Something to Harp About

Well, I've spent a good week tracing my memory for the original story, "Orpheus," and I don't think I've ever heard it, despite how familiar the word Orpheus sounds. That's a shame because I'm really into the Underworld setting, fairies are the only mystical creature that never fail to interest me (this I've known since 5th grade), and "Sir Orfeo" is definitely one of my favorite medieval tales thus far. It would be enriching to read where it came from.

I found myself most attracted to and fascinated by the symbolism imbedded in the tale. Most memorably, this version retains the original symbol of a harp. A harp free associates well in my mind. I think of Greek Gods looking to the Heavens and stringing their harps like they're making love to them - something angelic and passionate. Harps sound like poetry, and with all those strings, it takes a lot of skill to play one. Both Orpheus and Sir Orfeo are known for their mad harp skills. In fact, it's his harping that ultimately grants Sir Orfeo his wife:

Minstrel, your harping pleases me,

So ask whatever it might be,

And generously your boon I'll grant.

Now speak, and tell me what you want.

(Lines 449-452)

Of course, the Fairy King has to let us know he doesn't want to give Sir Orfeo's wife up but that he will, since he just said he'd do anything. What a nice guy! Who knew he was such a man of his word, let alone a man so moved by strings. You know, it's really a surprise that anyone keeps his word when he doesn't want to. If an evil fairy king can keep his word when he doesn't want to, why can't you?

After the Fairy King teaches us to stay true, Sir Orfeo reminds us to stay humble. First of all, this guy and his wife were the king and queen, and they aren't even recognized when they return to Winchester. Okay, maybe the lack of technology and passage of time can explain that one, but Sir Orfeo is still smart enough to remember that he really ditched out on his people, they might not understand why, and they might even hate him, so it's probably not be a good idea to reveal himself in his return without giving it much thought.

Instead, he chills on the outskirts of town and stops by a "beggar's hut by the city wall" (Line 486) to get the inside scoop on his kingdom. Then, he puts on "a suit of borrowed rags" (Line 501) and goes into town with his harp on his back with intent on finding out how loyal his people really are. I have to admit, I was looking forward to some drama in the kingdom upon his return, but once his squire's loyalty is clear, Sir Orfeo reclaims his throne and everything is pretty much happy ever after. Oh well, this anticlimax still teaches me two things:

1. Love deserves your time and energy above all.
2. Those who love you will not stop loving you when you're gone.

Nine Medieval Romances of Magic,re-rhymed in modern English by Marijane Osborn.

A Dream is Kind of a Wish Your Heart Makes

After the discussion we had today in class, I definitely think that viewing this story as kind of the Disney revamp version of Orpheus is the way to go. Even though there is some scary stuff in there (like there is in most Disney movies, let’s be real), the ending is a straight-up crazy happy fairytale. It takes the original Orpheus story and tones down all the super intense stuff, adds in a little heartache, but then comes at you with a comically happy ending that feels just a little too happy.

I feel like the comparison of the underworld to the fairy garden was really interesting, especially in what it can say about our own ideas of goodness and evil. At first glance, it seems like going to the fairy garden would obviously be the thing to do – I mean, even if there is some evil, at least it isn’t an ugly underworld. But when you actually start to think about it more, it’s easy to see that while the underworld is, well, the underworld, the fairy garden clearly seems to have more evil in it, at least in the way that it disguises itself as a paradise.

Reading this story, I was reminded of the early Disney cartoon The Goddess of Spring, which came out in the 1930s and has vivid images of a cheery garden, and then of course the underworld (and a pretty weird version of the devil in my opinion). The more I think about it, the more it is clear that that cartoon clearly has connections to this story. I haven’t watched the short in a while, but I think watching it and comparing it to my earlier comment about this whole story being like a Disney remake would be a super cool thing to do.

Moral of the story is that the time has come for Disney to make a new version of Sir Orfeo for this new generation. Or maybe they could just do Orpheus, and we could all compare that movie to Sir Orfeo and see how many similarities there are. I think viewing the two stories as essentially one and the same is a super interesting way to look at it, especially when we see what specific changes were made, and what ideas stayed the same. I’m not sure which one I like more (I mean, I appreciate the tragedy of Orpheus… but also I love me some happy endings), but I think looking at them next to one another can be really interesting.

Why love someone when you can just treat them like an object? - Palamon and Arcite at some point probably

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. 

#TeamPalamoun

I’ve actually enjoyed Parts One and Two of “The Knight’s Tale” more than I anticipated, mostly because I assumed I had already read every possible plot outline for a story about a knight, and I assumed any tweaks Chaucer made would fail to impress me, but I was wrong. Chaucer provides us with a rich backstory about King Theseus, Queen Ipolita, their kingdom, and their two prisoners: Arcite and Palamoun. The unique dynamic the backstory sets up between knight and lady is rather exciting for me. As we’ve seen a few times before, there are actually two knights who love one lady, and it’s clear from Part One that there will be some sort of struggle between the two knights over that lady. However, in this story, the two knights are also brotherly cousins and rightfully locked up in the dungeon; they can see and hear the lady they both claim to love, but they cannot speak to or touch her. In addition, one knight is granted freedom from the prison but is exiled so that he could not possibly have a chance to speak to or touch the lady.

At the end of Part One, Chaucer asks us who is worse off: Arcite or Palamoun? I thought I’d make a list of pros and cons:

Arcite                                                                          Palamoun

Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
·      Not in prison ·      Free to find another lady ·      Free to start a war with Theseus	·      Cannot see, hear, speak to, or touch Emelye	·      Can see and hear Emelye	·      In prison ·      Cannot speak to or touch Emelye

As you can see, the only thing Palamoun initially has over Arcite is that he can still see and hear Emelye. Arcite has much more over Palamoun, so his lack of sensory stimulation altogether doesn’t seem to matter so much. Besides, the pros and cons don’t really matter anyways when both nights disobey their fate. Arcite disguises himself so that his cons are entirely eliminated; then, Palamoun escapes prison to fight Arcite to the death. At this point in the tale, I feel like Palamoun deserves Emelye more than Arcite. I mean, he stays locked up for some seven years, finds out Arcite hasn’t been banished from Emelye after all, and he’s still down to fight to the death over her. Palamoun is a true knight. #TeamPalamoun.

Chaucer adds another exciting quality to this tale: Theseus provides both knights with an entire army to fight each other. (At least, that’s my understanding of what’s about to go down in Parts Three and Four.) Wait a second…why do they need armies if the fight is between the two of them? Are they still going to fight each other as knights would, meaning the armies are for show, or are they going to sit back and compete their war strategies as kings would? Couldn’t Theseus just give the better army to the knight he favors? Couldn't he conduct the demise of both prisoners, since they both ulitmately committed more crime and disobeyed their fates? I don’t know man, but this story is heating up, and I’m really nervous to find out what happens in Parts Three and Four. Poor Emelye, by the way…it's hard to choose between two guys who aren't good enough in the first place. I mean, she's a fresh, bright, flower goddess (flowers most likely signifying her virginity); are these prisoners really the only guys trying to court her?

"The Knight's Tale" in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer