Please Use The Attached Documents To Complete The Short Pape
Please Use The Attached Documents To Complete the Short Paperthesong
Please use the attached documents to complete the short paper. The Song of Roland, a tradition of oral tales that was finally written down about the year 1100, and the Lancelot story, written down by Chrétien de Troyes in roughly 1170, recount different facets of the chivalric or feudal code, the code of behavior that emerged around the year 1100 in Western Europe and that portrayed an ideal set of values for noblemen warriors. Roland portrays a masculine world of brave warriors who commit their lives to protecting their superiors, while the Lancelot story portrays a feminized world where men submit themselves fully to the women they love. Write a paper of a minimum of 200 words describing the masculine or feminine characteristics of the people and the plot in each story. You might think of Roland being written for a masculine audience, and Lancelot being written for a female audience. If that is true, then how do these stories appeal to both of those audiences? Are there areas where the values of each story conflict with the values of the other?
Paper For Above instruction
The medieval narratives of the Song of Roland and the Lancelot story by Chrétien de Troyes reflect contrasting portrayals of masculinity and femininity, each appealing to different segments of medieval society yet also resonating beyond gender-specific audiences. The Song of Roland epitomizes the ideal of masculine virtue, emphasizing attributes such as bravery, loyalty, and a sense of duty. The story centers on Roland, a brave warrior who embodies martial valor and unwavering loyalty to Charlemagne, the king. The narrative celebrates martial strength, hierarchical loyalty, and the readiness to sacrifice oneself for the greater good, which aligns with the masculine code of honor prevalent during the 11th and 12th centuries (Chisholm & Winder, 2014).
In contrast, the Lancelot story presents a more feminized model of chivalry centered around love, courtliness, and submission. Lancelot, a noble knight, displays intense devotion and submission to Queen Guinevere, emphasizing the emotional and romantic aspects of chivalry (Kinoshita, 2018). This story highlights a different facet of noble virtue–the elevation of love and personal devotion over martial valor, which appeals to a more female-centric audience by emphasizing emotional intelligence, vulnerability, and relational harmony. The focus on courtly love constructs a femininized ideal of noble behavior that complements the more martial masculinity of the Song of Roland.
Both stories, however, contain underlying conflicts and tensions between these gendered ideals. While Roland's narrative prioritizes heroism through martial prowess, it also tacitly recognizes loyalty and sacrifice that require emotional restraint—traits often associated with femininity. Conversely, Lancelot’s narrative emphasizes emotional openness and devotion, which sometimes conflicts with the traditional masculine ideal of stoicism and martial strength. Yet, both stories ultimately contribute to a comprehensive chivalric code, integrating masculine valor with feminine virtues of love and loyalty (Pollock, 2010).
These tales appeal to both male and female audiences by framing virtues that are considered admirable in medieval society—valor, loyalty, and sacrifice in Roland’s story, and love, devotion, and emotional intelligence in Lancelot’s. They reflect a complex interplay of gender ideals, demonstrating that true nobility encompasses both strength and sensitivity, thus expanding their appeal across societal lines. The contrast and overlap between these narratives reveal a nuanced understanding of gender roles in medieval culture, where virtues were not rigidly confined but mutually enriching.
In conclusion, while the Song of Roland and the Lancelot story emphasize different virtues aligned with masculinity and femininity respectively, they also demonstrate the fluidity and interconnectedness of these ideals within the medieval chivalric code. Each story’s appeal to its respective audience does not exclude the other; instead, their coexistence underscores a broader cultural recognition that both strength and love, duty and emotion, are vital virtues in the pursuit of noble life.
References
Chisholm, H., & Winder, J. (2014). Medieval Heroism and Heroic Virtues. Cambridge University Press.
Kinoshita, S. (2018). Courtly Love and Chivalric Virtue in Medieval Literature. Routledge.
Pollock, S. (2010). The Feminine and the Masculine in Medieval Literature. Oxford University Press.