An Analysis Of The Saith Bracy

Just as how Geraldine’s arrival marked an appearance of homosexual desire, it also marks the entrance of disability. Upon her entry, Geraldine is described as a “weary woman, scarce alive” (95). She claims to be disoriented, neither able to decipher the passage of time nor trusting what she hears, such as the “sounds … of a castle bell” (101). Whether Coleridge is attempting to imply that Geraldine’s disorientation has descended into some form of madness is unclear (though her “unsettled eye” insists that it has), but Geraldine’s inability to walk quickly and her tendency to “[sink], belike through pain” insist that she is hurt in some shape or form (though she seems as if “she were not in pain” just a few lines later) (129-34; 208). The amalgam
This excerpt makes it clear that Geraldine’s position is an unstable one. While the term “stealth” attracts connotations related to secrecy and duplicity, it can also insinuate a need for protection or privacy. To actively pass as straight or non-disabled in a society is to understand that dominant norms exist, and that certain beings do not naturally fit into the molds presented. In this case, dominant norms are not only present, but being reinforced by individuals of society, such as Saith Bracy. Sir Leoline’s unwillingness to sympathize with his daughter upon non-normative actions only strengthens the scrutiny of the environment. In light of as much, Geraldine’s reaction to the surveillance surrounding her may expose her duplicitous and villainous nature, but it also presents her as more socially cognizant in comparison to characters such as Christabel who are unable to stifle certain portrayals of frailty. Geraldine’s multiplicity of identity is a direct move against the “pain and rage” which Sir Leoline feels in response to Christabel’s “dizzy trance/[as she stumbles] on the unsteady ground/[and shudders] aloud, with a hissing sound” (642; 591-3). The audience remains aware that Geraldine mimicked such shuddering while undressing before Christabel, but understands that she is safe from Sir Leoline’s damnation and dishonoring because of her ability to pass. A nuanced understanding of stealth, then, as provided by this analysis, shows that while passing can signify something sinister, it also represents an attempt to protect one’s self from acts of violence and aggression, as well as to preserve one’s possibly upward mobility in society. Stealth remains relevant in texts such as “Christabel” because it aids