Medieval Women and Sexuality Essay

Dame Sirith, arguably the earliest fabliau in English, has often been interpreted as a parody on cultivated love. Yet a mensurable analysis of the dialogues between Margery and Wilekin, the two lovers-to-be, exposes the alleged pervasiveness of the courtly tone of Wilekins wooing as a construct of the critics. The poets main concern lies preferably with the successful telling of a comic story and he relegates any courtly elements to a secondary position so as not to deliberate the narrative balance of the tale. As a consequence, they remain subordinated to the main comic event, i.e. the trick played on the young marital woman by Dame Sirith and Margerys subsequent change from a woman who would not sell herself at any price in the beginning, but who is in the end willing to conciliate anything to be swyved.The English aristocracy, the like the French, laid claim to courtly conduct as a distinctive criteria for the upper class. Likewise, both the comminute and the fabliau flouri shed among the English the romance serving to instill courtly ideals, and the fabliau serving to show social realities. The fabliau plot frequently focuses upon infidelity, and the sexual relationship between lovers is graphically revealed, thereby devaluing the idealistic conception that courtly love remain a private matter. For example, Marjerie insists that she will not deceive her husband on bed ne on flore. Her direct quotation to a physical consummation on flore or bed provides a sharp contrast to the removed, idealized verbiage of courtly genres.Dame Sirith seems to be base on fundamental elements of sexual deception and the inversion of social hierarchies particularly as constructed in marriage, as it targets and highlights weak and foolish women, the title character plays a go-between for a would-be lover named Wilekin and the married lady of his dreams, Margery. Sirith devises an elaborate ruse to convince the reluctantyoung wife, whose husband is away, to accept Wilek ins indecent proposal, a scheme that calls for a performing dog as well as a convincingnarrative. A mixture of mustard and pepper, ingested by the dog, makes it appear to weep opus the accompanying narrative sets up the duping.Sirith presents the drooping dog to Margery telling her that the dog is Siriths daughter, who, having refused the amorous advances of a clerk, was magically transformed into the lacrimose creature standing forward her Thenne begon the clerc to wiche / And shop mi douter til a biche(line 353-55). The narrative is convincing and the desired solving is achieved the bawd successfully dupes the gullible Margery into an affair with her client. Margerys character is a wife who has been left alone by her husband, the young womans marital status elides the marital infidelity so integral to Siriths trick. They show that disrespect the fabliaux apparent license, in fact they rely on the womans no and the mans forceful masculinity to counter her resistance So the t ension is great.The sexual encounter at the end of the tale is described with polite euphemisms in the analogues in Aesops version, for example, we are told that the young man fulfills his will, and the fierceness upon the moral is highlighted. Wilkin is set to begin with like a courting sort of guy, but the audience is gently pulled towards the fact that he is a social mounter indeed. On his way up the social ladder he would do anything, use all kinds of force needed. On the other hand theres Margery and her puzzling reaction to him, her moral values and purity. Hes idealised her as a person, shes untouchable because shes married, it meant more than in those days, like shes forbidden. Dame Sirith shows moralistic attitudes and not fundamental human values that are at stake.To see Margerys one set of precepts, namely be faithful to your husband,being abandoned in complete favour of another, obviously more fundamental one, namely keep your human form, need not raise a moral dilemm a or cause emotional anguish to the reader? It makes me think intimately the power dynamics being excercised on love and desire during the end of that period in history and how the desire to control such emotions, feelings, desires, thoughts crossed with practices of witchcraft. A power witch whitethorn beat to make a man desire her for unacceptable forbidden sexual activities and makes me wonder really who is blamed for the existenec of such desires? Who should be and is punished for participating in such activites? Who is excused and how? Who is the victim? Are we, as womantoday, accused of similar powers that excuse men of certain actions?The secrecy of the affair is considered shameful and tuppeny by Marjeri, as it was not in courtly literature. She is ever faithful until she learns it may effect her by witchcraft thats when her vanity emerges. Furthermore, she claims to love her husband, and married love clearly is not part of the courtly system. Twelfth century work served to codify proper conduct for courtly lovers, specifically states that Love cannot detect any rights of his between husband and wifeand in the canonized romance, marriage is seldom an issue between lovers. You see the plot frequently focuses upon infidelity, and the sexual relationship between lovers is graphically revealed, thereby devaluing the idealistic notion that courtly love remain a private matter.Marjeris behavior towards Wilkin, which so clearly mimics courtly behavior, may seem especially puzzling to the reader attempting to reduce her language to univocal meaning. Perhaps she is simply too innocent to understand the implications of the language she employs. She may not be aware that her willingness to do or her statement that she is ful fre could be interpreted by Wilkin as a clear indication that she will admit him sexual favors. But really more likely, we should recognise Marjeri fitting the typical fabliau stereotype of a young, lusty, bourgeois wife, well aware of t he plays of meaning in the language she employs. If we see her in this light, then her behavior towards Wilkin seems especially flirtatious, even a little cruel. She uses her language with him as a weapon to gain control and in fact her role as victim is minimized as she proves to be as calculating as her attacker.Certainly, a traditional courtly lover, would be more persistent and more patient, suffering over the ladys rejection and growing pale and sickly in the butt on. The audience may begin to alter its expectations about the tale, from one that presents courtly ideals to one that mocks those ideals by contrasting them with social realities.Though Wilkin mimics the conventions of courtly conduct, he can never truly embody them. Rather than lamenting his passing play in romance fashion, he takes a direct approach, seeking the assistance of the dame. Wilkin confesses that he is lovesick for Marjeri, and the old woman agrees to devise a trick to succor him Though courtly love i n the romance may result in a sexual union, sex is always treated discreetly. The focus is upon the process of earning theaffections of a lover not upon the physical act. However, in this fabliau, the concept of courtly love is reduced to immediate sexual gratification.The story that Dame Sirit concocts about her weeping dog is used as a trick to make Marjeri have sex with Wilkin, and the result is more akin to rape than love. As a result of the yarn, Marjeri succumbs to Wilkin against her will, for she fears being changed into a weeping bitch. Its odd, and funny in a way, that she thinks if she gives into him and becoming perhaps a metaphorical bitch is better than being changed into a real one to do the deed instead of being turned. However her earlier flirtatious behavior indicates her awareness of the newly ironic language she employs and keeps her from look pitiable. Because she is aware of the slipperiness of devolved courtly language, Marjeri is able to turn the tables on th ese tricksters, and, ironically, to keep her dignity intact. Though Marjeri is forced to succumb to Wilkin, she is able to manipulate courtly language, maintain that the seduction is her idea and claiming that her concern is for Wilkins well-being.Marjeri and Wilkin illustrate that, in order to be accessible to the rising bourgeoisie, the very nature of the system had to change, and its original innovation was left ambiguous. As a literary device in the fabliau, courtly language devolves and becomes a source for rich irony.