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"...
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 Ragnelleidentifies the motif of the loathly lady, but arguesit 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?
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.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, it is important to define what a feminist is. A feminist is a person is support of feminism. By support, this means that the person advocates the rights and equality of Women.
Geoffrey Chaucer who is commonly known as the Father of English Literature was born in 1343 and died in the year 1400.
The question on whether he was a Feminist is a much-debated argument but perhaps he was, considering many of his most noted works are based on female protagonists at the time. Examples of these are The Book of the Duchess, Legend of Good Women and The Canterbury Tales. However whether or not the following is true could hinder whether or not he truly was a feminist.
“Some have theorised that the Wife's tale may have been written to ease Chaucer's guilty conscience. It is recorded that in 1380 associates of Chaucer stood surety for an amount equal to half his yearly salary for a charge brought by Cecily Champaign rape or abduction; the same view has been taken of his Legend of Good Women, which Chaucer himself describes as a penance”.
Medieval England in the middle Ages was a patriarchal society. This meaning that males were the figures in charge of social organization, moral authority and other roles they were seen to be more suited to as opposed to women.
"Women desire to have sovereignty
As well over her husband as her love,
And to be in mastery above him.
This is your greatest desire, though you kill me.
This quote from “The Wife of Baths tale”, in my opinion solidifies the boundaries that woman had in the middle ages. This is the statement from the young knight who is given a year and one day to seek the answer to the question of what is it that women desire most? He is sent on this mission after committing evil acts (the rape of a young woman).
If it is true about Chaucer in his earlier years, is this perhaps a representation of himself through his works?
References
Deletehttp://brunonwords.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/the-miller’s-tale-the-true-feminist-or-anti-feminist-debate/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wife_of_Bath's_Tale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_in_the_Middle_Ages#Late_Middle_Ages_.281272.E2.80.931485.29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Chaucer
While Chaucer’s Wife of baths tale does feature some commentary about woman’s gender roles in what was a largely patriarchal society, I don’t feel like it makes the jump to feminism.
DeleteFeminist literature is hard to define, as the term is a matter of self-definition, however they are typically, “from the perspective of a female character, giving insight into their mindset and lifestyles.”
Chaucer’s text is from the perspective of a male, not less a male who is pressed into a quest because he rapes a young woman. The idea he could be forgiven of this crime should he find out ‘what thing it is that women most desire,’ shows how much value is place on a male of high birth, as he isn’t exactly doing hard time.
In the end he finds a satisfactory answer and is forgiven of his crime. He also ends up with a (perceived by him) beautiful woman whom ‘obeyed him in every thing that might do him pleasure or enjoyment.’ This does not suggest feminism.
The idea that it is possible to pinpoint one thing that all women desire is counteracting the feminist idea that women are all individuals with their own unique desires. The answer the knight arrives at is a broad generalization, suggesting that all women have the sole desire to ‘have sovereignty as well over her husband as her love’ is like suggesting all males require a wife that obeys him and does everything she can to please him.
I feel, as Mike suggests, that Chaucer may have been making a jest about the perceived complexity woman, suggesting it could never be figured out.
The whole ‘what do woman want’ thing occurs frequently, even to this day. If suggested from a male perspective it is generally a chauvinistic idea that woman can be ‘figured out.’ If suggested from a female perspective it is hardly an example of feminism, as it assumes all women the same.
1. http://www.talesofthepack.com/2011/01/what-is-feminist-literature/
2. http://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/index.html
I feel like this question is similar to question six in the sense that it is not feminist, but the struggle with power between male and female are evident. As you mentioned Kyle, women want to counteract the feminist idea, that we are individuals and have desires that are unique, but also similar in a way to males.
DeleteThe end where he ends up with the beautiful woman also relates to what Revard (1997) talks about, that woman are looked at first for their beauty then for their talents.
"It was apparently impossible in this era to be gender blind" (Revard 1997)
Although I agree with what Jordan and Kale said but, I have a different point of view.
DeleteWhen the knight was looking for the answer for what the woman most desire, the answers he got from all the men were about what men desire from women, not what women want and need. It alludes that women were a mean to satisfy men’s need and men were in control and dominant in the relationship.
According to the knight, what women seem to desire most was the sovereignty over husband and lover in the relationship which means having the upper hand of all time. When the hag gives the knight choice to have her stay ugly and be faithful or become beautiful and wonder, her behavior entails that women want power over her husband. However, when the knight submit himself to her and leave her to decide for him, the Hag decided to become beautiful and faithful for him.
Although the hag could play an authoritative figure, she decided to do what they both can be satisfied. It seems that what she wanted was not power over her partner. She wanted a mutual relationship. Ironically, her self –sovereign results a happy husband.
All humans have desire and want to be satisfied. As Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs shows, people who satisfied the basic need of human being such as food, house and family, feel the need for self-esteem and respect by others and eventually self-actualized. The reason that society was afraid of giving women equality was because the self-sovereign could trigger down to female chauvinism.
The story address the conflict between giving equality to women and men’s pressure of losing mastery over women in the medieval period where the society is predominated by male while suggesting that liberating women’s self-sovereignty is not going to endanger men’s right; rather, it could favor men from the mutual relationship. Even though men are not losing anything, men are for fear of liberating what belongs to individuals, the equality. The equality is important in relationship because relationship is about being mutually satisfied. Without two people being happy relationship can’t lasts because the relationship is about two way relationship.
I think the author points out women equality benefits both men and women.
Awesome post Elena! I love the second to last period about Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Really interesting stuff. I didn't think of looking at the story that way.
DeleteExtended....
DeleteThe whole country seems to be in the grip of ‘The bad guy syndrome’. It has been influenced by multi-media and pop culture, such as the drama or movies. This syndrome is deeply entrenched in our society. The bad guy from the bad guy syndrome is a man who appears to be rough and evil to the people but caring, loving and nice to his love.
The bad guy not only prevails in pop culture but also appears in fairy tales such as frog prince, beauty and the beast. The beast is perceived as a violent, cruel and disgusting outward appearance yet he is a soft and protective man to his lover.
The loathly lady contains the bad guy figure in middle age literatures.
Lane, this is good start to the discussion, but not the end of it. Does Chaucer in fact mock female aspirations?
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe one of Chaucer’s great contributions was the reversal of gender roles he portrays in his works. Whether or not this was because he was a feminist or possibly a humanist, I am not 100% sure.
Delete“This feminine jury will decide the knights fate”
The female jury have the sovereignty and reign over this young knight as they give two choices, solve the riddle or simply be condemned to death.
“Solve the riddle, or lose his head”
Because of this, the young knight is vulnerable and due to his amenability the old hag is able to get him in her grasp due to his misconception of the beautiful 24 maidens.
In regard to your question Mike, I think he somewhat rewards the desire of the women in the way in which the extract takes a turn. The woman desire sovereignty and when the young knight goes in search for the answer to the riddle, he is deceived by the old hag who entices him with the answer but in return asks for his hand in marriage. The young knight is disgusted at the beauty of his beloved but once questioned on what he wants, he abdicates he gives the woman the power to choose. Upon this part of the text, he turns back to kiss her and she changes form to a young beautiful woman.
Chaucer rewards the young knight once he steps out of his typical masculine role.
You guys have made some good points on this topic. Lane, that was interesting what you said about Chaucer being charged with rape. It changes the whole tone of the story for me. I know your'e supposed to separate the work from the artist, but if he wrote this story to ease his own conscious, it can hardly be seen as a shining beacon of feminism.
DeleteI did some investigating and found out that in 1340 Geoffrey Chaucer was charged with raping a woman called Cecily chaumpaigne. In the 14th century 'rape' referred to not only sexual assault, but also possibly kidnapping.
However I did not find a single source which stated this as fact. According to the article Geoffrey Chaucer: writing poetry Cecily later 'exonerated Chaucer of the crime' (declared him innocent). So wether or not this actually happened we cannot be sure.
On the surface "wife of bath's tale' is a story about a randy young knight who commits the crime of raping a young maiden. Instead of being sentenced to death, the king hands the knight over to his wife, to decide his fate. The queen tells the knight his life will be spared if he can tell her what it is women desire most. 'I grant thee life, if thou canst tell me what thing it is that women most desire' (p.66).
I agree with Kyle, this is not a particularly serious punishment for such a horrific crime. This may be a court run by women, but they are doing a pretty rubbish job of it. And what about the young maiden? Does she not get a say in deciding the knight's fate? In fact we don't hear any more about her. Chaucer seems to be more concerned with the knight's well being.
Later on in the story it is revealed that what women desire most is sovereignty, or ownership. 'Women desire to have sovereignty, as well over her husband as her love' (p.68) . This is then demonstrated when the 'old hag' forces the knight to marry her. At first he resists her advances, but after she talks to him he lets her choose between being ugly and faithful or beautiful and fickle. The knight lets the woman choose, and in the end she becomes both beautiful and faithful. I'm not sure if she actually goes under a physical transformation or if she just becomes beautiful in the eyes of the knight. I think we are supposed to believe it's a metaphor. I believe Chaucer is saying that if men give in to women and let them have their own way, they will end up doing as the man wishes anyway. So maybe he is actually mocking women's aspirations, as Mike suggested.
However, this tale could be seen as a reverse 'beauty and the beast'. Instead of a beautiful a beautiful woman falling for a beast, a handsome young knight falls for an ugly old woman because of her inner beauty. Perhaps none of these fairy tale characters actually undergo physical transformations, they are all metaphors for beauty being only skin deep?
'Coupling the beastly bride and the hunter hunted: what lies behind Chaucer's Wife of Bath's tale' suggests Chaucer is saying 'fulfilment lies in the collapse of gender roles and the acceptance of ambivalence' (Carter, 2003, p.341 ). In the end of the story the knight is happy because he has given up on his idea of masculinity and fallen for a woman who has none of the traditionally feminine qualities. Looking at the story from this point of view I see how Chaucer could be considered a feminist. Maybe not in today's society, but I have to remember it was the 14th century.
References
Carter,S.(2003). Coupling the beastly bride and the hunter hunted: what lies behind Chaucer's 'wife of bath's tale' in The Chaucer Review, 37, 4, 329-341.
Chaucer, G. (1400).The wife of bath's tale.
Geoffrey Chaucer: writing poetry. (2014). Retrieved from
www.scmoop.com/Geoffrey-Chaucer/writing-poetry.
Good points everyone. I can definitely see how you could see Chaucer as a feminist, in fact, its only because I choose not to that I don’t. I just can't help but feel Chaucer was parodying the typical marriage situation.
DeleteIn a way, suggesting the wife wants sovereignty over - rather than equality within - a relationship, and that she will not give herself up and ‘obey him in every thing that might do him pleasure or enjoyment,’ Until she feels she has control is he antithesis of feminism.
Feminism would be accepting the equal roles of obeying each other in everything that might pleasure the other. Instead we see the man, instead of reaching equilibrium with his partner, relinquishing control of the relationship in a kind of patronizing way of maintaining the peace and getting what he wants.
On a very primal level, it could be seen that women are in control of relationships. They are the ultimate choosers of mates. Males put on the show, desiring to engage sexually and further his DNA line, yet it is the woman who chooses if she wants to engage with him or not. If rejected the male must move on, or as in the wife of Baths Tale, force it from her.
This suggest to me that Chaucer is making the point that males only allow the façade of females being in control, until such time they feel the compulsion to overrule it. Its as if he is suggesting that, to paraphrase, ‘woman won’t be happy unless they’re in control, but its okay, just let her think she is and you’ll get what you want.’ The way the loathly lady becomes a beautiful woman at the end of the story seems to me to be mocking the idea of 'happily ever after,' maybe suggesting that with woman, there is no equilibrium until you pretend to relinquish control.
While its clear Chaucer thought about the gender roles in the middle ages, and makes some good points about inequality, I just can't see how in a Patriarchal society, that males would openly read his works if he was advocating feminism, unless it was in jest.
Chaucer may simply have been intending comedy, suggesting that women are complex, and the notion of understanding them a joke that would appeal to males who also deemed their wives complex. This is a common stereotype that remains in some capacity today. Such it is that many a comedian/sitcom (watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5UUooteKE4, its terrible comedy but a good example) have made jokes about the perceived complexity of fairer sex, understanding them deemed impossible.
Also, on final point, allowing a man to get away with rape is not a particularly feminist approach. Chaucer ultimately wrote this thing, and while it could be perceived as social commentary abut the inequality in justice between women and men, I feel like a feminist would have advocated his punishment more.
Great stuff dude ;)
DeleteI agree that Chaucer is taking the piss a little bit. Also, I've never understood why men say women are so hard to understand. I've always thought of us as quite simple creatures :)
Both quotes referenced in my reply - Chaucer, G. (1405-1410) The Wife of Baths Tale Critical Reader.
DeleteAlso retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wife_of_Bath's_Tale
Question 6.
ReplyDeleteWhat does Revard (1997) suggest about the relationship between language, sex, power and transgression in the English Renaissance?
Revard (1997) suggests that we can be suspicious of the fact of equality between male and females in the English Renaissance. In this time the contest between the two sexes was in the writing of poetry. A prime example of this is Katherine Phillips, a female poet, who uses the Pindaric genre in her poems to celebrate woman.
The issue of sex becomes so important a motif that the assessment of Philips as a poet takes second place. Women were judged firstly as a woman, taking into consideration her beauty, then secondly as a poet.
“It was apparently almost impossible in this era to be gender blind.” (Revard, 1997 pg. 20)
This is the opposite when viewing a male’s work. “All these complimentary poems to men are extravagant; but all look at the artist, the writer, the scientist first, then at the man” (Revard, 1997 pg. 21)
It seems that the protest between the two sexes, male and female have a strong relationship within the language, power and transgression in the English renaissance.
“Difficulty that a male poet has in praising a woman who is neither a mistress, nor a patron, nor a sovereign, but is, rather, a so-called peer in the poetic profession” (Revard, 1997 pg.16)
I think that Revard suggests the seriousness in which we should take poetic sparring. Revard suggests the ‘natural’ creativity of women as being higher than that of man creative intellect.
In terms of power, Revard suggests there was a power struggle between the two sexes. This can be seen clearly within poetry. Power, sex and language have a strong link within one another during the time of the English renaissance.
Nice interpretation of the question and the text Jordan, I read your response before reading the entire extract by Revard, and you really did well at summarising and interpreting the text.
DeleteWhat I understood from reading the text was that perhaps it was possible that men and women could be categorised according to sex, power and language.
Men- Power- language
Women- Sex-language
I agree with you completely on the fact it was impossible to be gender blind, but I feel that women were definitely undermined and not taken as seriously for their literary talents like the men were considered.
“Behn raises the issue of women’s exclusion from the universities”
And further to what you said in your first comment, women were praised on their beauty first before anything else as opposed to the men.
“takes the view In fact- a Miltonic one- that knowledge is necessary to the confirmation of virtue and the progress of the soul” (Revard, 1997, page 23)
I found this quote interesting especially as I continued to read on and discover a possible link to the following “he places Philips in the special category of “virtuous” woman. (Revard 1997, page 22)
From what I understand, it is said that knowledge is required for the progress of the soul and the confirming of virtue. By placing Philips (female) in this special category, is this her simply being excavated?
I feel women during this period were just as talented as the men in the poetic field
“Women have souls just as worthy as men” (Revard, 1997 page 24)
But I do feel that they were treated with some ignorance and required a stronger voice to be recognized for their works.
References:
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
Excellent summary of Revard, Jordan, but how does language and power link, specifically?
ReplyDelete4. In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define conceits?
ReplyDeleteA defining feature of Elizabethan poetry was the use of conceits. These were developed in the 17th century by English lyricists, who desired a more intellectual discourse. Abrams (1993) defines conceits as 'metaphors that are intricately woven into the verse, often used to express satire, puns or deeper meaning.' John Dunne (The flea), Andrew Marvell (To his coy mistress) and even Shakespeare himself commonly used conceits in their poems.
The purpose of conceits was to draw startling and unlikely comparisons between things, which would make sense to people and also showcase the poet's wit. These features include metaphors, similes, personification, paradoxes and mythological references.
At first, this style of poetry was heavily criticized for ruining the smooth, rhythmical nature of Elizabethan poetry. It was thought to be too philosophical and more concerned with abstract ideas than with the description of physical things. T.S Elliot described the conceit as 'a prominent tool to challenge imagery , in order to stimulate both emotions and intellect.' Conceits would often be humorous as well, such as in "The flea" by John Dunne. The poet uses the metaphor of two people's blood mixing inside a flea, to describe a sexual encounter. 'This flea is you and I, and this our marriage be, and marriage temple is.'
References:
Abrams, M.(1993). The Norton Anthology of English Literature/ New York: Norton and Company inc.
Alden, R. (1920). The lyrical conceits of the "metaphysical poets". Studies In Philology, 17(2). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4171771?seq=13.
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DeleteOmg i'm sorry Michaela I didn't realise you had written about the same question already. Our comments are similar and I agree that the flea was humorous out of all insects he uses the flea to compare and describe something so intimate. I also believe John Dunne had alot of guts to write about the subject of unmarried sex with a woman during a time that it was considered taboo to speak about it publicly.
DeleteThat's okay haha:) great minds think alike
DeleteYeah that poem's funny if a little gross. You're right that would of been quite a taboo topic in the 17th century. I think the fact g
He used a humorous conceit made it more acceptable.
Q4. In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"?
ReplyDeleteHi everyone I’m going to attempt this question feel free to elaborate some more if you have any ideas. I’m not a hard core Shakespearean fan but I thought I’d give it a try considering once I did a little research it became very interesting. .
According to Wikipedia (2014), a “conceit” can be defined as a special metaphor which has surprisingly recognized similarities between two extremely different objects. It invites the readers into a more sophisticated understanding of the objects. Two kinds of conceits appearing in the sonnets of Elizabethan and Jacobean era resulted in the outstanding status of some sonnets in English literature.
Petrarchan conceit, is the first one which is always used in love poems (Wikipedia). These poems use Petrarchan conceits for expressing the battled affection of a male to his cold-hearted but beautiful lover. The pain of the male being rejected and the beauty of the lady being exaggerated are described vividly by using Petrarchan conceits.
Shakespeare whom we have all heard/read about had used this technique during the 16th-17th century in his sonnet 18 love poem.
For example, He used eight completely unrelated things such as “sun” (her eyes), “coral” (her lips), “snow” (her breasts), etc. to compare with the features of his mistress. Not only that his lady is compared to “the eternal summer”. The epitome of the conceit appears in line 11 'nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade' - even in the face of death or in her dying days, her beauty will continue to remain for as long as 'men can breathe, or eyes can see' (lines 12-13).
Edmund Spenser another famous poet in the time of Elizabethan and Jacobean. Created his masterpiece “Ice and Fire” which allows the reader to wonder at his very descriptive Petrarchan conceits. “My lover is like to ice, and I to fire” and “That fire, which all things melts, should harden ice.” This description incredibly shows the psychology of a male who is wanting the need to feel the love back from his lady but somehow isn’t getting the attention he craves. However, excluding poets like Shakespeare and Spenser, many of the Elizabethan imitators led the Petrarchan conceit to be unoriginal in their poems (Literal Collage, 2009).
Q4. Extended... My post was too long so here's the second half of it with references.
ReplyDeleteMetaphysical conceit, this term is related with the metaphysical poets of 17th century. John Donne was the most well-known one among them. Different from the Petrarchan conceit, the metaphysical poets “used witty and surprising comparisons draw from miscellaneous—technology, alchemy, philosophy, cartography and everyday objects” (Literal Collage, 2009). Therefore, the whole poem is not only academic but logical due to the influence of its extended metaphor. John Donne’s “The Flea” is the best example for showing metaphysical conceit.
For example this poem is filled with creative imagination, Donne uses a flea, blood and the murder of the flea as an analogy for having sex and exchanging bodily fluids. He is speaking to a lady in this poem, trying everything in his power to get the lady to surrender to him and have sex, the whole entire time, trying to convince her how unimportant it would be if she decided to do so. He supports his whole argument by relating her sexuality to a flea.
The lady that he is speaking to does not fall for what Donne is saying, and to make her point to him she smashes and kills the flea. Before she does so, Donne asks her to spare the three lives in the flea, referring to his life, her life and the flea's life. But she didn't listen to him and killed it anyway. Seeing her finger stained with the blood of the flea, Donne asks her what sin could the flea have committed other than sucking the blood from both of them and thus mixing it.
This is again a metaphor for unmarried sexual union. Donne is trying to get the point across that their blood will also be mixed during sex, so what difference would it make if they just went ahead and had sex since their blood is already mixed. This is where the metaphorical conceit is able to create a witty, humor and dramatic effect for the poem
Reference:
Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 - Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day. (n.d.). Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 - Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day. Retrieved April 7, 2014, from http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18detail.html
Conceit. (2014, March 30). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceit
Donne, J. (n.d.). John Donne. The Flea.. John Donne. The Flea.. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/flea.php
literary collage. (n.d.). : the Petrarchan conceit v.s. the metaphysical conceit. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://literarycollage.blogspot.com/2009/05/petrarchan-conceit-vs-metaphysical.html
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteQ1 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 loathly Lady Fabula across the three tales:
Out of the all three tales Chaucer’s version of the loathly lady can be seen as the least exaggerated. She is only ugly and old, he describes her in lines 999 and 1000 “There can no man imagine an uglier creature. At the knight’s coming, the old wife did rise.” Surprisingly, Chaucer doesn’t write more into her ugliness until she has asked the knight take her as his wife (1054, 1055). This differs with the other descriptions of the lady.
Hahn’s version however, shows the lady as immensely ugly, but does not say that she is old (and in fact, makes no reference to her age at all). Instead, he lists her features (red faced, runny nosed, wide mouthed, yellow-toothed, clotted haired, wide shouldered, and barrel like) and goes on to say “To recite the foulness of that lady there is no tongue fit”.
Despite the differences between the two above, Chaucer’s lady is old and ugly (perhaps one could take this lady as being ugly because of her old age), and Hahn’s lady is just REALLY ugly, Steeleye Span’s interpretation is much more unhuman. This version sees the lady as a supernatural being, referring to her as “a grisly ghost” and “a fiend that comes from hell” and in fact she is much more than a human woman, “her head hit the roof-tree of the house, her middle you could not span.” This type of description definitely leaves us with the view that this lady is not human but comes from an unknown specie and could pass for a troll.
The actions of the knight/king/hero across the three tales:
ReplyDeleteChaucer’s hero is considered in my eyes to be least heroic of the three. Not only does he gladly commit rape, the only time is shows repentance is during the time of his sentence. In lines 901 to 912 the Queen hands down this punishment – to spend his next 12 months in a quest of the answer to the question “What thing is it that woman most desire” – and in the next stanza expresses his regret at being stripped of his freedoms in favour of this search “…and sorrowfully he sighs; But what! He can not do all as he pleases” (Lines 913 and 914). So unhappy about his new quest this so-called hero searches for the answer that will save his life, when he is offered it, he makes the bargain to do whatever the loathly lady asks of him. When she requests to be wife, he begs her to reconsider “For God’s love, choose a new request! Take all my goods and let my body go.” (1060, 1061). Chaucer’s hero to me is weak and lacks the ability to move forward. Even when it was his request that he’ll do whatever the loathly lady wants he still complains. He rapes and shows no remorse until he’s been sent out on his mission and then can’t humble himself to his new wife, instead he speaks horribly of her. It is only when he has fully accepted her that she makes the transformation, thus giving her what she most desires; “sovereignty as well over husband as her love and to be in mastery above him” (1037 – 1040). And so, Chaucer’s heroic Knight is rewarded only when he learns to practice what he has learnt on his quest.
Hahn’s version is my favourite and he presents the image of a respectable man. Not turning away from the hideousness of the lady (although, he hasn't actually SEEN her…), BUT because of his love and loyalty to Arthur he has vowed to take her hand in marriage. “I shall wed her and wed her again, Even if she be a fiend. Even if she were as foul as Beelzebub.” I would say Hahn’s hero is the most heroic and honourable, not only was he devoted 100% to the king he still loved his lady when she looked hideous and for that was rewarded with his lady transforming in to the most beautiful woman on the night of their wedding.
In Steeleye Span’s fable, the lady only transforms herself after King Henry’s polite gesture to “give her all her will” which he did only because he was afraid. This version is different from the other two because it’s the only version where the lady is blinded by the “hero’s” desperate actions. She’s too wrapped up in Henry’s gutless grants to the lady’s will, she sees his actions as courteous not as fear.
References.
Chaucer, Geoffrey (c.1390). The Wife of Bath
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. In Below the Salt. US:
Shanachie
The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle. (2014, March 4). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wedding_of_Sir_Gawain_and_Dame_Ragnelle