A Medieval Joke
Earlier in the semester an assignment was given to respond to less serious treatments dealing with the medieval period. In Ellis Peters’ A Morbid Taste for Bones and Monty Python’s Holy Grail themes such as Good versus Evil, feudalism, and the belief in myths and magic were discussed. However there are other themes that are found in two other more serious treatments of the medieval period. In Judith M. Bennett’s A Medieval Life, which tells the story of Cecilia Penifader of Brigstock and her family; and Carolly Erickson’s The Medieval Vision, a collection of various essays regarding the medieval period. In these works the themes of religion and rituals, the role of women, and the role of Lords will be discussed. In Bennett’s A Medieval Life, religion and rituals are things that played a large part in the lives of the people during this time. “First, Cecilia’s religious world was strikingly homogeneous; she might have heard stories about Jews or heretics, but the world in which she lived offered no alternative religious practices.” Coming from a small community as Cecilia did, there was no room for choice in what to believe in. Cecilia lived in a controlled setting. Her beliefs were forced upon her, if her beliefs were . . .
Medieval royalty are comparable to modern day professional athletes. The material covered in this paper offers more information into what it was like to live in the medieval period. Medieval people blindly followed what was told to them by the church. People who lived in the Medieval period did not commercialize religious holidays the way people do now. “They required deference at all times-a bowed head when met in the street, a special place in the parish church, an immediate response to any request or command. These two pieces allow for a different approach to the medieval period than did the previous two. As for the men, they would find themselves tending to the daily chores that needed to be done, and hope for the best. In A Medieval Life, the role of women is described rather well. All that she knew of religion was learned through word of mouth and from watching services. “In general, married women were not allowed to inherit or bequeath land, or to appear in court on their own behalf. If someone of higher class questioned a peasant, the peasant would have to immediately drop what they were doing and deal with the Lord or Lady, as nothing was more important than the Lord or Lady. This was due to the ignorance of the people; however, in their defense, they did not know any better. “Even the first moments of life were a gendered experience, for childbirth was women’s work from which men were banished. They covered more areas more specifically.
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