PP Passus 3-5
"Sche is frethil of hure flets, fyckle of her speche." (A. 3. 111)
Consciens is noted insulting Mede here. He refuses to marry her since she corrupts society. It's interesting because her name means bribe (among other things like reward), and usually those who give or accept bribes are corrupt. It makes me sad that so many people disrespect Mede. In the beginning of passus 3 it is unclear if she has been raped. She gives men money, they take it, laugh in her face, and then abandon her. I think Consciens is wrong to insult and publicly humiliate Mede. He's only pure because of his name. After all, she does help when misfortune hits. She is especially close to the king, staying home with him one time to lift his spirits. I really feel for her because her name embodies her entire being. It's literally not her fault she is the way she is. I don't think Langland is antagonizing women, especially since he writes of Lady Holy Church. I can't wait to read more about the complexity of Mede's character! I am hoping that as the book progresses, others will learn to treat her better.
Consciens is noted insulting Mede here. He refuses to marry her since she corrupts society. It's interesting because her name means bribe (among other things like reward), and usually those who give or accept bribes are corrupt. It makes me sad that so many people disrespect Mede. In the beginning of passus 3 it is unclear if she has been raped. She gives men money, they take it, laugh in her face, and then abandon her. I think Consciens is wrong to insult and publicly humiliate Mede. He's only pure because of his name. After all, she does help when misfortune hits. She is especially close to the king, staying home with him one time to lift his spirits. I really feel for her because her name embodies her entire being. It's literally not her fault she is the way she is. I don't think Langland is antagonizing women, especially since he writes of Lady Holy Church. I can't wait to read more about the complexity of Mede's character! I am hoping that as the book progresses, others will learn to treat her better.
I really like this statement of yours: "He's only pure because of his name". This really made me think about the role of each individual character and their place in the story as a whole. It's really interesting to me how easily the reader can fall into the assumption that every character automatically personifies the concept that they/their name represents without fully understanding their situation in the context of the poem. I completely agree with your point that its "not [Mede's] fault she is the way she is'", and I think that the responsibility falls on the reader to differentiate between what her name is supposed to portray about her versus what she is actually like as a personified character.
ReplyDeleteI like your analysis of Mede's character. I had not thought about how the treatment of Mede would play into this idea of payment. The author seems to be expressing his opinion that the treatment of payment is sinful rather than the actual idea of payment. Passus 2 includes the verse, "Dignus est operarius mercede" (A. 2. 84). This verse is from the books of Luke, 1 Timothy, and Matthew, and it means "a worker deserves his wages." The author may have included this verse to prove that the role of payment is supposed to be positive. This also explains why Mede is betrothed to Truth, but the treatment of Mede changes her relationships with other characters and her general role in society.
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