3. The second part of this question really had me thinking. The author describes Enide as being, “truly one who was made to be looked at, for one might gaze at her just as one gazes in a mirror.” A person generally looks in a mirror to check for, or fix, their imperfections. Usually when one sees their own imperfections in the mirror, they are so miniscule that a group of their own peers couldn’t detect them. Enide is much in the same way; she is the peer looking into the mirror. People are blinded by her, “perfection,” that they do not notice the person within. I have not heard one word pertaining to Enide that didn’t involve her good looks, or eternal wisdom. People are blinded by her, which leaves a lot of room for Enide to be sneaky or otherwise a troubling character. The only mythical character I could think of off-hand, that has to do with a mirror, is Medusa. Her ultimate demise was when a mirror was cleverly pointed at her own eyes, thus turning her to stone. Perhaps a correlation between the two could be that Enide realizes what people see when they look at her, uses it to her advantage, thus creating her own downfall. I do believe that this quote from the book is an immensely important, and even after examining it, I still question its meaning.
4. I believe the sparrow-hawk contest is a test of a person’s manhood. Erec, being a strong leader and scorned from his earlier encounter in the woods with the dwarf, challenged Yder when no one else in the kingdom would. Being quite egotistical, accepting such a fair sided battle is exciting and challenging to Erec. The contest was more of an act of redemption for him than anything else. After being whipped by a dwarf in the woods, the only way to receive his honor back and to restore his pride was to challenge this knight. However this competition not only tests a man’s strength and power, but also his ability to choose a worthy wife. The contest heavily relies on the beauty and grace of a woman. Before any fighting could occur, a woman had to lure the 6 year old sparrow-hawk off of its perch. This competition also shows the way women were viewed back then. Firstly they were prizes to men’s games, and secondly the author depicted them as weeping and praying as the men fought. Surely this ordeal would be saddening, but the author allowed the women to fade in the background versus standing up for their men, or staying strong. Overall the contest is a way for men with ego problems to boost, or prove their manhood.
No comments:
Post a Comment