The Role of the Poet in Medieval Society - Essay Example

?The Role of the Poet in Medieval Society Poetry is one of the oldest forms of textual art in which expressing stories, the human condition, and the emotional context of life has been used for entertainment and for expanding the cultural meanings and connections. In medieval society, poetry was a form of entertainment, a recitation that was intended to give an audience pleasure. It was also a form of spreading news, as stories became a way of heralding the events of the day from one place to another. Minstrels often travelled from town to town to spread the information and expand the reputation of the elite. Through an examination of Beowulf, Parliament of the Fowls, Sir Gareth of Orkney, and The Battle of Brunaburh, poetry that was developed in the medieval period are examined for their importance in society and in history. Poetry during the medieval period in Europe was defined by several tenets of social purpose but was primarily accessed through entertainments as the poetry was presented in courts, taverns, and public venues. The poetry was designed for a multitude of informational conveyance, but most often spoke of the reigning parties of the region in ways that supported their power. In a time period when life was hard and where the world was still developing, a bit of entertainment was a welcomed break, however, the audiences could be tough on the poet as he travelled from place to place without the protection of a patron. The medieval poet performed in the oral tradition of passing on information, towing the party line when appropriate, preaching sedition when needed, and providing a sense of connectivity across communities where information was yet to be available through widespread written works. The oldest poetry from medieval England can be viewed as poetry that embraces a sense of history in which deeds of the past are relived through the telling of them. According to Saunders (2010, p. 3) “the earliest English poetry is often infused with a keen sense of nostalgia from the past, the loss of great civilizations, the passing of time, and the decline and fall of things”. Just as most textual explorations, the English medieval poet looked to the past to inform the present, creating a form of entertainment that also put the world as it was known into context for the listeners. Through wit and clever crafting, the poems of the medieval period provided a discourse that educated as well as entertained, spreading frameworks of understanding in order to unify beliefs and thought processes throughout a region. One of the early types of poetry in medieval England was ‘wisdom poetry’. Wisdom poetry cultivated the proverbial knowledge and accumulated beliefs that had been developed so that the audience was taught something about their world as well as entertained. According to Saunders (2010), the epic poem Beowulf can be appreciated for the way in which knowledge and wisdom was combined with heroic ideals and solid story-telling models. While the story details the heroic exploits of its hero, it also pulls in elements of classical knowledge and Christian learning. The work is developed with an intention to strengthen society through bolstering a sense of kinship, war, memorialisation, and reputation. One of the most well known works, Beowulf stands as an example of an important Anglo-Saxon work that supported the sense of pride that the communities of the period best appreciated and needed to remain unified in spirit. A later period example of wisdom poetry can be seen in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parliament of the Fowls. This work can be considered for its promotion of education and learning as much as its beauty and lyrical value. As well, the poem is often associated to the courtship of Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. While this is not fully supported on all academic fronts, the example of the purpose of this poem, to discuss and comment on the search of Richard II for a suitable spouse, is an example of how the poet of the medieval period was a resource for public information and editorial commentary (Chaucer and Benson 2008). Where the poem discusses the dream of a man who is seeking information, thus supporting the educational values that it promotes, the poem also discusses some of the examples of the pursuits of a suitor, suggesting that it not only embodied something of learning and knowledge, but that it informed and commented on the events of the current society. The stories of King Arthur were a part of the tales that emerged from the medieval period and have lasted throughout history as examples of heroism, a code of honor as associated with heroism, and the emergence of a narrative that defined the ideals of conduct. The poem, Sir Gareth of Orkney, is an example of the type of tale that came from the unique genre of King Arthur as it is one of the prime examples of chivalry and the “magnificence of the Arthur’s ideal is portrayed” (Dentzien 2004, p. 94). Through this tale, Thomas Mallory explored the nature of honour, the ideals that best explained the nature of what was socially ideal through stories that expressed social graces through broad, sweeping epics. Much of the poetry of the day was defined by the need to spread the word of specific events in order to create social connections to the political manoeuvrings of their leaders. As an example, The Battle of Brunaburh discusses a battle in which King Ethelstan met Northern foes who stood with their Irish allies against him (Metcalfe 1876). The poem relates the tale of his victory during the battle, and provided information to the populace about the battle, but also provided propaganda for the support of the realm. The work serves as an example of how words can be used to bolster support and create common enemies in order to unite people together. The instrument of the poem was the minstrel, bringing to life the tale through musical accompaniment or through oration. The poem was a performance, a way in which to bring to life the world and expand the knowledge, beliefs and world information of the populace. While often lyrical and sophisticated, the poems had to both appease the aristocracy and the audience, as well as provide entertainment. Without sufficient entertainment value, the minstrel was subject to the mood of the crowd or the powers he performed for in that his life often was the cost of poorly performing his work or the works of others (Hasler 2011). Through the minstrel, the medieval information system was formed and the spirit of social commentary was manifested. According to Akehurst (1998, p. 94-95) “they would then disseminate their material, in the form of panegyrics, on their travels. As they reached the next court, they would sing of their experiences at the previous one, and praise or censure the previous hosts”. The reasons that the costs of a poor or insulting performance could be so high was that the minstrels held the power of information, but if the information was not pleasing or would spread something undesirable, those with the power over life or death could take apart that offending poet. The power of information that was held by the poet was balanced by the power of life that the courts and local authorities had over his body and life. Medieval poetry had purposes that extended into elements of education, the dispersal of knowledge, the dispersal of information about historic events, and the propagation of current events. While much of what was told was allegorical or exaggerations of the truth, the information was still possible, the expansion of the overall knowledge of society increased through the use of medieval poetry. The poems were often distributed through the performances of minstrels who travelled from place to place, from court to court, in order to provide a social connection through the dissemination of information. Through these performances, the reputations of the powerful and the elite were given greater influence, thus allowing the minstrel to have a powerful position within the public sphere. The importance of medieval poetry was in the spread of social beliefs, in giving over information, and in providing a medium for commentary about life. Bibliography Akehurst, F. R. 1998. The stranger in medieval society. Minneapolis, MN: Univ. of Minnesota Press. Chaucer, Geoffrey, and Larry Dean Benson. 2008. The Riverside Chaucer. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Dentzien, Nicole. 2004. The openness of myth: the Arthurian tradition in the Middle Ages and today. Wu?rzburg: Ko?nigshausen und Neumann. Hasler, Antony. 2011. Court poetry in late medieval England and Scotland: allegories of authority. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Metcalfe, Frederick. 1876. The Saxon and the Norseman; or, A plea for the study of Icelandic conjointly with Anglo-Saxon. London: Routledge (reprint). Saunders, Corinne J. 2010. A companion to medieval poetry. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell. Read More