Women in Ywain by Chrétien de Troyes

747 Words2 Pages

Women in Ywain by Chrétien de Troyes In Chrétien de Troyes' Ywain, women represent the moral virtue and arch of all mid-evil civilization. Women of this time had to be an object of love, which meant they had to have beauty, goodness, and be truthful. They had to be a representative of all chivalrous ideals. They also act as civilizing influences throughout the story. Women are put in the story to give men a reason for acting brave and noble. Men become knights in order to demonstrate to women that they are strong and capable of defending themselves against danger. This, they hope, will win the women's heart. In medieval times, the first-born son of a landowner is entitled to his father's estate, while other sons and daughters are not given anything. Knights are usually not the first-born son, and thusly do not receive any grants of land from their father. If a landowner only has a daughter, she becomes an heiress, and inherits her fathers land but has to find a husband to take over this land. A knight's dream is to marry a wealthy heiress, and become a landown...

Show More
Related

  • 'Women In Erec And Enide'

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women in Medieval times had a limited power because they were considered a minority to men. Most women were seen as a “holy” person because women could weave the life of knights between life and death; they were seen to have a connection to the other world. As well, women were a form of peacemaking between two kingships. Chivalric Romance continues this pattern of portraying a woman of simply being in the background. The audience is only shown the man/the knight point of view instead of a woman. However so, in “Erec and Enide”, the attention is shifting for the chivalrous knight to the beautiful and strong women, that is Enide. Through Enide’s eyes and mindset, the audience sees the portray of love and loyalty from women, what a knight in earlier

    Read More

  • The Grandmother in the Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

    2072 Words  | 5 Pages

    The characterizations of women have, throughout history, been one of the most problematic subjects in literary tradition. An extraordinary dichotomy has existed with women as being both the paragon of virtue and the personification of evil. Ancient Greeks feared women, and poets such as Hesiod believed the female sex was created to be the scourge of the gods and the bane of men (Fantham 39). Romans, on the other hand, incorporated tales of brave and virtuous women as an intrinsic part of their legendary history (219). Many Catholic saints, revered for their piety, were notoriously misogynistic (Dollison 106), and yet the church counted legions of holy women in the rosters of saints alongside their male counterparts. Despite much historical controversy as to the precise nature of women, none of this confusion seems to seep into the writings of George MacDonald, and there appears to be no conflict to MacDonald’s regard towards women in his female characters in The Princess and the Goblin. The character of the Grandmother in particular is one of the most complimentary fabrications of the figure of the mature female in literature. MacDonald created this fascinating construct of femininity by steeping the Grandmother not only in the arcane feminine symbols such as spinning, pigeons, and the moon, but also in his own concept of the ideal woman, as wise and compassionate as she is mysterious.

    Read More

  • Misogyny in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    1808 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women were always viewed as weak, dependent, and powerless in the Middle Ages. Not only is it a common view during that time period, but this also is often stereotyped labeled to women today as well. In the romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the hatred of women is portrayed throughout. However, while women are certainly looked down upon, they also are influential to the knights. This romance also portrays how a woman having different characteristics, could change the way she was viewed as well. Although women in the Middle Ages appeared to lack power, the women in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight have a hidden influence over the men and actually drive the action of the medieval romance.

    Read More

  • Marie de France’s Lanval and Laustic

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    Popular culture depicts Medieval chivalry as a glamorous and high time for women, with knights bending their knees in worship to them in Pre-Raphaelite paintings, and the fairness and virtue of women being celebrated in literature. Chivalry is often understood as the elevation of the lady fair, with men taking upon themselves the task of protecting and defending women. In fact, though, this was not an elevation of women but a limitation of their freedom and an undermining even of their intelligence and strength of will. Medieval chivalry, in essence, subordinated women to men while claiming to elevate women. In Lanval and Laustic, women are shown to have a subordinate status to men in three ways: being painted as temptresses, being subject to protection from men, and being subservient to orders from men.

    Read More

  • Comparing the Role of Women in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    533 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout both of these stories, we are told many tales about heroic men. Beowulf and Gawain encounter many obstacles, however, they prevail in the end. Weather women play an important role in the stories or not, they exist solely for the use of the men. If all of the women were removed from Beowulf, the plot would not be affected. Even though the women in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight play important roles, they were used as sexual objects. In both stories, women are being degraded, while men remain the heroes.

    Read More

  • Shamhat's Treatment Of Women In The Iliad

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    Like in Gilgamesh and the Iliad, women help encourage and influence the protagonists to be the heroes and protectors they are meant to be. Adventures and wars

    Read More

  • The Roles of Women During the Middle Ages Shown Through Beowolf

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    A nameless servant, bed mate to a war hungry lord, waits for her husband’s return; this is the average interpretation a modern day woman will have of women of the Middle Ages. As a woman of the Old English era, many believe that the influence of women was not valued. However, the relevance of culture is an important factor in the address of the typical female figure. While old tales depict more negative views on women such as, adulterous, hags or servants; females actually served a much greater and accepted purpose. Although it is inevitable that some women were not pardoned by men due to their discrepancies toward them, most women maintained dignity within the household. In the story of Beowulf the accepted roles of women revolve around remaining loyal and serving men.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Analysis

    2165 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Culture does not make people. People make culture” said Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer and educator, in a presentation on feminism in a TedTalk. The culture in which Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written was misogynistic and it shows in the writing of the poem. Medieval cultural misogyny manifests itself in multiple ways in SGGK. This paper will examine the negative relationships between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and gender by discussing: the representation of female characters, gendered violence, and Christianity in the Middle Ages.

    Read More

  • guinevere

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    Queen Guinevere is a strong presence in the Arthurian Legends. She is not only the mighty Queen of the infamous King Arthur, but she is also the lover to one of the most renowned knights of that time, Lancelot. She is also a perfect example of the juxtaposition of that society’s expectations and beliefs of women and men, and how that both shaped Guinevere as well as those who were around her. Her growth as both the Queen in King Arthurs court as well as the consort to Lancelot has aided in her development as a not only a majestic queen worthy of praise but also the alleged destructive force that caused the ruin and fall of the Round Table. I want to explore the dynamic of gender roles in Arthurian Literature, namely in Tennyson’s Idylls, and how those gender roles have influenced the rise and fall of an era.

    Read More

  • Passive Women in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales?

    1476 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is seen even in the first tale told – The Knight’s Tale – that the women portrayed within it are not passive at all, but, as previously stated, manage to persuade the males in charge to help them or do what they feel should be done. In the tale itself, the weeping of women is seen twice, and both times their weeping influences the men’s actions.

    Read More

  • The Role of Queen Guinevere in King Arthur and His Knights

    1119 Words  | 3 Pages

    She is the most perdurable female figure in King Arthur and his Knights. Without her the suspense and the plot flow could not have been achieved. Her influence has enabled her to penetrate into men’s world a trait that distinguishes her from the rest of the women. Knights are referred to as the queen’s knights. We could say the same of the ladies who accompany the queen and keep the knights in good company (pg.52) .Queen Guinevere, as the King’s wife, is acknowledged by males.

    Read More

  • Feminism, Anti-feminism and Adultery in the Lais of Marie De France

    1495 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the middle ages knights in every kingdom were expected to follow basic rules set forth by the code of chivalry. According to this code a knight was supposed to show all of the following characteristics; prowess, justice, loyalty, defense, courage, faith, humility, largesse, nobility and franchise. If a man showed these characteristics he was said to be a good "chevalier," a French word for knight (Burgess 1). Marie De France, one of the more well-known female writers of the medieval period, used the term "chevalier" quite often in her Lais when referring to respected male characters. Unfortunately for women, the code of chivalry also meant that women would be held at a lower status than men and traded between the men of the court. In the article "Chivalry and Prowess in the Lais of Marie de France," Glyn Burgess notes that "most of the characters in Marie's Lais belong to the upper classes, and thus issues of loyalty, service and expertise in battle and hunting predominate" (1). These men adhere to the code of chivalry. Sharon Kinoshita, the author of "Cherchez la Femme: Feminist Criticism and Marie de France's `Lai de Lanval'," takes the opposing position and argues that in Lanval, "the title character's ultimate rejection of chivalric society is an expression of Marie de France's feminism" (1). While some male characters in the Lais of Marie De France do indeed show elements of the chivalric code, Lanval goes against the code and is eventually praised for it. In Equitan and Laustic while some male characters adhere to the code of chivalry, in the same Lais, some men defy it. Kinoshita says Marie shows feminism in Lanval by having the male protagonist go against the code of chivalry. Unlike in Lanval, the characters...

    Read More

  • Knighthood Britain

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the beginning of the feudal system most lords had knights to fight for them in times of war. At first, the lords would supply horses and armor for these men, but as the cost of these goods rose, the knights would simply receive land (Scher 1). This is the circumstance, the need to purchase their own armor, that made more and more knights to come from wealthy, noble backgrounds and ultimately raise them above common people.

    Read More

  • The Knight In The Landowners Tale

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “The Knight's Tale “ Theseus ,Palamon ,and Arcite exemplify true characteristics of an ideal knight including chivalry ,honor, and kindness towards women , however in“The Landowners Tale “ Arveragus and Arcite demonstrate how a man should not act towards a women and how they lack chivalry and knighthood.

    Read More

  • Attitudes About Women In The Middle Ages

    131 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the Middle Ages, many different attitudes about women started to appear: Literature about women became more influential, due to the chivalric notion of courtly love. The Canterbury Tales, Le Morte Darthur and the Lais by Marie De France demonstrate this, with tales of knights, romances and beautiful women. However, despite women appearing more often in writing, it mustn’t be assumed that a new, respectful emphasis on women was being displayed; literature only depicts the ideals of the writer, or rather a minor percentage of society. Although these texts may show a slight change in attitude, the actual place of women in the medieval era was not likely to have endured a great deal of change. Some commonly perceived ideas about women that appeared

    Read More

More about Women in Ywain by Chrétien de Troyes

Open Document