First off, why the Middle English? I mean come on! It was
such a pain; I literally had to go back and forth between the two books just to
make sure I understood everything…I know I know. I’m going to have to get used
to it anyways. Interestingly enough, I tried to make the accent and sound like
Dr. MB when she reading this…it didn't work out.
Now all that’s aside, onto the story. I actually enjoyed this
story. I thought I could have referenced what I was reading to myself. Not the
rape part! But about how much power the women held. First things first, why the
rape? Knights are suppose to be honorable and loyal, not rapist. Out of all the
acts he could have done, he rapes a random maiden that just so happen to be
walking past him? This part of the story is what helps trigger the power of
women.
So now, about his savor. Did you ever wonder why King Arthur
willingly gave the queen the power to decide on what to do with this knight?
This was pretty confusing and a turning point for me. The queen was nice enough
to give the knight a second chance. All the women in the court, the queen
included, wanted to give him another chance before he killed…but why? It was
confusing to me why the queen would even want to spare his life in the first
place. But! This is where the knight started to lose his power. He knew that he
committed a crime, and in order to gain his position back, he must follow
orders from a WOMEN. I loved this. She gave him a time limit that he must fulfill,
and boy did he make sure he got back in time to give a proper answer.
This whole thing about him learning a lesson, I believe that
he did. As a knight, he did keep his word with the old women. Even though he
was stunned by her request, he had no choice but to marry her. He really looked
down upon her because she was old and ugly, but was that really the case? The
old woman goes on and on about the choices she offers her husband. I wish she
had turned pretty and treated him differently just for him to get a taste of
his own medicine! In the end, he was the one willingly giving up his power to
his wife to make the decision for the marriage. He knew that by doing so, it is
her that help saved his life. Isn't it ironic that he told the queen that what
women desire the most is sovereignty and control over their husbands? Well! In
this case, he fell right into it.
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| Ugly ducklings need love too! |
I totally agree with you Sandy! Besides this story being in Middle English it was a good story overall! This is truly a tale of how women an have the power in certain situations. The knight was spared because of a women and in order for him to live he had to find out what women most desired. Now although he finds the answer and learned his lesson he kept his word and married the old women. I really wished that the knight would have looked past the old women's appearance because she did just save his life. In reality he did fell into what women wanted because he gave up his own power to his wife. Well lessened learned!
ReplyDelete-Ariana Moore
I agree with you as well Sandy, this middle English stuff is not the easiest thing for me to read, and my accent was not helpful nor anything near Dr. MB's. Oh well. I too thought it was a weird concept compared to what we have read so far in this class, given that the women seemed to have the control, and by control I mean it seemed like they had the power to rule the kingdom. Where is the King at? However I disagree in saying that by submitting to her request did he learn his lesson. I feel like this knight did nothing more than compromised to keep his head on his shoulders. Indeed, he fell right into the metaphorical trap of the answer that was given to him, but it seemed to me that women already had this in the first place if they were the ones in charge of this court and his sentencing. Just my opinion!
ReplyDelete- Rory Conklin
Middle English is hard! Especially using the ME dictionary. I actually did not know until today that the first letter should not be capital. This story is maybe about how the fate lies in the hands of women?? I feel like we do not get a personal connection to the knight because the main character is the wife. I had a hard time connecting with him. The more I read it, I am satisfied with the ending. That she had her choice to become beautiful. There was a compromise of some sort. So what if she gave him exactly what he wanted. That was her choice.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the knight could have had a little more punishment, meaning he shouldn't have gotten exactly what he wanted, BUT I also agree that he learned his lesson. So I guess I'm looking for a little more suffering on his part. He only did what he did because he wanted to save his own life, and yet he was still spared in addition to getting the "perfect" woman (if you will). I think there should be further punishment for his crime.
ReplyDeleteMiddle English is definitely challenging but also incredibly rewarding! It took me a while (a little over a semester) to really get into and become comfortable with reading the language, and even though it is still challenging, it has become much more enjoyable to read. As far as this story goes, I completely agree with Megan that I would have liked to see more suffering on the part of the knight. Okay, so he learns his lesson in the end... but what about his victim?! I realize the fate of the victim is in no way important to the story but as a modern reader I cannot get this out of my mind. The first few times I read this story I was so blinded by hatred towards the character of the knight and the ending of the tale, which I found as completely unsatisfactory, that I was left with a sour taste for it. Thankfully, after many more readings my feelings have changed and I now see other aspects of the tale that are significant and meaningful. Yet, I still wish the knight had undergone more suffering.
ReplyDelete