Since we talked a little about Merlin on Thursday, I wanted to talk a little bit further on Merlin’s relationship to Silence. At first, the two just seem like rivals. Silence is supposed to capture Merlin and bring him back to the king. However, the two have similar qualities, and their actions mirror one another through the course of the poem.
First, both have innately superior qualities hidden by a more mundane front. Silence is the most beautiful creature that Nature has ever created, and her disguise, although it doesn’t hide all of her beauty, does dull it down a little, making her beauty less noticeable but her nobility still apparent. Merlin possesses magical powers which allow him to predict the future. The divine gift of foresight is hidden within the human exterior. Both characters have divinity, beauty or power, disguised by “normal” appearances.
Silence and Merlin both inhabit worlds which are not their own. Silence moves of her own volition, from being a minstrel to jousting tournaments to court. The masculine world in which Silence can move about freely is not the natural world her nature would have her inhabit. Similarly, Merlin also makes a crossover into a world he does not normally inhabit, which is the society of people. In both cases, they are able to display a unique understanding about their surroundings. Merlin, although not appearing to understand much about the social reactions appropriate to the different social situations he views, makes an appearance at court and shows more loyalty to the king than anyone else. Silence excels in every aspect of court life despite the unnaturalness of her being there.
Also, the two both reveal a truth about themselves that contradicts what we originally think about them. Merlin reveals that he knows more about the goings-on at court despite his being so cut off from court society. Despite his perhaps beastly appearance, Merlin understands more about the court than the authority, the king. Silence also reveals a truth about herself which no one else knows. That is of course, her relationship to Gorlain.
Silence and Merlin act similarly, and it makes me wonder what exactly Heldris was trying to accomplish with their similarities. Is it that despite their somewhat “deceitful” exteriors, they both act in the best interest of the king? Both Merlin and Silence, in their subversive actions, are both legitimized and not othered? Heldris certainly presents some strange views on Othering with Silence and Merlin.
Also, just in case anyone is interested, I found some neat links. One’s to an online beastiary: The Aberdeen Bestiary
And some other information on illuminated manuscripts: guided manuscript tours
Showing posts with label Silence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Silence. Show all posts
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Silence Embodying Masculinity
I really enjoyed Janel’s presentation and the emphasis she placed on how Silence is ‘othered’ not so much because she’s a woman dressed as a man, but because she is a woman ‘performing’ or fulfilling a masculine gender role. In the second section of the romance , I would venture to argue that Silence fully embraces, performs, and exhibits masculine behavior, even at the very end; this becomes apparent if we examine the narrator’s attitude towards women and how Silence’s actions contradict this attitude.
The narrator reveals his attitude towards women numerously throughout this poem, and it does not paint a pretty picture of them. Among them is the criticism he makes about a woman’s behavior or the intense emotions she is dictated by, when in ‘love.’ On page 183 the narrator states: “But her (woman’s) is not steadfast; it’s irrational and unstable. She loves and hates with equal ease.” Queen Eufeme embodies this particular idea, and illustrates the narrator’s words on page 245. On page 245, in the context of Queen Eufeme and the trap(s) she devises for Silence, the narrator tells us that for the Queen her ‘love was the same as hate.’ With all the misfortune that falls on Silence (threat of death in France, quest to find Merlin), there is never any mention that she/he hates the queen, even with all that she’s put her/him through. In addition to this, Silence acts in a way that ensures her ‘true nature’ will not be revealed, and the queen’s as well; her literal silence about the situation illustrates not only masculine behavior, as it is perceived in the book, for it tries to ‘not compromise the lady’s (Eufeme’s) position as queen,’ and attempts to protect the king from ‘shame.’ Moreover, returning to the narrator’s attitude on page 245, his words are literally echoed by Silence. On page 269, cornered by Queen Eufeme, Silence tells her, “What you call love is betrayal”; betrayal is an act of deceit or treachery, one could say, fueled by hate or an emotion that comes close to mirroring hate. Here is Silence not only talking as a man (narrator), but she seems to truly believe in what she says about the queen’s love; this may point to how she comes to embody a masculine perspective.
Although in battle Silence asks God to intervene, to help ‘strengthen what Nature has made weak,’ and despite her transformation in the end, it is the voice that Silence gains at the end that really determines her sex/masculine behavior. On page 301 the kind tells Queen Eufeme, “A woman’s role is to keep silent”; with the narrator’s attitude towards women in mind, this idea of literal ‘silence’ complicates the main character. One could argue that Silence in keeping ‘silent’ about the Queen’s advances and treachery, she is fulfilling a woman’s role: Yet, Silence exhibits masculine behavior when she states, “Nor do I care to keep silent any longer” (309). Interestingly enough, in revealing her ‘true nature’ she contradicts the notion that ‘a woman’s role is to keep silent.’ Silence undergoes a physical transformation, but has behaved and continues to behave in a masculine way until page 309: She re-defines the ‘woman’s role,’ and in the same instance exhibits masculine behavior. It is with the voice she gains at the end where masculine behavior, in the context of this poem, merges to a degree with feminine behavior.
Although Silence is a queen at the end, she still possesses ‘knightly’ or masculine attributes, embodying both a feminine and masculine ‘nature.’ Like Annie pointed out in her blog, “Silence,” precedes the story of Joan of Arc, a story that deconstructs fixed gender roles, and re-defines ‘woman.’ On a final note, even though Nature seems to win in the end, I wonder if she isn’t the only victorious? As Janel pointed out, Silence 'performs masculinity without being masculine,' though this changes at the end of the book. If Silence has been taught through Nurture, masculine behavior, and if she truly embodies this behavior in the end ( page 309) by ‘no longer being silent,’ and ensuring protection for herself from Queen Eufeme, both Nature and Nurture seem to be victorious.
The narrator reveals his attitude towards women numerously throughout this poem, and it does not paint a pretty picture of them. Among them is the criticism he makes about a woman’s behavior or the intense emotions she is dictated by, when in ‘love.’ On page 183 the narrator states: “But her (woman’s) is not steadfast; it’s irrational and unstable. She loves and hates with equal ease.” Queen Eufeme embodies this particular idea, and illustrates the narrator’s words on page 245. On page 245, in the context of Queen Eufeme and the trap(s) she devises for Silence, the narrator tells us that for the Queen her ‘love was the same as hate.’ With all the misfortune that falls on Silence (threat of death in France, quest to find Merlin), there is never any mention that she/he hates the queen, even with all that she’s put her/him through. In addition to this, Silence acts in a way that ensures her ‘true nature’ will not be revealed, and the queen’s as well; her literal silence about the situation illustrates not only masculine behavior, as it is perceived in the book, for it tries to ‘not compromise the lady’s (Eufeme’s) position as queen,’ and attempts to protect the king from ‘shame.’ Moreover, returning to the narrator’s attitude on page 245, his words are literally echoed by Silence. On page 269, cornered by Queen Eufeme, Silence tells her, “What you call love is betrayal”; betrayal is an act of deceit or treachery, one could say, fueled by hate or an emotion that comes close to mirroring hate. Here is Silence not only talking as a man (narrator), but she seems to truly believe in what she says about the queen’s love; this may point to how she comes to embody a masculine perspective.
Although in battle Silence asks God to intervene, to help ‘strengthen what Nature has made weak,’ and despite her transformation in the end, it is the voice that Silence gains at the end that really determines her sex/masculine behavior. On page 301 the kind tells Queen Eufeme, “A woman’s role is to keep silent”; with the narrator’s attitude towards women in mind, this idea of literal ‘silence’ complicates the main character. One could argue that Silence in keeping ‘silent’ about the Queen’s advances and treachery, she is fulfilling a woman’s role: Yet, Silence exhibits masculine behavior when she states, “Nor do I care to keep silent any longer” (309). Interestingly enough, in revealing her ‘true nature’ she contradicts the notion that ‘a woman’s role is to keep silent.’ Silence undergoes a physical transformation, but has behaved and continues to behave in a masculine way until page 309: She re-defines the ‘woman’s role,’ and in the same instance exhibits masculine behavior. It is with the voice she gains at the end where masculine behavior, in the context of this poem, merges to a degree with feminine behavior.
Although Silence is a queen at the end, she still possesses ‘knightly’ or masculine attributes, embodying both a feminine and masculine ‘nature.’ Like Annie pointed out in her blog, “Silence,” precedes the story of Joan of Arc, a story that deconstructs fixed gender roles, and re-defines ‘woman.’ On a final note, even though Nature seems to win in the end, I wonder if she isn’t the only victorious? As Janel pointed out, Silence 'performs masculinity without being masculine,' though this changes at the end of the book. If Silence has been taught through Nurture, masculine behavior, and if she truly embodies this behavior in the end ( page 309) by ‘no longer being silent,’ and ensuring protection for herself from Queen Eufeme, both Nature and Nurture seem to be victorious.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Our Hero(ine)
Let me be one of the first to say how refreshing it is to be back in a romantic narrative! I really enjoyed this text for the story and the ideas it induced. One of the most prominent questions that came to my mind while reading this text was this: if our protagonist is a noble woman dressed up as a knight, then what does this do to the othering of people in the story? Until this point, our heroes have basically been strong, Christian men of nobility and worthy knights. Though many of these men were othered because of their unusual amount of strength, this story is centered on a woman, a person initially othered before any actions occur. We are now confronted with an unusual character we call the hero (or heroine).
We begin the story of Silence with her father winning the hand of her mother after defeating a monster, the dragon. It is through the interruption of this monstrous creature that Cador and Eufemie become close and marry. In addition, it is poignant to note that in the tedious pages of tension between the two for what they believe is unrequited love, it is the woman who finally makes the first proclamation of love. This does not seem fitting after the formal modes of courtship we have read between other knights and maidens. So, this story begins with an unusual union that emasculates the male. This union allows for the birth of Silence.
In a similar manner to Alan de Lille’s writing, we have a confrontation to Silence by Nature and Nurture, two entities oddities in themselves attempting to place the protagonist on their side. Nature’s desire for Silence to “go to a chamber and learn to sew” (line 2528) is its determination to have Silence inside and away from the world. Nurture and Reason intervene as well, and help to stabilize Silence in this othered category. Silence proclaims, “I’m a young man, not a girl / I don’t want to lose my high position” (lines 2650-1). As we see here, the othering done to Silence is innate because of being born female. She decides to hide her femininity by being male, but her strength as a knight later in the text will other her once again.
Even when Silence meets the minstrels and journey’s off with them, he is othered in his actions. While performing he is the one who stands out among the minstrels as best. He is noted as being the performer rulers wish to hear and bringing in the most money.
Though Silence is attempting to fit into a false category, there is one place where he fails: in the meaning to his name. Silence rejects the silent way of life given to him as female. He rejects being silent when playing instruments for others and othering himself by creating the most beautiful music. Silence seems to other himself from his own name in the process. However, by not placing himself concretely into his own name, he does great things, and has progressed farther than he would have if known to be a female.
I would argue that this othered protagonist appears to critique the contemporary modes of conduct. Contrary to other heroes, Silence is othered in a way that is deemed, as “lower” than men. She elevates her status and by her accomplishments, she problematizes the notions of othering. It is interesting to note that this story is a precursor to Joan of Arc, who will historically other herself by not only being a female knight, but also leading the French to victory over the English.
We begin the story of Silence with her father winning the hand of her mother after defeating a monster, the dragon. It is through the interruption of this monstrous creature that Cador and Eufemie become close and marry. In addition, it is poignant to note that in the tedious pages of tension between the two for what they believe is unrequited love, it is the woman who finally makes the first proclamation of love. This does not seem fitting after the formal modes of courtship we have read between other knights and maidens. So, this story begins with an unusual union that emasculates the male. This union allows for the birth of Silence.
In a similar manner to Alan de Lille’s writing, we have a confrontation to Silence by Nature and Nurture, two entities oddities in themselves attempting to place the protagonist on their side. Nature’s desire for Silence to “go to a chamber and learn to sew” (line 2528) is its determination to have Silence inside and away from the world. Nurture and Reason intervene as well, and help to stabilize Silence in this othered category. Silence proclaims, “I’m a young man, not a girl / I don’t want to lose my high position” (lines 2650-1). As we see here, the othering done to Silence is innate because of being born female. She decides to hide her femininity by being male, but her strength as a knight later in the text will other her once again.
Even when Silence meets the minstrels and journey’s off with them, he is othered in his actions. While performing he is the one who stands out among the minstrels as best. He is noted as being the performer rulers wish to hear and bringing in the most money.
Though Silence is attempting to fit into a false category, there is one place where he fails: in the meaning to his name. Silence rejects the silent way of life given to him as female. He rejects being silent when playing instruments for others and othering himself by creating the most beautiful music. Silence seems to other himself from his own name in the process. However, by not placing himself concretely into his own name, he does great things, and has progressed farther than he would have if known to be a female.
I would argue that this othered protagonist appears to critique the contemporary modes of conduct. Contrary to other heroes, Silence is othered in a way that is deemed, as “lower” than men. She elevates her status and by her accomplishments, she problematizes the notions of othering. It is interesting to note that this story is a precursor to Joan of Arc, who will historically other herself by not only being a female knight, but also leading the French to victory over the English.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)