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Chapter 16: Morgan le Fay
Explanation and Analysis—Morgan le Fay and Sandy:
Two women that Hank encounters in Camelot, Morgan le Fay and Sandy, are foils to one another. In Chapter 16, Hank describes Morgan as a beautiful but fearsome figure:
All her ways were wicked, all her instincts devilish. She was loaded to the eyelids with cold malice. All her history was black with crime; and among her crimes murder was common. I was most curious to see her; as curious as I could have been to see Satan. To my surprise she was beautiful; black thoughts had failed to make her expression repulsive, age had failed to wrinkle her satin skin or mar its bloomy freshness.
Hank notes that age has failed to mar Morgan's beauty. This suggests that she possesses a timeless and ageless quality. Her "satin skin" and "bloomy freshness" contrasts Hank's preconceived notions of how evil should manifest in appearance. Hank's use of the word "black" also conveys a sense of moral corruption and malevolence.
Note the difference in how Hank describes Sandy in the following passage from Chapter 41:
Ah, Sandy, what a right heart she had, how simple, and genuine, and good she was! She was a flawless wife and mother [...] she had hunted Britain over for me; had found me at the hanging-boat outside of London, and had straightaway resumed her old place at my side in the placidest way and as of right.
Hank Morgan describes Sandy as simple and good, suggesting that she embodies qualities of honesty, kindness, and sincerity. She is also characterized as an ideal wife and mother, in keeping with traditional ideals of femininity and domesticity prevalent in the society of the time.
All in all, Morgan and Sandy represent two versions of medieval femininity. In a society characterized by chivalry and male-dominated power structures, Morgan represents a form of female agency and power, as she asserts her influence in a world dominated by knights and kings. Sandy, on the other hand, embodies the traditional values of honor, loyalty, and nobility that are often associated with King Arthur's Court. With its emphasis on domesticity, her character reflects the limited roles and opportunities available to women in the medieval world.
Chapter 41: The Interdict
Explanation and Analysis—Morgan le Fay and Sandy:
Two women that Hank encounters in Camelot, Morgan le Fay and Sandy, are foils to one another. In Chapter 16, Hank describes Morgan as a beautiful but fearsome figure:
All her ways were wicked, all her instincts devilish. She was loaded to the eyelids with cold malice. All her history was black with crime; and among her crimes murder was common. I was most curious to see her; as curious as I could have been to see Satan. To my surprise she was beautiful; black thoughts had failed to make her expression repulsive, age had failed to wrinkle her satin skin or mar its bloomy freshness.
Hank notes that age has failed to mar Morgan's beauty. This suggests that she possesses a timeless and ageless quality. Her "satin skin" and "bloomy freshness" contrasts Hank's preconceived notions of how evil should manifest in appearance. Hank's use of the word "black" also conveys a sense of moral corruption and malevolence.
Note the difference in how Hank describes Sandy in the following passage from Chapter 41:
Ah, Sandy, what a right heart she had, how simple, and genuine, and good she was! She was a flawless wife and mother [...] she had hunted Britain over for me; had found me at the hanging-boat outside of London, and had straightaway resumed her old place at my side in the placidest way and as of right.
Hank Morgan describes Sandy as simple and good, suggesting that she embodies qualities of honesty, kindness, and sincerity. She is also characterized as an ideal wife and mother, in keeping with traditional ideals of femininity and domesticity prevalent in the society of the time.
All in all, Morgan and Sandy represent two versions of medieval femininity. In a society characterized by chivalry and male-dominated power structures, Morgan represents a form of female agency and power, as she asserts her influence in a world dominated by knights and kings. Sandy, on the other hand, embodies the traditional values of honor, loyalty, and nobility that are often associated with King Arthur's Court. With its emphasis on domesticity, her character reflects the limited roles and opportunities available to women in the medieval world.
