Medieval Women and Sexuality Essay

Dame Sirith, arguably the earliest fabliau in English, has a lot been interpreted as a parody on genteel come. even a careful analysis of the dialogues between Margery and Wilekin, the two caramel browns-to-be, exposes the tout ensembleeged pervasiveness of the stately tone of Wilekins wooing as a construct of the critics. The poets main concern lies rather with the successful telling of a amusive story and he relegates any courtly elements to a secondary lieu so as not to upset the narrative balance of the tale. As a consequence, they remain subordinated to the main comic event, i.e. the trick played on the young wife by Dame Sirith and Margerys subsequent qualifying from a wo objet dart who would not sell herself at any equipment casualty in the mystifyning, but who is in the end entrusting to pay anything to be swyved.The English aristocracy, exchange adequate the French, laid claim to courtly conduct as a distinctive criteria for the upper class. Likewise, both the love affair and the fabliau flourished among the English the romance serving to instill courtly ideals, and the fabliau serving to show social realities. The fabliau fleck ofttimes focuses upon infidelity, and the inner relationship between lovers is graphically revealed, thereby devaluing the marvellous picture that courtly love remain a private matter. For example, Marjerie insists that she will not deceive her economise on bed ne on flore. Her direct reference to a physical consummation on flore or bed provides a sharp contrast to the removed, idealized language of courtly genres.Dame Sirith waitms to be based on fundamental elements of shake upual cunning and the inversion of social hierarchies particularly as constructed in marriage, as it targets and highlights adynamic and foolish women, the title character plays a go-between for a would-be(prenominal) lover named Wilekin and the espouse lady of his dreams, Margery. Sirith devises an elaborate ruse to convince th e reluctantyoung wife, whose husband is a itinerary, to accept Wilekins indecent proposal, a strategy that calls for a per nominateing cover as well as a convincing narrative. A mixture of mustard and pepper, ingested by the dog, makes it appear to weep while the attendant narrative sets up the duping.Sirith presents the weeping dog to Margery telling her that the dog is Siriths daughter, who, having refused the amorous advances of a clerk, was magically transformed into the lacrimose creature standing onwards her Thenne begon the clerc to wiche / And shop mi douter til a biche(line 353-55). The narrative is convincing and the desired leave is achieved the bawd successfully dupes the gullible Margery into an affair with her client. Margerys character is a wife who has been left alone by her husband, the young cleaning womans marital status elides the marital infidelity so integral to Siriths trick. They show that despite the fabliaux apparent license, in fact they rely on the womans no and the mans forceful masculinity to counter her resistance So the tension is great.The sexual encounter at the end of the tale is described with polite euphemisms in the analogues in Aesops version, for example, we are told that the young man fulfills his will, and the emphasis upon the moral is highlighted. Wilkin is set to begin with like a courting sort of guy, but the audience is lightly pulled towards the fact that he is a social climber indeed. On his way up the social ladder he would do anything, use all kinds of force needed. On the other hand theres Margery and her puzzle reaction to him, her moral determine and purity. Hes idealised her as a person, shes untouchable because shes married, it meant more in those days, like shes forbidden. Dame Sirith shows moralistic attitudes and not fundamental human values that are at stake.To see Margerys one set of precepts, viz. be faithful to your husband, macrocosm abandoned in complete save of another, obviousl y more fundamental one, namely keep your human form, need not raise a moral dilemma or cause emotional anguish to the reader? It makes me think about the military force dynamics being excercised on love and desire during the end of that closure in history and how the desire to control such emotions, feelings, desires, thoughts crossed with practices of witchcraft. A power witch may have to make a man desire her for unacceptable forbidden sexual activities and makes me wonder really who is damned for the existenec of such desires? Who should be and is punished for participating in such activites? Who is forgive and how? Who is the victim? Are we, as woman today, accused of similar powers that warrant men of certain actions?The secrecy of the affair is considered shameful and cheap by Marjeri, as it was not in courtly literature. She is ever faithful until she learns it may effect her by witchcraft thats when her vanity emerges. Furthermore, she claims to love her husband, a nd married love clearly is not part of the courtly system. Twelfth ascorbic acid work served to codify proper conduct for courtly lovers, specifically states that dearest cannot acknowledge any rights of his between husband and wifeand in the declare romance, marriage is seldom an issue between lovers. You see the plot frequently focuses upon infidelity, and the sexual relationship between lovers is graphically revealed, thereby devaluing the idealistic notion that courtly love remain a private matter.Marjeris demeanour towards Wilkin, which so clearly mimics courtly behavior, may seem especially puzzling to the reader attempting to reduce her language to univocal meaning. Perhaps she is simply as well as innocent to understand the implications of the language she employs. She may not be certified that her willingness to do or her statement that she is ful fre could be interpreted by Wilkin as a clear indication that she will grant him sexual favors. just now really more like ly, we should recognise Marjeri fitting the typical fabliau stereotype of a young, lusty, bourgeois wife, well aware of the plays of meaning in the language she employs. If we see her in this light, then her behavior towards Wilkin seems especially flirtatious, even a weeny cruel. She uses her language with him as a weapon to gain control and in fact her role as victim is minimized as she proves to be as calculating as her attacker.Certainly, a traditional courtly lover, would be more persistent and more patient, suffering over the ladys rejection and growing pale and sickly in the process. The audience may begin to alter its expectations about the tale, from one that presents courtly ideals to one that mocks those ideals by differentiate them with social realities.Though Wilkin mimics the conventions of courtly conduct, he can never truly live them. Rather than lamenting his loss in romance fashion, he takes a direct approach, seeking the assistance of the dame. Wilkin confesses that he is lovesick for Marjeri, and the old woman agrees to devise a trick to help him Though courtly love in the romance may closure in a sexual union, sex is always treated discreetly. The focus is upon the process of earning the affections of a lover not upon the physical act. However, in this fabliau, the concept of courtly love is decrease to immediate sexual gratification.The story that Dame Sirit concocts about her weeping dog is used as a trick to make Marjeri have sex with Wilkin, and the result is more akin to rape than love. As a result of the yarn, Marjeri succumbs to Wilkin against her will, for she fears being changed into a weeping bitch. Its odd, and funny in a way, that she thinks if she gives into him and becoming perhaps a metaphorical bitch is better than being changed into a real one to do the deed instead of being figure outed. However her earlier flirtatious behavior indicates her awareness of the newly teetotal language she employs and keeps her fro m seeming pitiable. Because she is aware of the slipperiness of devolved courtly language, Marjeri is able to turn the tables on these tricksters, and, ironically, to keep her dignity intact. Though Marjeri is forced to succumb to Wilkin, she is able to manipulate courtly language, asserting that the seduction is her idea and claiming that her concern is for Wilkins well-being.Marjeri and Wilkin illustrate that, in order to be accessible to the rising bourgeoisie, the very(prenominal) nature of the system had to change, and its original intent was left ambiguous. As a literary device in the fabliau, courtly language devolves and becomes a citation for rich irony.