have done me good many times.
Therefore, I hesitate not
To save your life, my lord. It is my duty.” (p. 76)
Gawain can be portrayed as a selfless man who is willing to give up his happiness to honor the King: His own life does not matter. Also contrasting to the knight portrayed in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale.” We can see the Knight is focused heavily on the woman’s appearance and it is the only thing that matters to him. He chooses it would be better to die than marry the ugly woman.
Reference
Loathly lady. (2019). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loathly_lady
1. The Loathly Lady fabula is expressed through two similar stories, The Wife of Bath’s Tale and The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle. The loathly lady is known as the ugly lady that answers the question of what women desire most. However, in both stories the knight considers the lady to be too ugly. For example, in The Wife of Bath’s Tale, the author says, “so woeful was he, his wife looked so ugly” (Chaucer,1390, pg.69). This is when the knight was forced to marry the loathly lady and he was so sad how ugly she was. Another variation, “Gawain, I met the foulest lady today…certainly the worst I’ve ever seen” (Chaucer,1995, pg.76). This quote is when King Arthur explains to Gawain that he must marry the ugly women. His reaction was to do it for the King.
ReplyDelete2. In the Wife of Bath’s Tale, many critics indicate that Chaucer may have be feminist because of his childhood background, his connections with other people, and his noble legacy. Chaucer grew up well-connected to women though his noble family and all the women he had a relationship with, most importantly the one he ended up marrying, Philippa Roet; a queen consort of Edward III (Lewis, 2019, Geoffrey Chaucer: Early Feminists?). He began to form his opinions and thoughts about women through many of his famous writings.
ReplyDeleteFor example, Chaucer writes in The Wife of Bath’s Tale, “evidence that the loathly lady is humbly related to a set of goddesses who expand the meaning of femininity” (Carter S., 2003, pg.82). This is part of the story when the ugly lady what women desire most and that is that when she demands that she become the knight’s wife and lover. To analyze in the article by Lewis, critics assert that Chaucer is asserting that marriage would be about equality; men and women should be equal (Lewis, 2019, Geoffrey Chaucer: Early Feminists?). Many of his opinions are incorporated through his writing especially in The Wife of Bath.
Another example in The Tale, Chaucer writes, “therefore you should be noble men, such arrogance is not worth a hen” (Carter S., 2003, pg.70). In other words, he is saying that men should be no more of importance than women. Women should have pride in a relationship because that is what makes men gentlemen. Overall I do agree with Chaucer; I think that women should have more pride in a relationship in which the man requests to always love and suppose women no matter what.
3. Hahn’s essay on The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle identifies the loathly lady differently compared to Chaucer’s other famous works. The function of this story is that the loathly lady becomes a hero in the end because she saves King Arthur from dying while also satisfies Sir Gawain needs of being beautiful in the end of the tale. In Hahn’s essay, he mentions, “Ragnelle as a hag…a form of desire or lack” (Hahn, T., 1995, pg.98). The reason for the lady’s lack of desire and qualities could be due to her need for a good man like Sir Gawain. This man would help her be the women she had dreamed of being. This could be the plot of the story; the loathly lady becomes the hero of the story because she makes two men happy in the end. Hanh also said that “transformation of its heroine both physically and symbolically, from an ugly hag to a beautiful lady…” (Hahn, T., 1995, pg.98). Hahn is talking about the plot being more heroic because the loathly lady plays a double role as a “beauty and beast.” Gawain’s answer to the loathly lady question depicts her role for the rest of her life.
ReplyDelete4. In poetry, conceits are metaphors, another way of describing things in a surprising or clever way. It is used to compare two different things and elaborate in ways that get the reader to think of the meaning of a poem. For example, in sonnet 130, the author writes, “but no such roses see I in her cheeks” (Shakespeare, 1564, pg.105). In other words, the author is saying that the mistress’ cheeks do not have any color. The metaphor or conceit in this line is the comparison of cheeks and roses. Roses are red in which can be the color of cheeks if they are naturally blushed. When looking at poetry metaphors are common because the reader must be thinking about these comparisons to figure out the true meaning of each line.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of a conceit in a different sonnet is from Edmund Spenser “Ice and Fire.” He writes in the first line, “My love is like to ice, and I to fire” (Spenser, 1522, pg.106). The metaphor here is the comparison of ice and fire. Fire is referred to as Edmund Spenser and ice is referred to as his love for his future wife. The meaning of this line is that Spenser is in love with a woman that doesn’t love him back. The conceit above is accurate because fire and ice are not alike in any way which is the metaphor that gives the truth away about a woman that does not feel the same way for Spenser. Overall, conceits bring power to poems because they could bring multiple meanings to the reader depending on their analysis of poetry.
5. The most outrageous and striking example of a conceit comes from the poem by Katherine Philips “Against Love”. The first sentence stood out to me the most; “Hence Cupid! With your cheating toys” (Philips, 1632, pg.109). The author is referring to “cheating toys” as unhappiness that is real. For instance, toys make children happy, however, cheating is what makes them real but also not happy. Philip talks about how people that are in love are Cupids objects because he believed that love does not always make people happy.
ReplyDelete6. The Renaissance was a period in Europe that categorized men and women and the general idea of what a normal beings’ life would be like. Men were supposed to work and be well-educated while women were supposed to marry, have children, and maintain house chores. Well-known writers today, Katherine Philips and Aphra Behn both have argued the different views women view men and their purpose in society.
ReplyDeleteRevard argued that “women should be permitted access, along with males, to learning” (Revard, 1997, pg.123). During the renaissance, there were stereotypes that men had to be more educated than women. In other words, men have more power that women because they are better educated. This started changing when more women poetry writers started to dominate Europe.
Another example that highlights the relationship of men and women in English Renaissance is when “a woman may excel in virtue…she may be so successful that she overcomes, enslaves and betters men” (Revard, 1997, pg.126). During this period, men valued women for their beauty, virtues, and wife skills rather than valued them for who they are as a human being. Today, in my opinion most men and women value each other because they love one another not just because of certain qualities.
References:
ReplyDeleteLewis, Jone Johnson. (2019, February 22). Geoffrey Chaucer: Early Feminist? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/geoffrey-chaucer-early-feminist-3529684
Revard, S.P. (1997)"Katherine Philips, Aphra Behn, and the Female Pindaric in Representing Women in Renaissance England, edited by Claude J. Summers and Ted-Larry Pebworth. Columbia: University of Missouri Press
Shakespeare (1564-1616), Sonnet XVIII
Katherine Philips (1632-1664), ‘Against Love’
Edmund Spenser (1522-1599), ‘Ice And Fire’
Hahn, T. (Ed.). (1995). The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle.In Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications
Carter, S. (2003). Coupling The Beastly Bride And The Hunter Hunted: What Lies Behind in Chaucer’s Wife Of Bath’s Tale. In The Chaucer Review, Vol. 37, No. 4, 2003.
Chaucer, Geoffrey (c.1390). The Wife of Bath.
6. What does Revard (1997) suggest about the relationship between language, sex, power and transgression in the English Renaissance?
ReplyDeleteDuring the English Renaissance, men were the ones that worked, were educated, made the decisions for the family, while the women were to listen to the men, cook for the family, and stay at home. It is argued what a women’s purpose is, is it to please men or do they have their own rights to be educated, creative, etc.?
Revard mentions that women were important for their female qualities, “alone confers beauty, virtue, and fecundity-- all female qualities. Now, in aspiring to wit, women conspire to take away the weapon that amorous male poets have used in the battlefield of love to secure themselves against women’s natural advantages” (Revard, 1997, pg. 125). But on the other hand, Crowley was a big part of inventing the genre that was to be practiced in the seventeenth century, with his publication of Pindarique Odes in 1656. His use of irregular metrical patterns and numbered stanzas were similar to those of the ancient Greek Poets. Two of his poems, one commending Katherine Philips, and one commemorating her death, and both of these use Pindaric genre “to celebrate a woman poet is not without interest to us, for both Pindarics raise many of the same question about women and poetry… the acceptability of a woman pursuing learning and contesting in the domain of poetry that had been almost exclusively male” (Revard, 1997, pg. 125).
It was hard for men to look at women as equals in the poetic profession, as a man’s view of a woman that was educated was almost always considered the same as a woman that was not educated, and that a man’s livelihood was at stake if a woman were to win in a literary contest. Katherine Philips argued that the third Pindaric written by Mr. F, could be successful as poets and should be permitted access to poetry.
Another example is how a woman’s beauty lets them have advantage over men, but Revard brings up how women seek to dominate in other contest too? “‘On Orinda’s Poems,’ Crowley simply extends the amatory to the literary contest, protesting that men who have been constrained to submit to Woman’s beauty must now-- in the case of Orinda- submit to her wit” (Revard, 1997, pg. 124). This poem links her wit to her beauty, keeping her confined to her looks rather than her being educated and being more than just a beautiful female. Women were only valued for their looks, being good wives, and reproducing, rather than personalities, their morals, and looked at as equal.
Revard, S.P. (1997)"Katherine Philips, Aphra Behn, and the Female Pindaric in Representing Women in Renaissance England,edited by Claude J. Summers and Ted-Larry Pebworth. Columbia: University of Missouri Press.
Cite some variation in the Loathly Lady fabula across the three tales in your reader. Focus on the conditions by which the lady is either beautiful or ugly, and the actions of the Knight/King/hero.
ReplyDeleteIt's no secret that the Loathly Lady is best described as the most unpleasant female to look at. The character tends to trigger various emotions when it comes to men. Some may have described her in a more vivid imagery and other to simply refer to her as ugly, old and poor. Her role in the texts are very similar. She is known to be an individual that has the answer to the most difficult questions. Consequently, this can be seen as manipulations. A marriage is purposed as her reward. It's no surprise the men are horrified at the end and as a result, we readers are given an insight of what the Loathly lady looks like.
According to Chanucer (1976), “The Wife of Bath tale” the individual is looked at as someone who is unimaginable to have existed. “There can no man imagine an uglier creature” it further explore the Loathly lady's descriptions of herself. “For though I am ugly, and old, and poor” (1063). This to me as a reader, this did not seem so dramatic as the knight may have feared from the Loathly Lady.
Furthermore, a more detailed of the Loathly Lady image is offered by Hanh (1995, p. 98). Her appearances are more defined in details. For example, “A loathly lady, with foot-long nose, donkey ears, neck sores, a gaping mouth, and blackened teeth”. From such descriptions, it's clear now why the men were so against the idea of marriage.
In addition, Span (1972, p80) provides a more sinisters descriptions of the Loathly Lady. “Her teeth were like the tether stakes, her nose like club or mell, and nothing less she seemed to be than a fiend that comes from hell”. She appears to me to be an evil person. Despite her role of lending a hand in times of need, her image at this point is unworthy to be trusted. This is because it's uncommon for an individual to trust someone that appears to be outcast by society.
Therefore, in spite of the Loathly Lady transforming into a beautiful individual towards the end. Her image is mainly described as an ugly individual who appears to have manipulated the men into marrying her. The men may have delts and regret in the start, surprisingly, they all appear to have ended up with a beautiful wife.
Reference:
Chaucer, G. (1976). The wife of Bath's prologue and tale: From the Canterbury tales. London: Cambridge University Press.
Hahn, T. (Ed.). (1995). The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle.In Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications
Steeleye Span, (1972). King Henry: From Below the Salt. US: Shanachie
The “Wife of Bath tale” is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree?
ReplyDeleteThe Loathly lady may appear to be a feminst to some critics because of the overpowerment the female is seen to have over the men. This can be supported by the courtroom. The queen is given the opportunity to decide the fate for the knight, who had raped a virgin. However, the knight is given a chance to prove his worth for a second chance in life by setting an impossible task. Which is to seek what female truly desire the most. He endured with various answers but took a leap of faith with the old ladys suggestions. As a result, he became an object to the old lady at the end of his hearing.
Therefore, this may appear to some critics as a femisnt piece because of the time frame such novel is set in. It is understood to be set in the medieval period, which women were mainly subjected to men. They had no voice nor right to make their own decision. Therefore, to have such character take charge of the upper hand supported the fact that “Wife of Bath tale is” is a feminst.
In addition, according to Jone (2008), “Wife of Bath tale” is ideal for feminst because Alison believed in equality in marriage. She is known to have been physically hit by her husband. As a result, she fought back. It’s not common that female would stand up to their other half. Therefore, this may have indicate to some as feminist.
Moreover, personally I do not agree that “Wife of Bath tale” indicate feminist. The woman are written out as sexual character which is referred to as a lust of enjoyment. This to me, does not indicate feminist but rather still subjected to men. Women should not have to use their body to have the upper hand.
In addition, despite the Queen to have been given the chance to make a decision, the authorisation still came from a male power. He passed on the responsibility to her to make by his own free will. It would be different if she had the upper hand first, such as her passing on the responsibility to the king. Despite of all, his life was still spared which I think the king may have predicted. Women tend to have much tender hearts compared to men. Therefore, a few critics may view “Wife of Bath tale” as feminsit due to their own observation, but to me such text does not indicate any feminsit traits.
Reference:
Lewis, J. J. (2018, July 23). Is Chaucer's The Wife of Bath a Feminist Character? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-wife-of-bath-feminist-character-3529685