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University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 3-31-2016 Chosen Champions: Medieval and Early Modern Heroes as Postcolonial Reactions to Tensions between England and Europe Jessica Trant Labossiere University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Medieval Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Labossiere, Jessica Trant, "Chosen Champions: Medieval and Early Modern Heroes as Postcolonial Reactions to Tensions between England and Europe" (2016). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6289 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i Chosen Champions: Medieval and Early Modern Heroes as Postcolonial Reactions to Tensions between England and Europe by Jessica Trant-LaBossiere A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a concentration in Literature Department of English College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Nicole Guenther Discenza, Ph.D. Sara Munson Deats, Ph.D. Elaine Treharne, Ph.D. Jay Zysk, Ph.D. Date of Approval: April 8, 2016 Keywords: Postcolonial, Medieval, Henry V, Arthur, Beowulf Copyright ©2016, Jessica Trant-LaBossiere DEDICATION For my champion, my husband, with love and much appreciation. i TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Chapter One: Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 Chapter Two: Beowulf and Byrhtnoth: Winsome Warriors ......................................................... 25 Byrhtnoth the Seasoned Savior ......................................................................................... 31 Byrhtnoth the Unwavering Patriot .................................................................................... 36 Byrhtnoth the Inspirational Figure .................................................................................... 40 Byrhtnoth’s Failure and Death .......................................................................................... 45 Beowulf the Adopted Hero ............................................................................................... 47 Beowulf the Superhero ..................................................................................................... 53 Beowulf’s Foils ................................................................................................................. 56 Beowulf’s Flaws ............................................................................................................... 60 Chapter Three: Arthur: The Literary Hybrid ................................................................................ 64 Arthur the Conqueror ........................................................................................................ 75 Arthur the Fighter ............................................................................................................. 76 Arthur the Superhuman Warrior ....................................................................................... 79 Arthur’s Foes as Foils ....................................................................................................... 84 Arthur the Leader ............................................................................................................ 106 Arthur the Shrewd Statesman ......................................................................................... 116 Arthur’s Strategic Courtesy ............................................................................................ 121 The Death of Arthur ........................................................................................................ 129 Chapter Four: Henry V: The Early Modern Victor .................................................................... 136 Henry the Rabbuck ......................................................................................................... 139 Henry and the Chorus ..................................................................................................... 142 Henry the Cunning Strategist .......................................................................................... 144 Henry the Artful Orator .................................................................................................. 152 Henry’s Two Bodies ....................................................................................................... 162 Chapter Five: Conclusion ............................................................................................................173 Appendix: Fair Use Worksheet for Figure 2 ................................................................................204 ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: “Duck-Rabbit Illusion” ................................................................................................ 139 Figure 2: “Duckbunny” ............................................................................................................... 140 iii ABSTRACT This project explores connections between hero and history, text and context. By engaging Postcolonial theories about the roles that invasion and oppression, play in developing national identity and how colonized people respond to such encounters in literature, I examine how experiences of invasion and hostile interaction as represented in medieval and early modern English literature influenced the creation of specific heroic values. In my first chapter, I analyze The Battle of Maldon and Beowulf as exemplars of the Anglo-Saxon culture, observing that Byrhtnoth and Beowulf work as fictional embodiments of a fantasy of power: men of super-human strength and exceptional resoluteness who, through remarkable sacrifices, inspire men to accomplish phenomenal deeds of their own. Next, I explore Arthur in The Alliterative Morte Arthure and Le Morte Darthur, who embraces his hybridity, fluidly moving between the Anglo-Saxon warrior tradition and the French romance tradition. Last, I consider Shakespeare’s Henry V, which depicts a conquering hero who possesses the prowess and nobility of his heroic predecessors and the ability to succeed where they failed, securing England’s continental dominance. In each era, I contend that the authors created heroes on whom they could project a fantasized identity which defied the realities of their time, heroes who changed based upon the type of threat faced by England. This study samples five hundred years of literature and uses this breadth to explore cross- periodic continuity, finding that the heroes of these texts respond not only to their historical context, but also to each other. This scope allows one to see how the emblem of the hero responds to the reality of the authors and audiences of these texts. iv The figure of the hero develops over centuries, demonstrating that as the needs of the authors and audiences change, so, too, does the character who represents them. These literary figures provide a unique window into the culture and concerns of the authors and audiences during the medieval and early modern eras. They represent desire for strength, inspiration, glory and triumph. They reflect the agony of anxiety, vulnerability, defeat, and hopelessness. Most importantly, they reimagine, reframe, and redress reality. 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION All stories have a curious and even dangerous power. They are manifestations of truth -- yours and mine. And truth is all at once the most wonderful yet terrifying thing in the world, which makes it nearly impossible to handle. It is such a great responsibility that it's best not to tell a story at all unless you know you can do it right. You must be very careful, or without knowing it you can change the world. ― Vera Nazarian 174 The interactions between England and other cultures in the medieval and early modern eras can certainly be described as turbulent. In its history, the island hosted the Celts, Romans, Jutes, Angles, Saxons, Frisians, Danes, and Normans. While eventually these newcomers assimilated, still others, like later French and Spanish forces, assailed England without joining the nation, seeking to secure England as their subject by means of force. My work explores the experience of invasion and hostile interaction as represented in medieval and early modern English vernacular literature for evidence of how these encounters influenced the creation of specific heroic values. For the author, storytelling is a process in which they responds to and actively engages with the reality contemporary situation through literature. Utilizing twentieth- and twenty-first century Postcolonial theories on contact, response, and resistance, I will demonstrate how England’s exchanges with foreign forces inspired some authors to express their distress, desires, and disapproval by imbuing the heroes of their literature with qualities which make them remarkable figures of militaristic, cultural,
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