Look at that face!
Another intriguing point is how Mommy dearest became impregnated with our lovable Sir Gowther...shame on you Daddy for blaming infertility on Mommy and kicking her out. Now she’s gone done and slept with Satan! For all they know he could have been the infertile one. I imagine this has to do with the time period though, if a wife cannot bear any kids, she must be the infertile one. If it’s thought that a wife can’t become pregnant, is that grounds for an automatic divorce? Divorces didn’t really happen during this time, right? So I’m guessing there are very few reasons for the Pope, or whomever, to allow one to take place. I feel like we might have discussed this in class, but a refresher wouldn’t hurt in this instance(please).
Everyone on this show is adorable
I’m really glad the romance wasn’t a main focus of the story. We get an introduction to the silent girl, and then read how Sir Gowther was able to marry her off in the end, but to me it wasn’t a large portion of the story. This brought me immense joy. It was a nice deviation from the stories we have been reading thus far. I was actually a little glad for Gowther, he really proved himself. You go man, you go. Team Free Will.
I'm not even sorry
Okay, so I can't help with the divorce and infertility issue (although, I'm confident Sam will have the answer!). I do know that it wasn't uncommon for the woman to be blamed for not being able to produce a male heir. I mean, when isn't an issue the woman's fault (AM I RIGHT, MEN?).
ReplyDeleteI must say that although I didn't hate the story, I can't agree that it was better than some of the stories we have already read. It WAS nice not to focus so much on the relationship between a knight and his lady. It's not that I don't like stories about romantic relationship, it's just that the absence of love scenes gives us a better chance of avoiding reading about an unhealthy partnership.
I don't like Sir Gowther. I don't think he learned his lesson. Unfortunately, after reading the story for tomorrow, I've decided that we cannot escape from the theme of inequality.
To comment on the divorce thing, I'm pretty sure not being able to bear a child was adequate grounds for a dissolution of the marriage. Additionally, women were considered responsible for producing a male heir so if it didn't happen... it was due to some fault of their own.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the story overall, I enjoyed Gowther. I loved how the romance wasn't a main focus and all the evil in the beginning. It was different from the other stories that we've read and that was great! However, I have mixed feelings about Gowther. I don't particularly like him as a character even though he does seek forgiveness. However, I don't not like him either because, let's face it, he's a total beast and that's interesting to read about! In general I had a great time reading this story (even with the inequity and overplayed theme of forgiveness)!
I'm glad somebody liked this story. Nah, I'm playing. I really wish this story functioned more as a Supernatural episode. As cool as it is that Sir Gowther is part devil I wish I could see that personal conflict a little more. Like...at least with Sam you get episode upon episode where he is dealing with this information but for Sir Gowther he immediately goes to the pope to fix things. I would have liked some...option i guess? Like...he could have been Hellboy. HE COULD HAVE BEEN HELL BOY, DAMNIT!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Iris has to say about this as well, because I did not really get as much conflict as I was expecting to see as far as when he finds out, I mean he asks for forgiveness, but... then what? Kind of a let down about how his conflictions did not really seem to show by another plot twist of his own doing. I too agree that I was very happy that romance was not the main point of this tale. I needed a break.
ReplyDeleteCommenting late! So sorry.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this story, too. You make a good point when you say it's well-rounded. To me, it seemed like the most consummate medieval romance we've read. There's a good balance of fighting, romance, and, of course, redemption. That's why I enjoyed the story so much: we have a main character who is literally a hellspawn, but he's able to receive forgiveness anyway. A pretty big deal, if you ask me!
Thanks go to Hayley for the shout-out. I'll try my best with the divorce thing, although I'm not positive. You're fairly right when you say divorces didn't happen in the Middle Ages. They did, but they were pretty infrequent. A king could divorce his wife, and I think infertility was a possible reason; however, it's likely that the Pope and the Church preferred a more concrete offense. It's more likely that divorces due to infertility actually occurred under accusations of the wife's infidelity (whether she was faithful or not doesn't matter), an offense for which the Church would be more likely to grant a divorce. It's definitely worth researching, it seems!