I am a little late on my post, but Spring Break sort of messed up my schedule and I got a little confused, but better late than never.
I am doing my post this week on a character that I would like to meet. We have started to read stories from the Arthurian time period and after the in class presentation about King Arthur's court, I think the one person I would want to meet from that court is Queen Guinevere.
https://www.google.com/search?q=queen+guinevere&biw=1280&bih=923&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjF6pSm5f_LAhUW7GMKHZ65AfsQsAQIGw&dpr=1#imgrc=okGXCAz3mvCiTM%3A
Based off of the readings that we have done in class, it seems like she maybe wasn't the nicest person in King Arthur's court, but maybe we are getting a skewed version of her. I gathered a few facts about her from Encyclopedia.com and found out that she was a beautiful and noble queen, but her love for Sir Lancelot led to her downfall. The site also said that there was numerous fights between Lancelot and Arthur after Guinevere was accused on adultery. After Arthur dies she retrieves to a convent in attempt to reprehend her sins.
Whether or not these stories are true or myth, there is one thing this court has in common with our popular culture today. I don't know about you guys, but I am always interested in watching a good love triangle flourish and then see how it ends. These facts tell us that there was a love triangle between these three characters and it ultimately led to the demise of Arthur's Knightly Court. We can easily get mad at her for committing adultery, but at the same time Kings were able to have mistresses I'm sure. I am not sure if Arthur takes a mistress ever, but I am sure being king he gets a lot of offers.
There are numerous stories that depict her as being beautiful and noble, but there are other texts that make her seem manipulative, betraying, and adulteress. this is why she is a character I would like to meet because I am curious about the accuracy of these legends. She seems like an interesting character and I tend to show more of an interest in queens than I do kings. Don't get me wrong I like studying Kings and their reign, but I think its always nice to study the Queen as well because that is a side that we don't usually read about.
Wow the pictures depected of her show that she is quite beautiful. I think she is often seen in a bad light and I agree with you about all the King's having their mistresses. Therefore I think for the Queen to commit adultery, while bold and maybe stupid on her part, I see her as sort of a bad ass. Not many women would be "proud" to have the King and his knight fight for her love. I enjoy reading about powerful women during this era because it is not often talked about. I would like to meet her as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that she would be interesting to meet. However I already don't like her from all the readings I've done, and I know that is awful but at least she's only a literary character and is most likely fiction, right? If she were real I would like to meet her (with an open mind) to see if the stories did her justice.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that she would be interesting to meet. However I already don't like her from all the readings I've done, and I know that is awful but at least she's only a literary character and is most likely fiction, right? If she were real I would like to meet her (with an open mind) to see if the stories did her justice.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who loves Queen Guinevere, I agree that many of the readings portray her in a bad light, and that may not have been totally accurate. Especially since it's also told she geniunely loved both Arthur and Lancelot and was devastated when that tore the kingdom apart and Arthur was killed. Like, going from a queen to a nun with a vow of silence is a huge step.
ReplyDeleteThough, if she was as angry and manipulative as the texts portray her as, I'd still kinda love her. It's kinda nice to see a woman who's powerful but not nice aligned with the heroes. It makes for a more complex character.
I am glad to see that I am not the only one who would like to meet her even though she isn't portrayed in the best way in our texts. Lexie and Kathryn I agree with your comments about her being a powerful woman. Although it may not be smart on her part, she kind of does whatever she wants to do and I think that is why I like her and would like to meet her.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see that I am not the only one who would like to meet her even though she isn't portrayed in the best way in our texts. Lexie and Kathryn I agree with your comments about her being a powerful woman. Although it may not be smart on her part, she kind of does whatever she wants to do and I think that is why I like her and would like to meet her.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved reading about her, Lancelot, and Arthur. They make an awesome love triangle. I see that many people do not like Guinevere, but I find her to be intriguing. She honestly does what she wants most of the time and has a lot of power for a woman in this time period. I feel like she can rub people the wrong way but I like that about her. It makes her stick out to me and makes her interesting. I love the pictures you have posted for us! One of my favorite pictures of her is when she is knighting Lancelot and has long, loose red hair. Overall, I believe that Guinevere would be an interesting person to meet.
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