Medieval Period Relationships

Medieval Period Relationships

“An emotional or other connection between people” (dictionary.com). This definition exhibits how relationships can be between anyone not just those related by blood or marriage. During the medieval period, many relationships were unhealthy. Many pieces of literature were written to illustrate how corrupt relationships were during this time. There were things like power, money, and girls that surmounted love in relationships making many untrustworthy.

The Wife of Bath and her tale are both prime examples of how main conflicts in relationships were based around power.“I have the power duringe al my lyfe Upon his propre body, and noght he” (Chaucer 298). The wife is explaining that he will give her man all the pleasure and sex that he wants as long as she gets the power in the relationship. She gets a say on what happens in and out of the relationship. The Wife could care less what her husband’s character is like as long as she has control. This trait carries over into her story about a knight who sets out to find what women really want to avoid the death penalty. The knight in the “Wife of Bath Tale” encountered and made a deal with an old hag to give her whatever she requested for the explanation of what women really wanted. In the end, the hag and knight got married, but did not live happily together. The knight hated the relationship because she was old and ugly. She gave him two options: be old but faithful or young but cheating. He had decided to let her make the decision (Chaucer 339-357). Since the knight allowed the hag to make the decision, he surrendered the power of the relationship to her. He gave her what she wanted, so she returned the favor and made herself young, beautiful, and faithful. In some cases, as presented, power is more important in relationships than love.

“Get Up and Bar the Door” models how far some couples would go to gain power. The door of a couple’s home opens and they make a bet about who has to shut it. Whoever speaks first has to close the door. Two burglars break in and discuss raping the wife and killing the husband, but the wife refuses to say anything. The husband ends up defending the household and the burglars bolt; however, the wife tells the husband to close the door because he talked first (Herd 132). The wife’s only focus was winning the bet regardless of what the burglars did. She wanted to prove that she had the power in the house by winning that bet even if it meant death for one or both of them. Marriage should be a love-based relationship not power-based.

Power was so important to some individuals that they tear apart families for it. “The curse of hell frae me sall ye bear: Sic counsels ye gave to me, O!” (Percy 228). The mother in “Edward, Edward” had ordered her son to kill his father, but it is not mentioned why (Percy 228). It is assumed that she wanted power because the king is dead and the son is being banished for murder. That leaves the queen with all the power and land. Not only does this show how serious the queen was about gaining control, but also shows how some relationships were unsafe. Edward’s mother had intentionally ordered her son to kill her husband knowing he would be banished (Percy 228). She was willing to rip apart her family and ruin her son’s life in order to have control. This example shows how deceitful relationships can be no matter who they are with.

“Lord Randall” exhibits how the least suspecting were the most likely to turn on an individual. One day, Lord Randall comes home after hunting and having supper with his true love. Him and his mother reach the conclusion that he has been poisoned (“Lord Randall” 131). It is not told who exactly poisoned Randall, but there are only two people that could have done it: his true love or his mother. In either case it is someone he would least suspect. This is another example of how any relationship could be corrupt or unsafe. Any relationship was dangerous even those with loved ones.

Relationships that were not blood or marriage related were even in jeopardy. At the beginning of the “Pardoner Tale”, the three friends swore their allegiance