Sir Gowther

I found this story very hopeful and satisfying.  It’s like rooting for the underdog; it’s enjoyable to see people make a come back.  The beginning was a little rough.  They definitely made sure to let the reader know that this was the devil’s son.  The things he did were a tad disturbing to probably everyone; however, I feel like the goal was to try to upset Christians in particular.  I did appreciate Gowther’s intelligence though.  When the old earl came to him about being the devil’s son, he was horrified and went straight to his mother for the truth.  He could have been in denial about it, or ignored it, or just not cared, but he listened to what was being said to him and immediately did something about it.  I feel like that’s a rare thing in medieval romances. 

I also thought the falchion played a pretty important role.  The falchion was a big part in all of the damage he created in the beginning of the story, so it has a negative connotation to it.  While reading, I didn’t understand why the Pope wasn’t more forceful about taking it away from him.  I think while Gowther made a complete transformation by the end of the story, the one thing that didn’t change was that the falchion remained by his side.  Not to mention that the falchion was what helped him through his transition from a devil to a saint.  It helped him fight in the battle to save the captured king.  He became a hero for those people.  The falchion had the power to make him a devil as well as a hero, and all it took was his changed attitude. 

He did go through a good amount of punishment though.  I give him props for not giving into the food that was offered to him or talking to anyone.  He was literally treated like a dog, but he stuck it out.  If you think about the type of crimes Gowther committed at the beginning, it included crimes through both his actions and his words.  Actions like killing people and burning buildings, but also using threatening words, like when he was speaking to his mother about his parentage.  It makes sense that the Pope would assign him two punishments to endure: one that involved an awful action and another that wouldn’t allow him to speak.  They were suiting to what he had done. 

I liked the ending, as well.  It may have been a little over the top because everything turned out so perfectly, but the beginning was over the top in how horrible Gowther was.  So the ending balanced the story out.   

Emare'? Egare'? Teach Me Your Ways

So, I'm a little late, but I've decided it's worth writing a blog anyway.

I was a big fan of this story. I mean, after all of the stories we have read about men killing each other over a beautiful woman, it was nice to not see any bloodshed. Why haven't the knights in other stories decided to fix their problems this way? And why haven't more of the beautiful maidens had the moxie to say no? (I know the answers to these, of course. But It's still important to consider!).

In Caitlyn's last post, she said something about a story being predictable--about the inevitability of marriage in Jane Austen's stories. This story reminded me of Jane Austen as well--but for a different reason. I couldn't help but to think of how satisfying it is to hear a woman say no to a marriage proposal in Austen's writing. This story's marriage denial had the same affect on me.

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAYQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Feverydaylife.globalpost.com%2Fdeny-marriage-proposal-14815.html&ei=IxsvVcmBCcqIsQSQk4CwCA&bvm=bv.91071109,d.cWc&psig=AFQjCNGrrXgkShrW9EUIutcuHyCxberjoA&ust=1429236891304136

Imagine this picture, but with the guy being significantly older than the woman. And also, imagine them looking alike since it is the father who is proposing (just in case you forgot how creepy that is to people reading this today).

I know a lot of people will be blogging/talking about their feelings toward the Emare' in this story. I think it's great that we a female protagonist. I have a really good feeling that people will be disappointment with her character because she eventually married (this is something which has come up in other classes, so I'm just assuming). In which case, I will have to agree. And if nobody holds this claim, I will hypothetically agree with an imaginary classmate.

I think it's fantastic that Emare chooses to marry someone she loves. Pining for the person she loves when she is away, does not make her weak. The woman has sailed across the ocean twice, people! Without food! Or water!
I'm glad she has found someone to share a life with, even it they were parted for seven years. I think she deserves a happy life more than most!

Monster in law

This story interested me. While it wasn't my favorite, it was nice to see a female character take the lead. However, there were some things that, if I were Emare, I would have done differently. For example, Emare's father banished her to the sea just because she would not marry him. First of all, that's messed up, and second of all, ew. Just ew. Incest is not cool...

Overall, I think of Emare as a very strong character because she finds the ability to forgive her father and on top of that survive everything she went through. I think she deserved to have a happy ending, and I am very pleased that she got it.

I was a little curious about how Emare's mother in law was unforgiven, and yet Emare's father was. Sure she tried to get in between their love and break it apart, but if you think about it, what Emare's father did was far worse. I mean you could just simply ignore her whereas Emare was punished for not listening to what her father wanted. I guess I kind of get it though... her father was remorseful while the mother in law was not. Some people just have to have their own way and throw a tantrum of sorts if they do not. Monster (I mean mother) in laws...you can't live with them but you can't live without them.

Great story with some weird concepts.

I ain't with this because I'm a man crap

You know, I was actually excited about this story because Emarè was a speaking female character for like, two seconds. I was happy for those two seconds. Granted it was in order to tell off her father for being a incestuous pervert but I WAS HAPPY DAMNIT! So once my character turned out to only have like 10 lines of speech I flipped to another problem.

How long has the excuse of masculinity been a thing? Like really, you had no higher brain function to take a second to realize that boning your daughter wasn't the best idea? I wouldn't take that shit for free, EVEN THOUGH ITS THROWN OUT ALL THE TIME. And I really hope we aren't meant to feel sorry for the empower because he felt bad about banishing his daughter after the rejection rage wore off.

This shit still happens. This is why women smile and laugh at creeps because who knows if they're going to kidnap you and ship you off to sea. (Ahahajahahahaha, jk. They'll probably just rape and murder instead.) It's an excuse I just flat out don't get or respect. Like why is is exuseable to use lust to get away with trying to marry your daughter. WHY!?

I guess this story just soured for me after that because the rhymes for her beauty and the king of Wales falling for her were the same as when her father looked at her and it just really bugged me overall. It was just a controlling, claiming, and weird. 0/10 would now read again.

The Fluffiest Story Yet

So I actually thought that this was a pretty heart-warming tale. For once it had a man who didn’t jump to conclusions or make rash decisions out of anger. Well, the King of Wales didn’t but the emperor sure did. I mean, he cast his daughter out to sea with only her embroidery because she wouldn’t marry him, and then burst into tears after realizing what he had done.

But anyway, back to the king. He repeatedly ignored the tricks that people were trying to play on him, and instead stood by Emaré and the decision he had made to marry her. The first time this happened was when his own mother tried to tell him that she was nothing more than a fiend in a noble robe. But he didn’t even believe this for a second and instantly shot her down. In any other story he probably would have actually cared about what his mother said and have at least respected her, but not here.

                The next time is more impressive as he was tricked by a false letter. This time he did believe what was said about Emaré birthing a devil, but instead of abandoning or executing her and the child, he tells them to give her whatever she wanted. To me this is really surprising. You can tell just how religious everyone is by all of the references in the story, and you would think that such a devote disciple would have had a stronger reaction to the news of his wife birthing a devil. But nope! He bemoans his luck for a little bit but then decides that he loves his wife more and won’t let this come between them. That is some strong devotion right there.

                And then the ending was a sweet little reunion that  while nice, left me thinking “there is no way that all three of them would go to Rome and accidentally run into each other”. Still a good ending though, so whatever.

Always The Bridesmaid Never the Bride

Title is in reference that I never get EVERYTHING I want from a story... but ohhh so close.

I have never felt so unsatisfied. I know the ending is supposed to be happy, and I am happy that everything ended up well for Emare. However, her father’s desires for her kept popping into my head. About three-fourths into the story, I decided that karma would seriously bite the Emperor in the butt.

I guess I was wrong…

I appreciate Emare’s character, and I love how she is able to endure hardship after hardship and still be a loving person. Her romance with the King of Wales is one of the most pure to me out of all the stories we have read. (He didn’t fall in love with her from a tower, sexually harass her, or steal her from another marriage.) Minus her ship story, I feel like their meeting and marriage is the most similar to a possible modern courtship scenario.

(I know Can't Hardly Wait did follow this script, but I imagine wales was focused in on Emare just like that.)

1.)    Meet at a party

2.)    Ask friends and family about their opinions

3.)    Tell family, but respectfully reject their input

4.)    Pursue!

I feel like they have a mutual respect for each other. The only reason why shit goes down the way it does is because the King has a crazy mother. Even after being separated for so long, the King and Emare still love each other. At the end, the King and Emare happily reunite, the King sees and loves his son, and he exiles his crazy mother.

But then….

The Emperor, who banished his daughter because she wouldn’t marry him, comes around because of a guilty conscience and is forgiven…

I honestly enjoyed most of the story. I felt like despite the settings and what not… the love story is relatable. The beginning made me angry, but the rest of the story made up for it… except for the end. There needs to be justice. The King exiled his mother for trying to destroy his family. Does a parent who desires his daughter and puts her in harm’s way not deserve equal punishment? Ultimately, it is Emare’s loving nature that allows her to forgive her father.

My perfect ending would be:

… The emperor grows old. He reaches out to his daughter, but Emare tells him that he is dead to her. He feels so guilty for everything that he has done… and moves on to a boat rocking on top of the crashing waves… sobbing day and night until his death.

(Or can one of these guys do something in the name of Justice???)

However, I realize that there is a deeper message in this story, which is perhaps why religion is referenced in the beginning and the end. Perhaps this story is about mercy and forgiveness. The King shows mercy to his mother by not executing her, and Emare forgives her father.

Insestious beginnings but Happy Ending??

            OK so can we all agree that INSEST is really weird and Nasty!! The fact that Emare’s father wanted to marry her after the death of his wife and just based on the fact that Emare is gorgeous. That does not give him a good reason to be interested in his DAUGHTER!!

 

So just because he is mad that she says NO to him he decides to be a child and put her on a boat with no food and just let her possibly DIE at sea. What kind of father is that?? I’m sorry that your daughter doesn’t want to marry her daddy. She actually wants a good life and to find her own love.

 

 

            I don’t know about you but I don’t think any daughter in her right mind would want to marry her daddy unless she is in one of those cultures/ communities that encourage incest. You know the ones that believe you should, “keep everything in the family” or by marrying your cousin you are “keeping your family line pure.”

            Luckily she survives being at sea for a week and gets to an island safely and happens to fall in love with the king of the island who eventually marries her.

 

 

 Even though his mother thinks Emare is a devil. After the wedding the king has to leave for France and Emare has their son who her mother-in law thinks is a monster. If her mother in law just let everything be there would not be any problems. So the high and mighty mother in law decides to forge letters to her son and spread lies because she doesn’t want her precious baby boy to be married. Eventually the monster- in law gets her way and gets rid of Emare and her son.

 

 

            Off to sea again Emare starts living in Rome with her baby boy for 7 years. Then when her husband gets back to his island he learns how crazy his mama is and decides to finally get rid of her before the King just so happens, by chance, to arrive in Rome. Where he eventually gets his wife and son back in his life. In the end everything turns out well. Emare even forgives her ancient dad for what he did and have a great feast.

 

 All in all I really liked this story even though I wanted to just throw the mother- in law off a bridge or send her off in a boat without anything and see what happens to her.

 

 

 

Okay, can we agree that the parents be fuckin’ up here? Crazy.

Okay, can we agree that the parents be fuckin’ up here? Crazy.

            Okay, when I was reading this, to say the least, INTERESTING story Emare I thought I was reading a child’s mentality, within a grown man’s body trying to pretend to be an adult and serve out the most ridiculous punishment known to man. And all was because he daughter, I repeat, his DAUGHTER refused to marry him?!?!? It is one thing to send your disobedient child to their rooms, or even taking away their cell phones or something, but no; “No food or water! No money, and here’s a boat. Sail away from me at once!!!!” Great parenting there buddy. Don’t ground her or anything.

 

            And now we have this mother-in-law to Emare that has me really irritated. Basically acting completely corner-working maiden-like, enticing the messenger with her clad self, and then changing the letter after their activities telling her own son that his wife gave birth to a monster, really unnecessary. Unfortunately for me and the way my brain works, all I could picture was Rapunzel’s fake mother, and her song “Mother Knows Best” kept running through my head. Welp, can never watch that movie again. No sir-e-Bob.

            Personally, I have never read a tale such as this really, especially with an incest motive by one character, weird. But one thing that I can sit back and appreciate in this tale is the newness in itself. I did not really see too many connections to what we have been reading to our ideals of medieval romance, with the exception of seeing a beautiful maiden and an almost immediate proposal, and the devastation that came to the rejection. But again, the incest motive was quite new. This was the first tale I found myself almost equally frustrated with having to read Middle English, simply because I could not understand the actions taken by these people. But hey, still kept me interested right? Right. Good.

Emare: A Girl who goes Through

 The story of Emare is one for the books. This story was so odd that it was very good. Emare was a bright and beautiful girl. After her mother dies , her own father seeks out to marry her because she has grown into such a beautiful woman. Now that's a twist right there. I believe that this is the first time where the king is not only a pedophile but this is incest! Its kind of creepy that he falls in love with his own daughter! But thank the Lord she has a brain and refuses the proposal but, the king gets in his feelings and sends her adrift on a boat! Somebody is mad because that they didn't get the person they so called "loved".

Mother in- Laws can be so evil sometimes. After the wedding of Emare to the king of the island she washed up on and also the birth of her son, the king leaves and Emare is left in the hands of his men to be protected. Now the king sends a letter to remind his men to keep watch over her, but his own MOTHER gets the letter and responds to him with lies. His mother already thinks that she's the devil. But then again most mother of sons thinks that nobody is good enough for their own son. She writes her son that Emare gave birth to a monster and now Emare and her baby is set adrift again!! Why couldn't the mother just mind her own business! Because of her interference she has put Emare through another trip and even though she was caught by her son, I believe that she feels no regret in doing what she did.

 



 Emare has lived a life of travels in this story. But never once she really complained or sought out revenge against the evil mother of her husband. She was reunited with her husband after he waited and cried for seven years to finally go after her. But family is family and she also reunites with her father and they live happily ever after. I am glad that even after all that Emare goes through she still has a happy ending with her son, husband, and father as one big happy family.

Perseus, Is That You? You Look . . . Different

            What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is a tale from yesteryear re-plated, re-seasoned, and served up with steaming hot newness.

            In all seriousness, though, “Emaré” strongly reminds the reader of stories he or she may have heard in his or her childhood. Perhaps the Perseus myth rings a bell? Here, a woman is cast to sea for disobeying her lord, only to be cast away with her son a second time due to the deceit of another woman. Those two qualities, with a few details rearranged, almost perfectly align with the beginning of Perseus’ story. Moreover, Perseus’ stepfather is named “Arcrisius,” while the grandfather of Segramore, Emaré’s son, is “Artyus.” The writer definitely knew what he or she was doing there.

            The thing that sets this story apart, though, is its inherent Christian quality, and not just because its primary characters are Christians.

            Although many of the characters in the story are Christian, their actions are not. Artyus tries to wed and bed his daughter, with whom he falls passionately in love after his wife dies, and the Pope permits it. That’s the part that surprised me the most, and I’ll come back to that later. On top of their deeds, the King of Wales marries Emaré and disobeys his mother, who in turn attempts to have Emaré and Segramore killed. (We can debate whether the Welsh are Christians in this story, but the fact that the king assists France with defending against the Saracens hints at a shared faith, which would be Christianity. It also hints at a totally Moor-dominated Spain, which sets this story soundly in the 700s to 900s A.D., when Wales was Christian.) It’s clear many of the characters start off pretty lousy.

The benefits of also getting a B.A. in History...

            They are saved, first, by their desire to repent and, second, by their reconciliation to one another without external persuasion. When the King of Wales decides to repent and go to Rome to do penance, it’s crucial that he never actually sees the Pope. Instead, he lodges with a man named Jordan, where his long-lost wife and son, Emaré and Segramore, are staying. Around the same time, Artyus comes to do penance for (he believes) killing Emaré by exiling her the first time, but he also never sees the Pope. He, too, ends up lodging with Jordan, Wales, Emaré, and Segramore, with all but Emaré unaware of their relationships.

 

This is what happens when you approve of incest.

            Salvation comes when they discover each other and Artyus and Wales apologize for how Emaré was wronged because of them. Importantly, they don’t need the Pope to repent, showing that they don’t need a legalistic doctrine to seek salvation, which is a crucial concept in Christianity: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10.9). This is how Perseus’ myth becomes reframed and more Christian. “Religion” and “being good” don’t save the characters, but rather a desire to repent brings redemption. Interestingly, the host’s name is also Jordan, reminiscent of the River Jordan that the Israelites crossed to reach the Promised Land. Like it, he is a facilitator to happiness, peace, and redemption.

            In the end, there is no killing or vengeance, as in Perseus’ myth. The characters’ love for one another is restored, and they continue in perfect happiness. It’s like the bliss of heaven has come to them, similar to the arrival of the Holy Spirit in Christian tradition.

"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth..."

***

Additional Works Cited

The New King James Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982. Print.