Power Of Women In The Miller's Tale
The Feigned Power of Women
Courtly Love: A medieval European concept of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. To women, this was a life with a façade of power above men and men did all in their power to please. Perhaps there were positives, such as creating an overall respectable attitude toward women and providing a model for younger men on how to live, but it depicted some behaviors of men that are debatable. In medieval literature, courtly love allows women to be on a figurative pedestal above men, however, upon closer examination, the texts of The Miller’s Tale, The Great Silkie of Shul Skerrie, and Le Morte d’Arthur prove this ideology as completely fictitious.
The Miller’s Tale, the third story in William Chaucer’s, Canterbury Tales, portrays a glaring example falsifying this ideal. Alison, the main woman in the story, is portrayed as having “[a] body like …show more content…
In the latter, King Uther has sexual longings for the Duke of Tintagel’s wife, Igraine. To fulfill this, he asks Merlin for help, and in return, Merlin asks for the child that will be born as a result. From the onset, the woman, Igraine, has unquestionably no power over the fate of the baby, losing any control in that regard. Merlin, in order help the King trick Igraine, says, “ye shall be like the Duke her husband…” In a blatant lie to Igraine, King Uther deceitfully changes forms and pretends to be the Dutchess’ husband, who was killed off, and “…laid with Igraine more than three hours after (the Duke’s) death.” By manipulating and conning others, King Uther essentially raped Igraine, being that she believed he was another man, and got away with it. After hearing of the Duke’s death, Igraine “marveled who that might be that lay with her in likeness of her lord; so she mourned privily and held her peace,” otherwise saying she got outsmarted and was used by King
Courtly Love: A medieval European concept of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. To women, this was a life with a façade of power above men and men did all in their power to please. Perhaps there were positives, such as creating an overall respectable attitude toward women and providing a model for younger men on how to live, but it depicted some behaviors of men that are debatable. In medieval literature, courtly love allows women to be on a figurative pedestal above men, however, upon closer examination, the texts of The Miller’s Tale, The Great Silkie of Shul Skerrie, and Le Morte d’Arthur prove this ideology as completely fictitious.
The Miller’s Tale, the third story in William Chaucer’s, Canterbury Tales, portrays a glaring example falsifying this ideal. Alison, the main woman in the story, is portrayed as having “[a] body like …show more content…
In the latter, King Uther has sexual longings for the Duke of Tintagel’s wife, Igraine. To fulfill this, he asks Merlin for help, and in return, Merlin asks for the child that will be born as a result. From the onset, the woman, Igraine, has unquestionably no power over the fate of the baby, losing any control in that regard. Merlin, in order help the King trick Igraine, says, “ye shall be like the Duke her husband…” In a blatant lie to Igraine, King Uther deceitfully changes forms and pretends to be the Dutchess’ husband, who was killed off, and “…laid with Igraine more than three hours after (the Duke’s) death.” By manipulating and conning others, King Uther essentially raped Igraine, being that she believed he was another man, and got away with it. After hearing of the Duke’s death, Igraine “marveled who that might be that lay with her in likeness of her lord; so she mourned privily and held her peace,” otherwise saying she got outsmarted and was used by King