Story Of The Grailz: Role of Gender and Society - Essay Example

Chrétien De Troyes ‘Story Of The Grail’ - Role Of Gender and Society Chrétien de Troyes’ reputation goes unquestioned in the world of literature forhis contribution in the genre of medieval romance dealing with Arthurian subjects. This French poet flourished in twelfth century gave a new dimension to the journey associated with the grail legend. (Troyes, 361) The Holy Grail is a sacred object according to Christian traditions and has a unique importance in literary field due to the mystery of its miraculous power. The story is a complete folklore and so there is doubt regarding its factual ground. It is said how Joseph of Arimathea received the grail from Jesus Christ’s illusive image and sent it to Great Britain. It is also spoken of Joseph’s collection of Christ’s blood in this chalice used by Him (Jesus) at the Last Supper. The story Story of the Grail depicts various aspects of human emotions, their feelings and response in respect to love and combat which has been a universal phenomenon since the genesis of society. In this poetic creation societal picture of the then society has been beautifully etched by referring to the gender issues, thirst for worldly power, materialistic gain, fight for supremacy, desire for worldly pleasure and to gain recognition. These issues are universal but vary in degrees when viewed from the perspective of the mores and social codes prevalent in the society and age. The Story of the Grail deals initially with the potentiality of a mother who attempts to protect his son against all odds. The power of tolerance, acceptance and patience of a mother is celebrated. However this dominant role of the mother becomes apparent with gradual growth of the son from boyhood to adulthood. The grown up son in his taciturn response breaks away from the sheltered existence and assert his rebirth entering the premises of manhood. On a positive ground it heralds the struggle of a woman who has lost her two sons and the husband taken to bed. However the futility of action lies in the unquenched thirst for the glory of knighthood even if it comes at cost of death. The glorification of knighthood is shown through Perceval And Gawain under which the real voice of a mother, beloved remains submerged. So, patriarchal authority was rampant at that time. Perceval’s mother being herself the wife of a knight teaches him the value of chivalry associated with knighthood. He must help a lady and show his love and respect. But unfortunately he misunderstands his mother and forcibly kisses a lady and takes away her engagement ring. The lady who is already engaged to someone else is charged of infidelity. This accusation is a dishonor to any woman and completely mars her grace. Here the question of gender biasness arises which has been framed by the masters of male chauvinism! It is Perceval who has done the mistake but not at any point his intention is not doubted. The woman is to be blamed and is sinned without even giving her a chance to say something in her defense. In this battle of knighthood the damsels are like puppets whose strings are in the hands of the knights. The court of the king Arthur introduces Perceval to the ways of society at large, which is different from the isolated world, in which he has been brought up with no competitors to prove his might. In this his wholehearted desire to seek knighthood is vehemently felt and he does even hesitate to kill the Red Knight by piercing a javelin through his eyes. This shows the barbarous instinct of a man that can lead him to commit any cruel and merciless acts. If this was the notion of the survival of the fittest then it is definitely not praiseworthy. The quest for power has no bounds and it is rightly said that power leads to corruption and this is true especially for absolute power. Perceval after assassinating the Knight in Red suit overcomes the feeling and the zeal to win supremacy further accelerates his motion and he ventures out into the world of combat. He wins over Anguingueron, Clamadeu and the fight goes on. Perceval’s encounter with Gornemant of Gohort is noteworthy. Gornemant delivers on the moral values a knight must adhere to.  According to Gornemant a knight should speak less, should be generous and helpful towards ladies in jeopardized situations. In other words he must be chivalrous. He should be in harmony with the traditions of the church and must not make o public display of his power with a motive to earn recognition.  These teachings imparted by Gornemant are firmly rooted on moral grounds and celebrates the true spirit of knighthood. But the truth is that idealized versions are too difficult to be followed and when it touches the ground of reality the values are automatically reversed. So, at the end of the day the truth that emerges power struggle involves illegitimate strategies to defeat the opponent. (Troyes and Cline, 40-49) Power and male authority complements each other. The word ‘power’ is popular in the domain that describes male chauvinism and the word ‘freedom’ is relevant in the sphere in which the women try desperately to assert themselves. In other words the power of man dominates or subdues the freedom of woman. Perceval promises Blancheflor to come to her aid and helps her from the hands of Anguingueron and Clamadeu. But in return he asks Blancheflor to make love to him. So for her in either way it is like molestation. She has no choice of her own. If Anguingueron and Clamadeu openly assault her then Perceval does under the guise of a civilized man. The medieval society is also not freed from the malady of gender biasness. The lady from a recognized family background cannot even do away with the male subjugation. (Greene, 1) Defeat in any form is hard to accept.  The Fisher King in the given story symbolizes the pains of defeat that demoralizes the mortal soul. Worldly power and glory are transient. Every man who rises to his zenith is bound to meet his nadir. He is a figure of self-realization and gives vent to the conception that man through his journey call life realizes and knows himself.  This is what the Greeks call ‘pseuthon knothe’ that is, knowing oneself.  The Fisher King though well aware of his defeat seeks diversion in fishing. This diversion evokes a sense of comedy and laughter but as Bernard Shaw has said that laughter has its edges in tears. We may say that Story of the Grail obliquely refers to the issue of victory and defeat. The events related to Gawain, the knight is also noteworthy. He is a figure who represents the fighting spirit of a man. Though he escapes from a tower, which is not an act of bravo as very unlike to aura of knighthood but survival instinct is rooted in the genes of man. King Arthur is a figure that is well known for the influence he has caused in the world of medieval romance. He verifies the medieval history mingling with it romantic and incredible incidents.  He is a legend who represents the pompousness of the then society. Chrétien de Troyes’ Story of the Grail is like a saga in miniature. It celebrates the heroic achievements of knights and warriors. It speaks of their love and emotion. It narrates their story of suffering, acute sensation of pain when defeated in war and love. The story also throws light on the position of women in then society. Women and their survival under the rule of man where it is the men who ensure what befit them. Their role as a mother though appreciated but that is limited. Emancipation for women was a distant thought. The story is a panorama of the medieval society in short.         Works Cited Greene, Gayle. Changing the story: Feminist fiction and the tradition, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991.   Troyes, Chrétien de. Arthurian Romances, United States: Wildside Press LLC, 2008. Troyes, Chrétien de and Ruth Harwood Cline, Perceval or The story of the grail, University of Georgia, New York, 1985. Read More