Gwenhwyfar's advice 'She Igraine, Arthur's mother could do nothing but wait. It was a woman's fate to sit at home, in a castle or in a cot: it had been this way since the arrival of the Romans. Before then, Celtic tribes had followed the advice of their women, and far to the north there had been an island of warrior women who made weapons and taught warrior leaders in the field. 'use of weapons. ' (Bradley 265). Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? and presents a retelling of the legend of King Arthur through the eyes of female characters. In the quote above is the only explicit use of the word "Celtic" in the entire novel, the total length of which is 876 pages Source material from Arthurian legend and historical elements are combined to tell the story of the women who surround Arthur. The novel focuses heavily on the friction between Christianity and paganism, made narratively visible by the struggle for women in a male-dominated world. In the above quote, Igraine reflects on her "destiny" as a woman of "doing nothing" as opposed to the women of the "Celtic tribes" who had an active role in both military and political society. novel and is therefore exempt from the requirement of historical accuracy. However, the elaborate use of Arthurian legend and historical setting still makes it interesting to test its accuracy or inaccuracy. Furthermore, the explicit mention of the word Celtic, which is a problematic term, invites further investigation. The premise for this Robben 1 article is therefore simple; Are the assumptions made by the character Igraine true to the source material, both historical and fictional? The Mists of Avalon is a retelling of Arthurian legend, presenting the story of King Arthur, his court and his family. Some of the earliest prose material relating to these Arthurian legends is found in the Mabinogion I, a collection of 11 tales now often published and read together although not originally intended to be grouped as such. The tales featuring King Arthur are called the Three Novels and are called Lady of the Fountain, Peredur and Gereint. Although perhaps not directly, Marion Zimmer Bradley's novel is part of the Nachleben of these medieval prose texts and their French relatives written by Chrétien de Troyes. His retelling of the Arthurian legend therefore does not exist in a vacuum but is part of a cultural and historical discourse. In the framework of literary theory and cultural materialism, this means that “all readings, radical or traditional, of all types of texts, are at some point ideologically motivated and constructed in the interests of a specific literary and cultural agenda” ( Brooker 10 ). It could be argued that Bradley's novel is, an adaptation but also a reading of the Arthurian legend with a distinct ideological literary agenda. His Arthurian quotes then form the backdrop to the ideological points he tries to convey to the reader. In the quote, at the beginning, there are three points. The first is that women are destined to stay at home. Second is that women do not participate in fighting or forging weapons and thirdly, women are not allowed to give advice or counsel and as such have no political power. The final contrast with all of the above is made regarding the social structure of the Celtic tribes, where women were in fact allowed to do all of these things. The implications of the social structure observed by the character Igraine in the novel are best felt in the character of Gwenhwyfar. Especially when compared to Gwenhwyfarpresented in the three novels. In the mists of Avalon, Gwenhwyfar is married to Arthur and crowned High Queen. She is in love with Lancelot and her entire internal monologue consists of her adherence to the stereotypical role of women as described by Igraine. For example: "'Poor Arthur, thought Gwenhwyfar, this marriage is more of a trial to him than to me - at least I have nothing to do but obey the will of my father and king!" (Bradley 775). Gwenhwyfar has no choice but to obey the men in her life. Gwenhwyfar's role in the Mists of Avalon is to live out the prophecy made by Igraine about a woman's life. The "strong" women in the novel are those women who are not part of the traditional structure at all. The only strong, positive women who appear in the novel are part of a separate class of pagan religious priestesses. In a way, this retelling of Arthurian legend needed an entire Otherworld to create strong women with free will. In short: “In these feminist retellings, the characters' femininity is embodied in the intersection between their military (or strategic) and spiritual leadership.” (Pug 76). This manifests as a negative representation of femininity rather than an empowered representation. In the original Arthurian material found in the three romances, Gwenhwyfar is Arthur's queen. A closer look at the story of Geraint vab erbin will perhaps illuminate some of the differences between the medieval source material and the mists of Avalon. Geraint and Enid are one of three Welsh love stories. In this tale, Geraint marries Enid after winning a falcon. Immediately after the wedding, he neglects his military duties. One day Enide tells Geraint some of the criticisms she hears from the courtiers. Geraint thinks that Enide is unfaithful to him and decides to punish her. Through a series of challenges, Enide convinces him of her love for him. They return to court and Geraint fights a warrior from beyond the mist and breaks his curse. Although Gwenhwyfar and Arthur are minor characters in this story. They are king and queen and interact with Geraint and Enide. Furthermore, they are important to the question of honor, which is so important in tales of chivalry and romance. This is also described in A Companion to Arthurian Literature: 'traditionally Arthurian literature foregrounds the masculine ideology of chivalry. Heng postulates that the masculine thus “inhabits” textual consciousness. The feminine register, however, is found in the removals of the text; in “alternative discourses” or in “competing voices and claims” which, if not contained – papered over, smoothed out, compiled – would threaten the stability and unity of the text. The feminine register therefore traditionally inhabits the textual unconscious” (Fulton 466). Another point about the position of women in the three Welsh novels is that women are in positions of power but it is second-hand power (Winward 103). In other words: they must join the system to defeat it. However, that doesn't mean they don't give advice. In Geraint, for example, Gwenhwyfar gives advice to Arthur about what to do with the stag's head: Gwenhwyfar said to Arthur, "Lord," said he, "this is my advice concerning the stag's head: do not give it away until Geraint son of Erbin returns from the quest he went on' - and Gwenhwyfar explained to Arthur the purpose of the quest and he accepts it. And even when Gwenhwyfar seemingly submits to Arthur, she makes sure to inform him again of how an insult to him is an insult to him too: "Whatever mercy you desire, I will show him, sir," she said, " for it is as great a dishonor for me, O Lord, to be insulted as for yousame". (Davies 152). Helen Fulton argued that Gwenhwyfar is turning into an object and its only function is to increase her prestige. I would argue that this is not the case, Gwenhwyfar is simply reinforcing a social code. By reminding Arthur of the fact that their status is so intertwined, she reminds him of the responsibility he has to her but also to himself to maintain his reputation. It is obvious that in the Welsh source material, Gwenhwyfar is not expected to do anything and sit at home in her castle. In Geraint, he joins the hunt (Davies 140) gives advice on armor without Geraint explicitly asking him (Davies 143). Gwenhwyfar welcomes Geraint to court (Davies 153). So, in the source material, it is clear that women, although queens, in this case should not remain silent or passive. It is therefore a very strange development to see a character transformed into a passive and oppressed role. The Gwenhwyfar in the Welsh source material is strong but not in a military role, advising and advising but not in matters of war. In the Mists of Avalon Igraine states that before the Romans arrived, women had a stronger military position. Since there are no written sources for that period, there is no possibility of actually proving this. Welsh laws regarding the position of women are codified in the Hywel Dda but this was only written in the second half of the 10th century. (Ellis 5). In Welsh tribal legal codes, which perhaps derive from an oral tradition. The following entries concern the queen's position under the Welsh Celtic law code, for example it granted a queen the right to move freely through the country (Ellis 31). Additionally, daughters could inherit an estate if there were no direct male or fourth-degree collateral descendants (Ellis 389). She could acquire and hold land of her own through purchase or inheritance and such land did not come under the control of her husband (Ellis 436). As for queens, the code makes it clear that they have no power in matters of state except that which she might exert through her personal influence on the king (Ellis 31). Remember: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Geraint's Gwenhwyfar is a far cry from The Mists of Avalon's Gwenhwyfar. Bradley's retelling of the Arthurian legend references a romanticized Celtic past in which women had more agency because they were more engaged in military matters. In the Welsh Arthurian source material, Gwenhwyfar is active and gives advice to both the king and his knights. Gwenhwyfar comes out to watch the hunt and gives advice on armor. The romanticized Celtic past that Bradley refers to probably doesn't exist. Queens getting to enjoy the outdoors, however, is only a few revisits away. Welsh law codes do not prescribe a passive role either, but this is only relevant if Welsh laws are older than the manuscripts in which they appear and, unfortunately, we cannot turn to them for advice. Bibliography Beer, Gillian, 'Representing Women: Re- presenting the Past', in The Feminist Reader, ed. By Catherine Belsey and Jane Moore, 2nd (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 1997), pp.77-90Bradley, Marion Z. The Mists of Avalon. New York: Rey Book, 1982. Print. Brooker, Peter and Peter Widdowson. General introduction. A practical reader in contemporary literary theory. London: Prentice Hall, 1996. 9-11.Ellis, Thomas P. Welsh Tribal Law and Custom in the Middle Ages. Aalen: Scientia, 1982. Print.Gruffydd, W.J., Rhiannon: an Inquiry into the First and Third Branches of the Mabinogi (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1953) Fulton, Helen. A companion to Arthurian literature. Chichester [England: 34 (1997, 77-106)