Monica Perdue English 371 March 16, 2008 More Than a Woman: Antifeminism Upheld Master Heldris of Cornwall

created a work of art in his thirteenth - century romance Silence. In a misogynistic world, he breaks with tradition enough to have a woman as the leading character. Yet, in her role of the protagonist, she is literally both hero and heroine: a woman [Silentia] masquerading as a man [Silentius], masquerading as another man [Malduit], and just to further complicate things, she is referenced throughout the text by a gender neutral name [Silence]. Silence is not your typical medieval female character, and how could she be? There is nothing typical about denying nature. Through this act of denying nature, she is atypical of the roles oft ascribed to women by literature of the time: if she were a harlot, nag, or nun it would be contrary to her names in any gendered form, which meant virtue. By the varied states of existence she leads, the character Silence creates an issue. She has to be more than a woman - more than what was thought or allowed of women during middle ages because she was reared as a man. Yet, she is still a woman. Despite her vast accomplishments when she is exposed she cannot be mans superlative because it was the middle ages. Doctrine and Dogma was very keen on male superiority. Men were considered dominant and treatises were being manufactured to promote such ideology. To remedy the potential problem of elevating woman to mans equal or beyond, the writer allows her to achieve greatness as a man, and then rescinds it once

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her sex is revealed. For all its revolutionary constructions, the romance proves to be a limited world for women, governed by the church fathers and other antifeminist doctrines of the day. In keeping with the age, women of this book are depicted as the faithful wife, such as Eufemie or as the lascivious, deceitful charlatan, Eufeme. A character such as Silence fits neither description. She is paradoxical: she encompasses the desirable traits of both man and woman. Silence embodies the characteristics of a pious woman: hard working, dutiful, modest, virtuous, and seemingly asexual. She is also valiant, loyal and trustworthy traits often ascribed to men. In fact, Silence frequently surpasses men, be it in battle or in leisure: when she steals away with the minstrels, she passes her teachers, and on the battlefield she is incomparable. The narrator specifically states that Anyone will tell you that his peers were nothing compared to him; the praise he won put theirs to shame (5123- 5125). However, it is important to note that she is only allowed to utilize these traits in masculine form. In the guise of a man, Silence is victorious in battle, a masterful musician, a faithful knight in general a noble man. Only as a man is she given an opportunity to actualize her ability. It is possible to argue that the writer recognizes woman has the potential to be all of these things but society will not allow her. However, that argument weakens when attempting to label Silence as a trailblazing romance that established woman as mans equal. It is undeniable that regardless of form, Silence accomplished great things, yet she is only allowed to be recognized for them as a man. In female

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form she is reduced to an object. This great warrior is silent. Pursuant to this argument, the writer makes the point that in turning her back on nature, Silence became more like a man. This portrayal is reminiscent of the words of Strassburg:
For when a woman grows in virtue despite her inherited instincts and gladly keeps her honour, reputation and person in tact she is only a woman in name but in spirit she is a man!What can be so perfect in woman as when in allegiance and honour at her side she does battle with her body for the rights of both body and honour? (Blamires 94).

The sentiment of the worthy woman is echoed at the end of the romance by King Evan, when he speaks of Silence. He declares that her loyalty was above his royalty and continues with the semi biblical words: there is no more precious gem or greater treasure than a virtuous woman. No man can access the value of a woman who can be trusted (6634-6636). This is a key statement. Silence went from being a beloved knight and recognized as a person to being objectified as treasure. No longer an independent person, she is reduced to a possession, in the same sentence that praises her, by the same man who once called her a valiant knight. She lost her stature and her voice, for when she is discovered to be a woman she is silent in perfect keeping with the notions of the time. The idea of woman as silent and having no public voice was biblically based and widely accepted. The text references this point when King Evan clearly states: A womans role is to keep silent./ So help me God,/ I think a mute can tell what women are good for,/ for they are good for only one thing, /and that is to keep silent.. They are all alike, /and its hardly one in a thousand/ who wouldnt earn more praise

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by keeping silent than by speaking (6398- 6406). In these lines, plainly the misogyny of the era is openly displayed. Valued women were those who knew how to keep their mouth shut, therefore a good woman was a quiet woman. Seconding the notion of the good woman being a quiet woman, the character Eufemie embodies all that thirteenth - century literature conceived as the prototypical good woman: beauty, obedience, subservience, and passivity. She is all that the church fathers preached women should be. While pregnant, Cador comes to her with the mandate that whatever sex their child is born, it will be raised as a male to insure inheritance. Cador delivers his point using the argument that God made Adam first and then he created Eve from his Rib. Just as Adam and Eve were of one flesh, it was thought that husband and wife should be of one mind because they like Adam and Eve are of one flesh. On surface this statement is wonderfully equalizing, but the writer does not give Eufemie a voice to counter that of her husbands. Instead, her reply condones the idea of male dominance. Eufemies response to Cadors biblically driven argument is Sweet Lord, nothing your heart desires I will refuse you (1725-1727). Eufemies answer and non-hesitance in granting Cadors every desire is akin to the antifeminist doctrine and biblical teachings of the day, where the woman had no say in things other than yes to the will of her husband. This scene between Eufemie and Cador is a direct parallel to the words of a sermon by Jacques De Vitry:

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Here it is plainly stated that a husband is dominant over his wife. Women are called to subservient obedience. These two traits are easily spotted in

Let wives be subject to their husbandjust as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him lord. For after woman sinned she was told: thou shalt be under thy husbands power, that is, in being obedient to him; and a husband ought to take precedence over his wife, in ruling over her (Blamires 145).

Eufemies reaction to Cador. She readily agrees with him, addressing him as lord, placing his status much higher than her own. By direct corollary, if Silence and Eufemie represent women at her best then Eufeme is damnation. She is untrustworthy, as proven time and time again: She deceives Evan by lying on Silence. She deceives Silence by lying to him, luring him to her bedroom under the guise of a headache and attempts seduction. She deceives the Chancellor by substituting a written death notice for Silence with the Kings orders. Eufemes deception does not end until Merlin reveals her long term deceit of Evan by keeping a lover dressed as a nun in the kings court. The narrator paints an unflattering picture of her, calling her false lover, declaring her a whorish lady, female Satan and wicked slutinflamed with lust (5747-5750). Eufemes actions justify the names. While married to the king, she fornicates with a man she hides in the court of the King dressed a woman of God. This act in it self is a high offence and a double deceit. It is a high offense because it shows her disregard for religion and a double deceit because in addition to the act of cheating, she conceals the identity of the guilty party as a nun in full habit. Her attempted seduction of Silence on multiple occasions proves her a false

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lover. It is worthy of mention that the meaning of Eufemes name is true woman and during this time woman was though to be naturally wicked. To fully understand this point and its pseudo biblical roots, the story of Adam and Eve must be revisited Male authored doctrine unanimously made the heavy in the fall of man. It was she who tempted Adam and through his weakness for her, he bit the apple. In following Eve, Adam fell. Eve is considered the mother of all living things and women are her direct descendents. Since Eve was vilified, her daughters were too. This demonization of women is what was thought to be their true nature. Eufeme embodies all of these negative traits. Her character behaves as the doctrines of the time portrayed women. Her actions proved the theses of Tertullian, Gratian, St. Ambrose, and countless others. Eufeme was mans undoing, in that she caused the death of her lover and the end of Silentius. It was her letter to the King of France that set in motion the course of events that eventually caused her death and outs Silence as a woman. The notion that the masculine life style is superior to that of the feminine is clearly stated by Gratian in the Blamires text: The image of God is in man so that there may be one created from which the rest may originate, having the power of God, as it were his deputy, because he has the image of God, and so woman is not made in the image of God (Blamires 85). This is a theme Heldris uses sporadically in Silence. At the unsought of puberty, Silence is visited by both Nature and Nurture, both of which are female characters and retain the vain, deceptive elements commonly attributed to

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women at the time. Nature gives her best arguments for why Silence should return to her natural state of femininity and abandon the charade of masculinity. Reason intervenes and the narrator guides us through Silences internal thoughts:
Silence understood very well/he had listened to bad advice/ever to think of doing away /with his good ole ways/ to take up female habits. / Then began to consider/ the pastimes of a womans chamber -/, which he had often heard about - / and weighed in his heart of hearts/ all female customs against his current way of life, / and saw in short that a mans life/ was much better than that of a woman (2627-2638).

Silence then speaks the following: Indeed he said, it would be too bad to step down when Im on top. / If Im on top, why should I step down? Now I am honored and valiant. /No, Im not - upon my word, / I am a disgrace if I want to be one of the women (2639 - 2644). In case these lines do not clarify the writers view of women, he writes the following spoken text for Silence: I dont want to lose my high position, I dont want to exchange it for a lesser (2651-2652). Here Silence clearly says that men have it better and ask the question why should she give up the good life? She gets to travel, be outside, to speak and build relationships; women werent really allowed any of those things. Looking at it from that stand point most would agree to be a woman was to get the less appealing deal. The story of Silence is a most interesting read. At the helm of this story is a female protagonist who is raised, defying nature, as a man. On surface this appears to be a victory of women in literature, a woman is allowed to achieve the heights of knighthood, musicianship, and valiance in the

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thirteenth - century. However, a closer look reveals a much less optimistic fate. Silence is only recognized with actionable words as a man. The quality of life for women was derided as less superior than men, and women were specifically told to keep silent. For all its modernism, this romance maintains the antifeminist tradition. At the end of the day, no matter how much a thirteenth - century woman accomplished, she was still a woman. The best she could be regarded as was virtuous and the most that would be expected of her was silence. The character Silence illustrates this fatal point.

Works Cited Blamires, Alcuin, et al., eds. Woman Defamed and Woman Defended: An

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Anthology of Medieval Texts. Oxford: Clarendon Press1992. Silence. Trans. Sarah Roche- Mahdi. Michigan: Colleagues Press Inc, 1992.