Okay, after spending a large chunk of my weekend trying to decipher
Middle English (I… still need a lot more practice), I think I have at least a
little idea of The Knight’s Tale and its themes/plots… which mainly just seem
to consist of two dudes fighting over a lady like she’s not an actual person
but a toy.
But on a serious note, I do think it’s interesting how Emelye
does kind of have an active role in the story at certain points, even if
neither Palamon or Arcite treat her like anything other than an object of their
affection. When Theseus wants to kill them, it is after all Emelye and her
sister who tell the king not to do so. (I think it’s really interesting when
you compare the role of the women in this story vs. their role in The Wife of
Bath, and how both stories have instances of women asking their king not to
kill someone and being successful. Obviously, I’m a lot more okay with it in
this story, since, you know, Palamon and Arcite aren’t rapists.) She is a character
who actually does things.
Still, both of the guys fighting over her don’t seem to
actually care about her as anything more than an object. I think it is really
interesting how themes and plot points from the stories we have read in class
can be so transferable to a modern time? Trying to be seen as something more
than an object by men is something that a lot of women still deal with, since
we live in a society that oftentimes treats women like we exist for male
pleasure. This story spends a lot of time going into the guys’ feelings on
their situation (namely that one apparently called dibs, and his friend just
doesn’t care), but neither of the guys take a second to consider that Emelye
might actually have an opinion on the matter. (Unless that did happen and I
just didn’t understand it in Middle English, which I am going to be honest it
possible…)
For me personally, even though Palamon or Arcite are in
slightly different circumstances throughout the story, I still basically see
them as one and the same. They both are “in love” with Emelye without knowing
anything genuine about her, and they both treat her like an object instead of an
actual freaking human being. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to be with guys who
didn’t respect my autonomy enough to just ask me who I would rather be with,
and I would probably ditch them both for a sexy Brazilian guy.
I agree completely that Emelye is like an object in this story. The fact that they would fight of over her so openly almost makes me laugh a little bit. it is definitely a little pathetic. I also, like the fact that they rather fight over her than let her choose, and hat also shows her objectification in this story and the minimum choses women still have. They could have been fighting over her and she did not want either of them (that would be a great plot twist). They both do not consider her feeling and I too would fitch them for someone better!
ReplyDeleteI literally just mentioned this in someone else's blog!! As I stated previously *ahem*, these dudes are not in love with Emelye. They are in lust. For some reason people in medieval England didn't seem to know the difference or were in some sort of fantasy land where love and lust were interchangeable. If they were in love with Emelye then they would have given a thought to her wants, wishes, personality, independence. But instead they objectify her and are too blinded by her gorgeous bod. You made a great point that this phenomenon goes on today. I don't know how many times I've heard dudes say that they want to get a "piece" of a woman who was walking by or whatever. They want a piece, not the whole. A woman is more complex and worthy of more time and respect then an unhealthy fixation on her figure.
ReplyDeleteI'm frustrated too by the ongoing theme of women being just an object of affection...maddening, to say the least. I hadn't made the connection that being-treated-like-an-object is a problem in modern times too though...but to a more limited degree, I think you're right. I'll have to remember that later in future discussions. It's also interesting how you point out Emelye does play a more active role in the plot than in some tales. I wonder if we'll see a particular reason why by the end of the tale (maybe it's to create help frame her as a symbol in the story)...
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with your idea of viewing Palamon and Arcite as equal to each other. I really didn't feel much sympathy for Palamon when he was stuck in the tower and I didn't think anything of Arcite either. I guess Palamon was a little more deserving but they both were just trying to achieve an image. They also must have forgotten about her meanwhile when they noticed their was a competition between them to get Emelye. It is extremely frustrating that women are still treated as object to this day. I would ditch them too, real chivalry would be manning up and asking her what she would want. Maybe then she'd be able to leave without either and be happy on her own the way she intended.
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