SUMMERS, KAREN CRADY, Ph.D. Reading Incest - The University ...

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75 knight” (149). Yet it is not enough to overcome Lancelot’s human nature. Even after the adventure of the Grail, Lancelot, as the booke seyth, . . . began to resorte unto queen Gwenivere agayne and forgate the promise and the perfeccion that he made in the queste; for, as the booke seyth, had nat sir Launcelot bene in his prevy thoughtes and in hys mindis so sette inwardly to the queen as he was in semynge outewarde to God, there had no knight passed hym in the queste of the Sankgreall. But ever his thoughtis prevly were on the queen, and so they loved togydirs more hotter than they dud toforehand, and had many such prevy draughtis togydir that many in the courte spake of hit (588). According to chivalric values his love might be construed as virtuous it falls into the realm of kynde, the natural reaction of a healthy man and woman who are attracted to each other, but it is at the same time unkynde because it breaks the bonds of the relationship between king and knight—a relationship semi-fraternal as brothers in arms and paternal as king is the head of the kingdom. The betrayal of Arthur by Guenevere and Lancelot provides an opportunity for Mordred to strike against his father. Mordred and Agravaine set a trap for Lancelot and Guenevere and catch them in a compromising situation. Lancelot escapes, Arthur sentences Guenevere to death at the stake, and Lancelot duly rescues her. The two flee to Lancelot’s castle in France. Arthur and his knights follow, and Mordred capitalizes on Arthur’s vulnerabililty which is compounded by division among his subjects; many of the knights had become incensed at the affair between Lancelot and Guenevere and Arthur’s inability to control his wife. In the disarray “much peple drew unto [Mordred]” (679) and many began to speak against the king, much to the poet’s dismay:
76 Lo ye all Englysshemen, se ye hat what a myschyff here was? For he that was the moste kynge and nobelyst knight of the worlde, and moste loved the felyshyp of noble knyghtes, and by hym they all were upholdyn, and yet might nat thes Englyshemen holde them contente with hym. Lo thus was the olde custom. Alas! Thys ys a greate defaughte of us Englysshemen, for there may no thynge please no terme. (1129.5-14) Thus knight and commoner—two of the three estates—share blame for the fall, in a form of estates criticism like that found in Confessio Amantis and The Canterbury Tales. The disloyalty of Arthur’s knights and his people make it difficult and eventually impossible for him to keep his kingdom intact. After a long, fruitless siege of the castle in France, a papal bull arrives, ordering Arthur to take Guenevere back and to make peace with Lancelot. Arthur returns to England, and Lancelot brings Guenevere back as promised. But Arthur, egged on by an enraged Gawain, who lost all four of his brothers fighting Lancelot, followed Lancelot back to France to take revenge, leaving Mordred in charge of his kingdom and his wife. After several weeks Arthur heard that Mordred had counterfeited a letter declaring Arthur dead. Mordred crowned himself king and made plans to marry Guenevere. Arthur and his loyal knights hurried to England and the final battle began. Gawain, weakened by his fights with Lancelot, is killed. Malory gives to this tale the title “The Day of Destiny.” It is an apt title, for Merlins’ long-ago prophesy is fulfilled. Mordred was the result of the thing which displeased God—Arthur’s unrepented incest. Arthur committed this sin unknowingly, but Mordred would do so with fully comprehended malicious intent; in fact, he would compound and double the sin of incest, passing on his father’s legacy in this fashion.
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SUMMERS, KAREN CRADY, Ph.D. Reading
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READING INCEST: TYRANNY, SUBVERSION
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APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation has
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. R
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2 of it, despite its familiarity to
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4 about incest was influenced by th
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6 clarification. Pope Gregory II ad
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8 sibling, and mother-son. 2 She no
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10 is viewed by both. Incest in eig
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12 subverts both the social and the
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14 CHAPTER II ‘SWICHE UNKYNDE ABH
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16 a book to each of the seven dead
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18 Richard” (111). The dedication
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20 an idea familiar to Gower’s me
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22 laboring-folk and Piers, in retu
Page 31 and 32: 24 introduction of Amans, the unsuc
Page 33 and 34: 26 learns. Augustine takes up the i
Page 35 and 36: 28 of the king, whose primary duty
Page 37 and 38: 30 bribed two priests to convince P
Page 39 and 40: 32 story of incest implied, averted
Page 41 and 42: 34 Again, her response impassions h
Page 43 and 44: 36 in the most extreme sense. When
Page 45 and 46: 38 in the first book, and relates t
Page 47 and 48: 40 benign, sympathetic interpretati
Page 49 and 50: 42 and Machaire, and at the same ti
Page 51 and 52: 44 To finish the turn in the narrat
Page 53 and 54: 46 oghne prest” (V.1382-3). Geniu
Page 55 and 56: 48 incestuous. When she vows to tel
Page 57 and 58: 50 epilogue that acts as a prayer f
Page 59 and 60: 52 Of wommen were absent as thanne;
Page 61 and 62: 54 speak at length and discover the
Page 63 and 64: 56 Biblical incest, mostly unjudged
Page 65 and 66: 58 of a king and the function of la
Page 67 and 68: 60 country. But the incest—the wo
Page 69 and 70: 62 As chivalry is a controlling the
Page 71 and 72: 64 conflicting demands of love and
Page 73 and 74: 66 material for adaptation or trans
Page 75 and 76: 68 four sons, Gawain, Gaheris, Agra
Page 77 and 78: 70 can not be ameliorated, at least
Page 79 and 80: 72 killed save Mordred, who was fou
Page 81: 74 surrogate son-knights. Cherewatu
Page 85 and 86: 78 demonstrated to all present on t
Page 87 and 88: 80 corruption that plagues the Pend
Page 89 and 90: 82 CHAPTER III ‘INCEST IS IN ME
Page 91 and 92: 84 wished to rid himself of Anne Bo
Page 93 and 94: 86 societal forces. The plays focus
Page 95 and 96: 88 in the family and on a national
Page 97 and 98: 90 reputation shifted such that vie
Page 99 and 100: 92 comes not from an instinctive ap
Page 101 and 102: 94 virtue, resists and is made whol
Page 103 and 104: 96 willingness to sacrifice the liv
Page 105 and 106: 98 Rejection of God and divine orde
Page 107 and 108: 100 is as an “ungodly sickness”
Page 109 and 110: 102 exercise her own agency. Though
Page 111 and 112: 104 potential problem of having a f
Page 113 and 114: 106 The plots of these three plays
Page 115 and 116: 108 play, the Duchess will have bee
Page 117 and 118: 110 As we have seen, the Duchess us
Page 119 and 120: 112 BOSOLA. It seems you would crea
Page 121 and 122: 114 But as Ferdinand’s outrages i
Page 123 and 124: 116 knife as phallus. Eros (Cupid)
Page 125 and 126: 118 posed by his slide into unreaso
Page 127 and 128: 120 and, as Kenneth Graham notes, i
Page 129 and 130: 122 Castle of Otranto displays the
Page 131 and 132: 124 Theodore is killed a group of k
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126 memory, and regard your highnes
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128 first Gothic playwright, publis
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130 the castle is there primarily t
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132 strength, and the men enter the
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134 God bless me; and pass’d on.
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136 familiar. It is more usual for
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138 sensation of horror in the audi
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140 foil to the Countess, with her
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142 And when he knelt, weeping, to
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144 Castle of Otranto, the knife is
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146 and political realities during
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149 destruction and disaster. One o
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151 subvert both patriarchy and mon
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153 BIBLIOGRAPHY Aers, David,ed. Me
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155 Classen, Albrecht, ed. Violence
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157 Ford, Jane M. Patriarchy and In
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159 Lenz, Joseph. The Promised End:
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161 Riddy, Felicity. Sir Thomas Mal
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SUMMERS, KAREN CRADY, Ph.D. Reading Incest - The University ...

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