Make Love Not War; Women as Peace-weavers in Medieval Literature

While reading Chaucer’s “ The Man of Law’s Tale”, I was intrigued with the portrayal of the Sultaness as an abject and repugnant queen in comparison to other queens of medieval literature. In specific, I was interested in the differences between the Sultaness and the queen Wealtheow, who is the Queen of the Danes in Beowulf. In medieval literature, women in powerful positions are lauded if they meet a quota of feminine qualities such as: purity, virginity, diplomacy, gentleness, and actors of peace-weaving. Each of these qualities is intrinsic to the depiction of a queen and without them, a queen cannot be viewed as a positive or endearing character.    

First we must consider Wealtheow, Queen of the Danes and wife of Hrothgar. Wealtheow is a woman not native to the Danes, given to Hrothgar so there might be peace between him and another prominent lord who was on the path to power. Her form is never criticized, never compromised because she is gentle and kind and seems to understand her place in the world. She is not spiteful or bitter about the situation she was most likely forced into, despite possessing every reason to be. Wealtheow is passive. The only worry she expresses throughout the book is for her sons who she cunningly ties to Beowulf when she says, “Treat my sons / with tender care, be strong and kind” (Haney 87). This maneuver is somewhat ambitious for a Queen, but her maternal instinct still fits into the category of queenly qualities. In truth, this action further legitimizes her as a Queen because she secures safety not only for her children, but Hrothgar’s future heirs to the throne. In word, appearance, and action, Wealtheow embodies Queenly properties.

Blatantly juxtaposed to this epitome of a perfect medieval queen is the Sultaness in “The Man of Law’s Tale”. The Sultaness is depicted as malicious, vindictive, self-serving, and perhaps worst of all, possessing ambition for herself. Unlike Wealtheow who was ambitious for her sons, the Sultaness is shown to desire power for herself. Her cursed command that causes “The Sultan and Christians each one / are all hacked to pieces and stabbed at the table” dips her hands into murder, further adding another activity to her repertoire that is really not all that feminine (Chaucer 429-430). Because of these actions, the Sultaness is considered a destroyer of peace, not one who makes it.

After reading the full story of Chaucer’s “The Man of Law’s Tale”, we have to ask ourselves, is the Sultaness really that evil? If we consider her actions through logical reasoning, it becomes apparent that the Sultaness is just as much of a protector and peace-weaver as Wealtheow. The biggest difference between the two is that the Sultaness is active about her peace-making while Wealtheow is passive. Though it is hard to absolve anyone of murder, the Sultaness kills the Sultan and the Christians to keep the peace in her country, hoping to avoid total religious upheaval. Her peace was made through war, which is unacceptable for women at this time. Such a statement is made in Beowulf, written that “A queen should weave peace, not punish the innocent / with loss of life for imagined insults” (Haney 133). The real reason for why the Sultaness is displayed as an abject character is because she is active and does not stay in her place. She acts as a King would, waging war on others in attempts to keep her country’s internal peace whereas Wealtheow represents a contract between two opposing peoples.