SIGNS of Weakness
in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 BY KRISTY DANIEL ABSTRACT The dissection of how Middle English supports the Peterborough Chronicle inspired by the rule of King Stephen allows for scholars to understand the weakness the nobility felt against the traitors. The combination of gendered-text, focus on disassociation between nobility and townspeople, and visualization of the downfall of the religious individuals warns rulers to have a strong foundation in their religion and interaction with their townspeople to maintain a strong connection across the people.
KEYWORDS Middle English, language, literary elements, theme, weakness, text analysis, history The Peterborough Chronicle 1137 is a historic account of King Stephen and his rule of England during the Middle Ages through a parable relating to the martyrdom of Saint William. The literature points to weakness of King Stephen and those involved in his reign through syntax, content, and focus. The author used feminine language during the Medieval Era to assist in symbolizing the king’s lack of involvement with the townspeople and the femininity of the traitors. Throughout the Peterborough Chronicle 1137, the author included the visual description of the torture done by the nobles; created chaotic perspective through the desperation of the townspeople and religious members; and an exposition of destroying homes to build castles only to be used against the town as ways to show weakness in the content. Through the analysis of the Peterborough Chronicle 1137, the gendered text, focus, and literary elements intentionally reflected on the theme of weakness if someone does not have a strong foundation in religion. Feminine language supports the theme of weakness in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 by directing the reader to understand that the subject is weak. The separation of gender can be easily identified through singular and plural possessive articles and pronouns. Hi is the third-person singular feminine pronoun for ‘me’ or ‘them’ (Burrow and Turville-Petre 25). Throughout the literature, the use of hi is based on the object receiving the action of a verb. In total, there are seventeen counts of ‘hi’ being used in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137.
42 M U s ings | T H E G R A D UAT E J O U R N A L
The first accounts were to identify the castles the traitors were building and repossessing against the king. The text reads, “þa þe castles waren maked, þa fylden hi mid deovles and yvel men” l. 15-16 (Burrow and Turville-Petre 77). Translated, these lines state, “which castles were made, they filled them with devils and evil men.” The use of hi refers to the castles that were built by the traitors. The feminine pronoun for ‘they’ shows the weakness of the castles built due to them being run by nobles for a bad cause. Another example of hi used to signify an object of the disloyal nobles stems from the taxes on the villages (Burrow and Turville-Petre 78). The chronicle reads, “Hi laeden gæildes on the tunes ævre umwile and clepeden it ‘tenserie’” l. 36-37. Translated into Modern English, it reads, “They impose taxes on the towns repeatedly and called it ‘protected money.’ This encounter of hi refers to the nobles to show them as weak individuals who resort to crime against the town. A common weak article that is used throughout the Peterborough Chronicles 1137 contains the use of ‘þa, þae, and þo’ which translates to ‘the’ (Burrow and Turville-Petre 26). Similar to hi, the articles are used to identify the weaker nouns used in the text. They are found used to describe the nobles and their treacherous tasks. The manuscript reads “Þa Þe wrecck men ne hadden nammore to gyven, Þa ræveden hi and brendon alle the tunes…” l.36-37 (78). The direct translation is, “the impoverished men had nothing to give, they [traitors] took it [what the townspeople had left] and burned all the towns.” The first use of þa specifically relates to the impoverished men. The feminine use of ‘the’ parallels the weakness of poverty in the text with the description of the man coming afterwards. The second use of þa points back to the reader’s prior knowledge of how little the townspeople have to give to the traitors. It continues the theme of weakness and disrespect for the townspeople based on their inability to pay for the taxes. Articles flip gender based on the noun and syntax in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 (Burrow and Turville-Petre 77). Pronouns and articles are easier to spot whether they are masculine or feminine based on the spelling used and the subject to which they substitute in the text. The use of pronouns and articles are just one of many details in the Peterborough
