And here is Mordred's take on the seven virtues, from Lerner and Lowe's Camelot (singing the role is the great Roddy McDowell):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8VdnRpI_s4
Friday, October 4, 2013
Narnia in Medieval Context
Greetings! In prepping for Jonathan's and my presentation on religious life this Thursday, I was reminded of an article I read a few years ago which looks at the seven books of Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia as fictionalized portrayals of the seven dead;y sins (and of course, they are not only that-- they are wonderful children's stories that stand on their own). To get you started, think of Edmund in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, who sells his brother and sisters for a box of candy. Hmmm. Here is the article, so you can read it, if you are intrigued-
http://cslewis.drzeus.net/papers/7sins.html
http://cslewis.drzeus.net/papers/7sins.html
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Wife of Bath's Tale Discussion
Here are some things I found discussion-worthy for "The Wife of Bath's Tale":
My first point of interest is the length of "The Wife of Bath's Tale" compared to "The Wife of Bath's Prologue". None of the travelers we met so far got such in depth stories for their prorogued. It was more of a "pick me first" scramble. With the Wife of Bath we are presented an in depth look at her personal, which sounds a lot like a tale on its own. This twice as long prologue does not eradicate the importance of the tale
Now that we have gotten over the shock at the length of the tale let us tackle some of the shocking (or not) content. Is this tale some sort of parody of "The Knights Tale". Upon reading the beginning of the tale it was all so familiar; savior King, knight does wrong, women plea for grace. But in this tale it is the crime of the knight and the comparison of the friars to incubi that make the tale come off as a play on "The Knights Tale". To have the knight commit rape is an interesting choice that I believe ties into the feminist workings of the tale. But is this really a feminist tale? I mean, the knight does get off. In the end does his punishment satisfy the feminist in me? Now these fairies and incubi, for what reason would Chaucher choose to use such a comparison? It seems the friars are better because they rape but leave no evidence (pregnancy) behind. But, what is he trying to say about the court. In many ways they are just like the fairies that no longer exist, so nothing has really changed. The tale is already making known that rape happens often by those of the court. Interestingly enough it is those of the court that say the knight should be decapitated. Maybe they are trying to cover up their own sins or make themselves feel better. It is clear that Chaucer is making fun of the court.
So, on to what the knight must do. He is given one year to find out what women want most in the world. Now this tale just continue to pile up on the feminist aspect. This is becoming a go to guide on "how to satisfy your woman". This also ties back to "The Knights Tale", the knight is on a quest. The important part of this said quest is the old hag that gives him the life saving answer. She's old and ugly as part of the knights punishment. Oh, and she is a trickster. They say "behind evryman's fall is a women" and my favorite, "women are the root of all evil". We'll old hag, you're not making it look to good for us. Honestly, I rather the knight bring killed off by a beautiful goddess-like lady he marries. In the end of this tale the night is given exactly what he desires. Granted, do is the old lady. But, she gives in and compromises. I guess this go-to-guide is saying compromises must be made. But this ending makes me feel slightly bad for the knight. I began to forget the reason he had to go on this quest, there is no satisfaction for me in that. Those who commit crimes should be punished accordingly.
My first point of interest is the length of "The Wife of Bath's Tale" compared to "The Wife of Bath's Prologue". None of the travelers we met so far got such in depth stories for their prorogued. It was more of a "pick me first" scramble. With the Wife of Bath we are presented an in depth look at her personal, which sounds a lot like a tale on its own. This twice as long prologue does not eradicate the importance of the tale
Now that we have gotten over the shock at the length of the tale let us tackle some of the shocking (or not) content. Is this tale some sort of parody of "The Knights Tale". Upon reading the beginning of the tale it was all so familiar; savior King, knight does wrong, women plea for grace. But in this tale it is the crime of the knight and the comparison of the friars to incubi that make the tale come off as a play on "The Knights Tale". To have the knight commit rape is an interesting choice that I believe ties into the feminist workings of the tale. But is this really a feminist tale? I mean, the knight does get off. In the end does his punishment satisfy the feminist in me? Now these fairies and incubi, for what reason would Chaucher choose to use such a comparison? It seems the friars are better because they rape but leave no evidence (pregnancy) behind. But, what is he trying to say about the court. In many ways they are just like the fairies that no longer exist, so nothing has really changed. The tale is already making known that rape happens often by those of the court. Interestingly enough it is those of the court that say the knight should be decapitated. Maybe they are trying to cover up their own sins or make themselves feel better. It is clear that Chaucer is making fun of the court.
So, on to what the knight must do. He is given one year to find out what women want most in the world. Now this tale just continue to pile up on the feminist aspect. This is becoming a go to guide on "how to satisfy your woman". This also ties back to "The Knights Tale", the knight is on a quest. The important part of this said quest is the old hag that gives him the life saving answer. She's old and ugly as part of the knights punishment. Oh, and she is a trickster. They say "behind evryman's fall is a women" and my favorite, "women are the root of all evil". We'll old hag, you're not making it look to good for us. Honestly, I rather the knight bring killed off by a beautiful goddess-like lady he marries. In the end of this tale the night is given exactly what he desires. Granted, do is the old lady. But, she gives in and compromises. I guess this go-to-guide is saying compromises must be made. But this ending makes me feel slightly bad for the knight. I began to forget the reason he had to go on this quest, there is no satisfaction for me in that. Those who commit crimes should be punished accordingly.
Satan as Summoner
Greetings, hwaet!
When I read The Friar's Tale yesterday, I immediately thought of a Bible verse that Chaucer probably used as a foundation for his plot. Here it is:
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Paul tells his readers that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light; Chaucer has a devil disguise himself as Robin Hood (my take).
The influence of this verse appears many times in literature-- Shakespeare uses it in Hamlet (and rightly so; that darn ghost doesn't act like any father I have known) May be the devil, and the devil hath power/ T' assume a pleasing shape (II. ii. 606-07)
Another reference to this verse is in Measure for Measure in the character Angelo (angel) who appears to be righteous and chaste, but who can wait to steal the virginity of Isabella. He appears good, but is in fact, wicked.
When I read The Friar's Tale yesterday, I immediately thought of a Bible verse that Chaucer probably used as a foundation for his plot. Here it is:
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Paul tells his readers that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light; Chaucer has a devil disguise himself as Robin Hood (my take).
The influence of this verse appears many times in literature-- Shakespeare uses it in Hamlet (and rightly so; that darn ghost doesn't act like any father I have known) May be the devil, and the devil hath power/ T' assume a pleasing shape (II. ii. 606-07)
Another reference to this verse is in Measure for Measure in the character Angelo (angel) who appears to be righteous and chaste, but who can wait to steal the virginity of Isabella. He appears good, but is in fact, wicked.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
What's your type?
Suzanna and I were discussing some of the different characters so far in the Tales, and it got me thinking about what kinds of personalities we are seeing/dealing with on this journey.
Have you ever taken a Myers-Briggs test before, and if so, what are you?
If not, I'm going to include one here with directions on how to take the test and to score it.
I'm curious who everyone might identify with the most, and who might be the most similar to us in the group of Pilgrims. I also wonder what different characters, from the WOB to the MOL and Miller, might be in the spectrum!
Oh, and PS, I'm an ENFP!
Have you ever taken a Myers-Briggs test before, and if so, what are you?
If not, I'm going to include one here with directions on how to take the test and to score it.
I'm curious who everyone might identify with the most, and who might be the most similar to us in the group of Pilgrims. I also wonder what different characters, from the WOB to the MOL and Miller, might be in the spectrum!
Oh, and PS, I'm an ENFP!
Attractive Virtue?
Is Custaunce someone who encompasses the seven virtues, thus
she is seen as desirable because she is the embodiment of the most positive attributes
of Christianity?
The seven virtues are generally thought to be Prudence, Constancy, Justice,
Temperance, Faith, Hope and Love. The
first four were considered the natural virtues, and were lauded from much
earlier by Greek Philosophers as things which makes a person great. Being even
tempered and balanced, being consistent in your dealings with the world, making
smart decisions, and acting in a fair and just manner were explained as the
best way to live a moral life. The final
three, as seen in 1 Corinthians 13, are the three cardinal virtues—Faith, Hope
and Love/Charity, each offering different ways to interact and integrate faith
into anyone’s life. As James Kennan
wrote in his article “Proposing Cardinal Virtues,” that “Philosophers and
theologians have recognized that being virtuous is more than having a
particular habit of acting, e.g. generosity. Rather, it means having a
fundamental set of related virtues that enable a person to live and act morally
well.”
This makes me think that perhaps Custance is someone who
shows different examples of these traits, and thus is attractive to others,
because she does what St. Francis of Assisi encouraged by preaching the gospel
to all nations, and if necessary, use words.
While we don’t see active interaction by Custance in most of the Man of
Law’s tale, are these seven traits the things which make her so desirable to
others and make her the best woman in the story?
Do you see these trait in her? Do they make her attractive or desirable? What do you think?
Keenan, James F. "Proposing Cardinal Virtues." Theological
Studies 56.4 (1995): 709-729. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Apr.
2013.
Identity
In our discussion of the WoB Tuesday and all the posts regarding her tale, there has been much talk about how she uses scripture and the story of King Midas. I have been thinking about these issues since I read the tale over the weekend, but it wasn't until today that I could pose my question properly.
While doing research for another course, I have been reading a lot about memory, myth, politics, culture, and identity. The relationship between memory (individual and collective) or history and identity stood out in reference to the WoB. As Andrew pointed out in his post "The Other Half," the Wife of Bath tends to only draw what she deems necessary from scripture in order to prove her point. We also discussed her manipulation of the Midas myth in order to prove a point about wives in general, at least that's how I see it now.
Allan Megill, an intellectual historian, sees memory as something that "haunts history" (193). He states, "the Halbwachsian model holds that memory is determined by identity...His account of historical memory deals with how an identity, whose integrity at a certain moment is assumed, goes about inventing a past congruent with that identity..." (Megill 194-95). I found this particularly interesting in relation to the WoB because she seems to be doing the same thing with scripture and mythology. Simply, she is "manipulating," for lack of a better term, what she needs in order to suit her identity, or at least the identity Chaucer associates with her. She is a woman who appears to desire complete control in marriage as evident in her prologue. Chaucer has her quoting just what she needs from scripture in order to help form this identity. Only the necessary elements of scripture are used to help form her identity, something we might see akin to selective reading today.
When it comes to the Midas myth, it appears that Chaucer has the WoB doing the same thing yet again. Chaucer changes details of the myth to make the wife appear as the culprit. This change helps form identity in a couple of ways. First, it paints women in a slightly flawed state, but, more importantly, it goes to reinforce the theme of women in control. Midas' wife was the only one who could have outed him. Of all the people he could have had cutting his hair and trust with his secret, he chose his wife. I am thinking that this is just another example of how Chaucer is using myth or history, depending on how you look at it, as a means to help build a solid identity for the WoB. (I could expand on this more, but I think I might save that for my close reading paper!)
In relation to the WoB and the Tale, and any other character and tale for that matter, the tales could serve as "memory," helping to form the identity of the characters. Imagination, for some philosophers, is a part of memory. The tales themselves serve as a type of artificial memory used to build the identities and personalities of the characters in the CT. Just as an example, take a look at Custaunce. We see her identified with certain biblical characters throughout "The Man of Law's Tale." Those associations with other figures helps to form her identity in the tale.
This may be rather confusing for some people, and it is still a bit confusing in my head. However, I thought this might be an interesting take on the WoB and all the other characters and tales. If you can manage for follow my crazy train of thought, please let me know what you think.
Works Cited:
Megill, Allan. from "History, Memory, and Identity." The Collective Memory Reader. Editors Jeffery K. Olick, Vered Vinitzky-Seroussi and Daniel Levy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. 193-97. Print.
While doing research for another course, I have been reading a lot about memory, myth, politics, culture, and identity. The relationship between memory (individual and collective) or history and identity stood out in reference to the WoB. As Andrew pointed out in his post "The Other Half," the Wife of Bath tends to only draw what she deems necessary from scripture in order to prove her point. We also discussed her manipulation of the Midas myth in order to prove a point about wives in general, at least that's how I see it now.
Allan Megill, an intellectual historian, sees memory as something that "haunts history" (193). He states, "the Halbwachsian model holds that memory is determined by identity...His account of historical memory deals with how an identity, whose integrity at a certain moment is assumed, goes about inventing a past congruent with that identity..." (Megill 194-95). I found this particularly interesting in relation to the WoB because she seems to be doing the same thing with scripture and mythology. Simply, she is "manipulating," for lack of a better term, what she needs in order to suit her identity, or at least the identity Chaucer associates with her. She is a woman who appears to desire complete control in marriage as evident in her prologue. Chaucer has her quoting just what she needs from scripture in order to help form this identity. Only the necessary elements of scripture are used to help form her identity, something we might see akin to selective reading today.
When it comes to the Midas myth, it appears that Chaucer has the WoB doing the same thing yet again. Chaucer changes details of the myth to make the wife appear as the culprit. This change helps form identity in a couple of ways. First, it paints women in a slightly flawed state, but, more importantly, it goes to reinforce the theme of women in control. Midas' wife was the only one who could have outed him. Of all the people he could have had cutting his hair and trust with his secret, he chose his wife. I am thinking that this is just another example of how Chaucer is using myth or history, depending on how you look at it, as a means to help build a solid identity for the WoB. (I could expand on this more, but I think I might save that for my close reading paper!)
In relation to the WoB and the Tale, and any other character and tale for that matter, the tales could serve as "memory," helping to form the identity of the characters. Imagination, for some philosophers, is a part of memory. The tales themselves serve as a type of artificial memory used to build the identities and personalities of the characters in the CT. Just as an example, take a look at Custaunce. We see her identified with certain biblical characters throughout "The Man of Law's Tale." Those associations with other figures helps to form her identity in the tale.
This may be rather confusing for some people, and it is still a bit confusing in my head. However, I thought this might be an interesting take on the WoB and all the other characters and tales. If you can manage for follow my crazy train of thought, please let me know what you think.
Works Cited:
Megill, Allan. from "History, Memory, and Identity." The Collective Memory Reader. Editors Jeffery K. Olick, Vered Vinitzky-Seroussi and Daniel Levy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. 193-97. Print.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Connections between Jankin's tale and Alisoun's tale?
OK, so here's the deal. I think that there is a lot of correlation/interconnectedness/play between the story of Jankin, Alisoun's hubby #5, and Alisoun's tale. But it will take someone smarter than me to put it all together. So here's the table of correlations(ish) that I made (oh, and you who would yell at me for name spelling show me Chaucer's official name spelling first) (oh, and I wouldn't trust these quotes to be perfect, because Word kept trying to "help" me fix my spelling):
This is a comparison of Alisoun’s tale of her 5th
husband, and her Tale.
Alisoun’s tale of her 5th
husband
|
WOB’s Tale
|
Alisoun spends much time talking about why lack of chastity is OK
|
Starts by telling how Arthur’s Britain has been replace by Britain
where limitours accost women.
|
Alisoun to 3 good husbands 257-262
Thow seyst, some folk desire us
for richesse,
Somme for oure shap, and somme
for oure fairnesse,
And some for she kan either
sing or daunce,
And some for gentillesse and
daliaunce,
Somme for hir hands and hir
armes smale—
Thus goth all to the devel, by
thy tale!
|
I think this sounds like how the knight would have originally
evaluated women.
Also, compare first list of women’s likes that knight gets…
919—949
Richesse
Honour
Jolynesse
Rich array
Lust abed
Being widowed or wed
(compare next list with things antifeminists list as faults of women)
Flattery
Being free
Being thought wise
Be trustworthy
|
265-302 —goes on to say “thou sayest” basically that ugly women are
always looking for sex, no man wants to suffer by having an ugly wife, and
women show their worst side after marriage
|
Still matches knight’s first views.
998—knight starts seeing really ugly old lady
|
503—finally introduces 5th husband
|
882—introduces knight
|
505-507—tells 5th hubby’s crime (very shortly after
introducing him
|
884-888—tells knight's crime
|
894-898—Guinivere asks for mercy
|
|
904-905—knight gets sentence.
|
|
530-542—tells how she tells all 4th hubby’s secrets to
best friend
|
951-982—Midas story
|
543-626—Alisoun and clerk meet while 4th hubby is gone all
the way to wedding #5
|
|
632-636—the crime, ripping out a page, being hit, becoming deaf
|
OK, bear with me, but there are some ways to connect this with the
rape of virginity. Taking hearing away, ripping pages away (neither of which
can be replaced). Bodily violence.
|
Jankin’s stories….Alisoun is frozen unable to escape stories.
|
Knight’s wanderings…Knight is unable to stay still but forced to
wander to hear stories
|
669 —introduces Jankin’s book
|
|
711—starts telling why she was beaten for a book
|
|
715-774—Jankin’s list of bad female lovers and wives
|
Also the list above from 919-949: lists of what women want, as
opposed to what women as evil objects are
|
775-787—Jankin’s proverbs “bet is”--is this comparable to Alisoun’s “thou
sayest”?
|
|
790-793—Alisoun rips out three pages and hits Jenkin on the cheke
|
1055-1082--Loathly lady forces knight to marry her
|
795-807—Jankin hits Alisoun and feels really bad
|
1083-1212--Knight pouts in bed while lady lectures him on gentillesse
|
808-809—Alisoun hits back
|
1219—1227—Loathly lady gives knight the choice
|
811-812
But at the laste, with muchel
care and wo,
We fille accorded by us selven
two.
|
1228-1229—Knight thinks hard
But ate laste he seide in this
manere:
|
813-814
He yaf me al the bridel in min
hond,
To have the governaunce of hous
and lond,
|
1230-1231—
My lady and my love, and wif so
deere,
I put me in youre wise
governaunce.
|
819-821—remember we said that this was the hubby giving her power but
also reminding her that their reputation was in her hands…
And that he seide, “Min owene
trewe wif,
Do as thee lust the terme of al
thy lif;
Keep thin honour, and keep eek
min estaat,”
|
1232-1233—
Cheseth youreself which may be
moost pleasaunce,
And moost honour to yow and me
also.
|
822-825—
After that day we hadden nevere
debaat.
God help me so, I was to him as
kinde
As any wif from Denmark unto
Inde,
And also trewe, and so was he
to me.
|
1240-1244—
For, by my trouthe, I wol be to
yow bothe-
This is to seyne, ye, bothe
fair and good.
I pray to God that I mote sterven wood,
But I to yow be also good and
trewe
As evere was wif, sin that the
world was newe.
|
826-827—
I pray to God that sit in
magestee,
So blesse his soul, for his
mercy deere!
|
1257-end
Prays for young, meek husbands that wives can outlive. And to shorten
the lives of bad husbands with the plague.
|
King Midas' Ass Ears
While reading the WOB's Tale, I was very intrigued by the story of the wife who could not keep her husband's secret. As the WOB tells us to in line 981, ("The remenant of the tale, if ye wol heere,/Redeth Ovid, and there ye may it leere.") I decided to look up this story.
 |
| Image found here |
What I found was a completely different telling of the story.
The version I found the most often was that of King Midas' barber being unable to keep the secret of his ears. He digs a hole in the ground and spills the secret and the hills then echo the secret back loudly so that everyone hears it. The wikipedia page for King Midas has this version and this retelling for children also has the version with the barber.
Another version I found, which seems to be from a German retelling, has King Midas being the one unable to keep his secret. You can read about this here.
So why does the WOB tell this story the way she does? It could be that there are different versions floating around at the time Chaucer is writing and this version is the one he is familiar with.
However, I believe he purposely chose this telling. Chaucer chose to attribute to Ovid, this story of the wife betraying Midas' secret. Ovid's version is one that has the barber. Chaucer would have known Ovid's stories and would have known what version he used.
Chaucer
would have known Ovid's stories and would have known what version he used.
Chaucer chose to change this through the WOB. He is telling us about the WOB
by doing this.
We
know that WOB is a well learned woman. She knows her bible, and she also
continually references other literary works. However, with this, she is
discredited. This change of the story makes me wonder whether the rest of her
references were correct. I find myself wanting to go back and look at
everything she said and fact-check everything.
Chaucer
uses this story to discredit the WOB and in doing so, I start to wonder if
maybe Chaucer is not as proto-feminist in his portrayal with the WOB as I thought.
If she is wrong here, and could be wrong otherwise, she does not sound educated
but instead she sounds as though she’s good at appearing educated. She sounds
like a fool.
Maybe
Chaucer uses this change in the story to say something else about the WOB. Does
anyone else have any ideas?
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