ENGL 330 / ENGL 512: Medieval Literature
Dr. Debora B. Schwartz
English Department, California Polytechnic State UniversityThe Human Side of God II: Marian Devotion
[page numbers in NA refer to 8th ed., 2006]Medieval Lyrics
Read carefully through the headnotes at NA 355-6 and 367-8, paying particular attention to the comments on the religious-themed poems, including Marian lyrics, on NA 350. Note the different depictions of Christ (or a Christ-like figure) and of Mary in the assigned poems "What is he, this lordling"; "Ye That Pasen by the Weye"; "Sunset on Calvary"; "I Sing of a Maiden"; "Adam Lay Bound" and the "Corpus Christi Carol" (NA 368-70), as well as the supplemental page of online Marian lyrics. Note the emphasis on the humanity of Christ and, especially, of Mary. Which of the two is depicted as more accessible? In what roles does Christ appear? Is he the central figure you might have expected him to be?
In the first two NA lyrics, Christ is depicted as a sort of warrior-hero analogous to the Christ of the Dream of the Rood. "What is he, this Lordling" describes the Christ of the Crucifixion as a valiant if blood-spattered knight; note the imagery or diction (word choice) that depicts him in this light. "Ye that Pasen by the Weye" is addressed not to the long dead witnesses of Christ's actual Crucifixion but to a contemporary audience contemplating a Crucifix or other artistic depiction of Christ's Crucifixion. The emphasis on the uniqueness of Christ in this poem--there is no other like him--recalls the depiction of Beowulf as a larger-than-life savior figure whose feats of prowess are super-human compared to the more ordinary heroism of the warrior Wiglaf.
Consider the importance of the Virgin Mary in the remainder of the poems. How is she portrayed? What can the sinner expect from her? For what qualities is she praised? In what roles does she appear? Consider the differences between these expressions of medieval piety and the treatment of religious themes in the first two lyrics and the Dream of the Rood. What is the effect of this differing emphasis and treatment? What societal changes (in e.g. values, message, target audience) are implied by this shift from God-as-Warrior to a more humanized, "feminine" side of religious experience? Do you see a connection to the importance of the Virgin Mary in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?
Note specific instances in the lyrics where Mary is depicted in her roles as mother or as mother-to-be, as intercessor, or as Queen of Heaven. How are these roles interrelated? Mary's privileged status as the mother of Christ makes her a particularly effective intercessor with her son, the Judge of mankind, for the souls of those who pray to her, and her status as the universal mother of mankind--a sort of "Everymom" figure--explains in part why she was held in such high veneration by medieval Christians. Consider in this regard the various depictions of Mary and of Christ (e.g. as the presiding Judge at the Last Judgment) in the medieval artwork found on the class homepage or the Getty Museum website.
Note the use of imagery or diction (word choice) associated with "courtly love" in some of the religious poems (see esp. "I Sing of a Maiden" and "The Corpus Christi Carol"). To modern readers, it seems odd that the Virgin Mary is described in terms that recall erotic love. Why might this be so? According to St. Bernard of Clairvaux and other Christian mystics, the Bridegroom and Bride of the Song of Songs can be seen as allegorical representations of (among other things) Christ and Mary, the King and Queen of Heaven, who together constitute a sort of "Salvation Couple" responsible for the redemption of fallen mankind. This "coupling" of Christ and Mary as partners in mankind's salvation was understood symbolically rather than literally; it was not meant to suggest celestial incest, but to account for both the "masculine" and the "feminine" sides of God and to universalize the metaphor of human love as a symbol of the soul's ecstatic union with God. Christ and Mary are the "new Adam and Eve," the Salvation couple who replaces the Fallen couple, God's answer to Adam and Eve's transgression in the Garden of Eden.
Note the presence of the felix culpa ("happy fault" or "fortunate fall") motif in the poem "Adam Lay Bound." Traditionally, this motif refers to the notion that the fall of mankind (due to the wiles of the temptress Eve) was actually a good thing, since it afforded God the opportunity to demonstrate His great love by sending His Son to redeem fallen mankind. In the poem "Adam Lay Bound," there is an interesting variation upon this theme: Adam alone seems to be responsible for the Fall (Eve is not mentioned; see line 3). Moreover, the happy result of that initial fall is not the existence of God's Son, but of Mary in her role as Queen of Heaven (see lines 5-8).
Note the use of imagery or diction (word choice) associated with "courtly love" in some of the religious poems. In works written for women, we have seen God depicted as a (male) courtly lover "wooing" a lady who will become his "bride." Similarly, in his allegorical interpretation of the Song of Songs (see translatio and below), St. Bernard of Clairvaux suggests that the ecstatic union of the human soul with God is analogous to the marital bliss of wife (soul) and husband (God). But in the Marian lyrics, it is Mary rather than Christ/God who is described in terms that recall human love. Why might this be so? Who might be the target audience for this unconventional depiction of the Virgin Mary? We have previously seen courtly love imagery associated with Mary in her role as Gawain's Lady in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. To whom might that romance be expected to appeal?
According to medieval allegorical tradition, the Bridegroom and Bride of the Song of Songs sometimes represent Christ and Mary, seen as a sort of "Salvation Couple." This equivalence is not meant to suggest celestial incest, but to universalize the metaphor of human love as a symbol of the soul's ecstatic union with God.
NOTE: On the Song of Songs in the Bible and in St. Bernard's Sermons on the Song of Songs
The Old Testament Song of Songs is also known as the Song of Solomon because it was purportedly written by King Solomon. It comprises eight chapters of erotic love poetry recounting the love between a Bride and a Bridegroom. In the mid-twelfth century, the Cistercian monk St. Bernard of Clairvaux (ca. 1090/1-1153) wrote a series of eighty-six (!) sermons on the first three (!) verses of the Song of Songs, the Sermones super Cantica canticorum. He began work on them in 1135 and left them unfinished at his death in 1153. These sermons offer allegorical readings of the love affair between Bride and Bridegroom. In these sermons, the Bridegroom always represents Christ, while the Bride can be interpreted in more than one way: as the Church; as the individual human soul; and occasionally as the Virgin Mary. (A selection of these sermons is available as recommended reading on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard.)
St. Bernard played a key role in the expansion of the Cistercian order throughout twelfth-century Europe; recall the emphasis on virginity in the Cistercian-influenced Vulgate Cycle, primary source for Malory's Morte Darthur. Bernard was known for his particular veneration of the Virgin Mary, to whom he dedicated another series of sermons. It is important to realize that the association of the Bride in the Song of Songs with the Virgin Mary is not meant to be taken literally, nor is it a sign of disrespect. Rather, Mary, the "new Eve," is seen as representing the best of Womankind, a sort of feminine Divine principle, just as Christ, the "new Adam," is the best of Mankind and the incarnation of the masculine side of Divinity. Together, they represent a sort of "Salvation Couple," the King and Queen of Heaven, as they are frequently depicted in medieval artwork. In depictions of the Coronation of the Virgin, it is striking that Mary does not look any older than Christ. Seated on twin thrones, the pair more closely resemble a married couple than a mother and son.
Contents of this and linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 1999-2010
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