Antifeminism in Medieval Literature Essay

Literature passim the middle ages was often extremely antifeminist, in great snappered part due to the patriarchal personality of cabaret and the omit of female writers. Women were portrayed as unsavoury temptresses, whose very existence revolved around make homo misery. This style of writing is strongly demonstrate in The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the car park Knight where Geoffrey Chaucer and the pull together Poet render characters to strongly reinforce the sentiment. These writers apply historical and mythologic eccentrics, as well as The master copys Lady, and Alyson, the married woman of bathing tub, to portray womens loathsome nature.In The Wife of Bath, the fifth husband of Alyson owns a agree filled with examples of women of poor character. Unlike Sir Gawain and the jet plane Knight, they stick from each of history, including Socrates, Sampson, and Hercules along with numerous others, and how their wives and lovers betrayed them. In Sir Gawai n and the parking area Knight, the examples of uncorrectable women are solely biblical. In Sir Gawain and the commons Knight, Gawain first mentions Eve, the original sinner, who, later on being tricked by the serpent, went on to poison Adams theme also.She ca phthisisd man to be cast out of the tend of Eden, for women to suffer in childbirth, and for man to have to puddle the ground to produce food (NKJV, Gen. 3). Solomon is next mentioned, the man whom God gifted with riches and great wisdom. Indeed, Solomon did theorise I find more bitter than wipeout the woman whose heart is snares and nets (NKJV, Ecc. 7. 26), simply he also praises the good wife, telling man to live joyously with the wife whom you love (NKJV, Ecc. 9. 9). One of the wisest man Who does non know the rehearsal of Sampson and Delilah? Only the lese majesty of Judas is better known.Delilah caused Sampson to be imprisoned, and his eyes to be poked out after he foolishly certain(p) her (NKJV, Judges 16). Lastly, in that respect is Bathsheba, who make a man after Gods own heart to sin. This last example is extremely questionable, as Bathshebas minor sin of being indecently candid can non be blamed for the terrible actions David committed (NKJV, second Sam. 11). Certainly there are many examples of virtuously up powerful women throughout history and in the Bible, only Chaucer and the Pearl Poet do not seek these out, quite choosing to reinforce the antifeminist sentiment popular at the time.deuce of the three women mentioned in Sir Gawain and the putting green Knight begin to corrupt the noble Gawain. Morgan Le Fey, after auditory modality of his renown, sends the Green Knight to attempt to put a blemish on Gawains stalwart reputation. condescension being sent with such evil intentions, the Green Knight makes it clear he wished only to sample Gawains morals, rather than having any malicious intent. The Pearl Poet seems to go out of his way to exonerate the Green Knight, whi le making Morgan Le Fey and The clerics Lady out to be extremely ignoble individuals.The Lords Lady entered Gawains chambers all(prenominal) aurora, essentially holding him hostage, as it would have been uncomely to be seen undressed in front of a lady. She then began to use his honor and courteousness against him. Honor bring down for a knight to do almost anything a lady asked, and the Lords Lady used this fact at every opportunity. She showered Gawain with compliments, fawned over his achievements, and asked him to school her of love. When he still ever so politely put off her advances, she scolded him for being cold and stern.She insisted he kiss her, first upon leaving, then upon seeing her, perpetually working to get closer to him. Her persistence after Gawain had made it clear octuple times that he would not be tempted, reveals a severe lack of a conscious. It is not unnatural to be tempted, and many will even act upon a temptation, but the Lords Lady made a great b owel movement to commit fornication. She has no qualms over the sinful nature of her actions, as morning after morning she tenaciously pursued Gawain. Women were represented as temptresses, who will only cause men to sin and lower themselves.The Lords Lady from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an example used to reinforce the antifeminist sentiment popular during the time. Alyson, the Wife of Bath, makes the actions of the Lords Lady seem trivial. She proves herself to be extremely temperamental, manipulating, backwards, selfish, lewd, and all around amoral. Alyson began in the prologue of her tale by quoting examples from the Old Testament of men who had multiple wives as her defense for having had five. She states that God made no mention of the number of husbands a woman should have, so why should men make anything of it?However, later in the text, when others quote scripture, she gives not a gnat. Alyson was willing to use whatever she could to justify her argument, and dis miss the same ancestor when it didnt suit her. She worked tirelessly to manipulate her husbands for whatever she wanted. She gained all of her three old husbands riches, and laughed at how pitifully they struggled to please her. For as she said, I have the military group during all my life over his own body, and not he. Her fifth husband was a villain and the only one who was indifferent to her.He stood a chance against her, but only for so long. eventually she gained dominion over him as well, after her bullheadedness outlasted his and he gave her leave to do as she pleased. Indeed, as she states in her tale, a womans sterling(prenominal) desire is dominion over her husband. While she desire her husbands money and power, she desired elicit even more. She makes it clear that she will work at her husband and not desist until he is some(prenominal) her debtor and her slave. She will use her smiling instrument to give it to her husband both morning and night, as freely as my m aker it sent.She made her three old husbands work hard to fulfill their debt, and all her fifth husband had to do was brood with her for her to forget of all the wrong he had done. Her coercion with the act of wake up is nothing less than repugnant. As one index expect, she also condones adultery, prostitution, and even sex before marriage. She even goes as far as to compare a woman to a business firm item, to be tried out. When her husband committed adultery against her, she made him fry in his own grease for anger, and for pure jealousy, however she did the same with the clerk in a field.Once again Alyson reveals inconsistencies in what she believes is right for her and what is right for others. In the story she tells, a tender man who rapes a woman is essentially rewarded for the crime, march on reinforcing her skewed sense of right and wrong. She clearly believes she is higher up them, and that the consequences for her own actions should not apply. She proves to be ext remely selfish, not bothering to please her husbands after getting their land and their money. Further, she does not even mourn for her fourth husband, because she has already anchor someone to fuel her desires.All in all Alyson, the Wife of Bath, fulfills the role of the vile temptress to perfection. Chaucer created a character malignant and nearly evil in nature, which should strike fear into any man who might ever want to marry. With the creation of such incorrigible female characters with such noble male counterparts, there can leave little doubt most the stance of Chaucer and The Pearl Poet on antifeminism. The Wife of Baths Prologue and Tale, as well as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight provide ample amounts of support to the antifeminist stomp in medieval times.