The "Goblin Market" is a poem by Christina Rossetti, about two maids named Lizzie and Laura. Laura is tempted by the goblins whom sell all sorts of delicious fruits and call out, "Come buy our orchard fruits, come buy, come buy." One day, despite Lizzie's warning against the goblins, Laura exchanges a lock of her golden hair for the fruits and eats them all as if they were the most amazing she's ever eaten. After devouring the luscious fruits, Laura sleeps till the next morning only to crave for more fruit. She searches for the goblin's again but she ends up never finding them or hearing their simple cry, and also getting sick in the process. Lizzie feels sympathetic so she goes to find the goblins for the fruit that they bear. Resisting the goblin's temptation, Lizzie makes the goblin's so mad that they throw the fruits at her. With fruit juice all over her, she runs to Laura so that Laura can kiss the juice off her cheeks and miraculously recover. In the end, Lizzie and Laura are both married and eventually share the story of the goblin's with their own children.
"The Defence of Guenevere" is another poem created by William Morris. This poem actually refers to the legendary story of King Arthur with Guenevere(Guinevere). In this poem, the narrator is Guenevere who is on trial for committing adultery. Gauwaine, one of King Arthur's trusted knights, is the prosecutor of the trial and is accusing her of sleeping with Launcelot. Guenevere often denies the accusation and repeats the lines, "nevertheless you, O Sir Gauwaine, lie," very often. She uses her beauty as a defense and says that her beauty alone should show her innocence of this trial. In the end, Launcelot comes in to rescue her and when he does, "her cheek [grows] crimson."
These poems have a lot of similarities in the sense that the theme of both is temptation. Both poems closely relate to the story of Adam and Eve, in which Eve was tempted by the serpent into taking the apple from the tree. Similarly, Laura is tempted by the goblins into taking their fruit and when Guenevere is lured into choosing hell's blue colored cloth.
At the end of "The Defence of Guenevere," Launcelot finally comes to rescue Guenevere and when he does, she starts blushing like crazy. Does this prove that she does actually love him? That she was drawn by lust and seduction? Was she right about the fact that it's hard to tell right from wrong? I think so. Yet I think that even if we are tempted, we also have the willpower to say no. So allurement should not be used as an excuse for what she did. She probably does regret the fact that she cheated on King Arthur, but instead of owning up to her mistake she blames her beauty for everything. She is of arrogance and self-pity, which makes me support Gauwaine.
At the end of "Goblin Market," Lizzie and Laura live to tell the goblin tale to their children. I think they told their kids so that their kids can hopefully learn from their mistakes and to think twice before doing something. It's almost like the saying, "never take candy from a stranger," that is often told to kids as a warning to be careful. Lizzie and Laura learn to be careful in choosing which path to take, and to lean on each other throughout any difficult situation.
Yes, we all make mistakes and get easily drawn into the evils of the world. Instead of taking the right path, we take the path that easily attracts us. It's true that there are many times we will be tempted in our life, but that's what makes us wholly human. Honestly, all we can really do is learn from the mistakes and try to gain strength to resist walking towards that wrong path or choosing the blue cloth.
The poem the "goblin market" is a really long poem. It's about 2 maids, one of which gives in the the goblins who are always calling out for them to come by. Laura, didn't listen to the warnings even though she knew there was another girl who ate their fruit only to wake up and realize that they were no where to be found. That girl grew old and eventually died which is the path Laura was going on after giving in. Lizzie was the one who saved her by having Laura have the fruit juice that was a result of it being thrown at her. I didnt expect Laura to live. I thought she was going to die just like the other girl but in the end she learns her lesson and tells her kids about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that both poems both share the theme of temptation. I also completely agree that even if we feel tempted, we have the will power to say no. Just because you feel tempted doesn't mean you should give in to the temptation especially when you know it's wrong and that makes me wonder what Gauwines true intentions were. What are her feelings towards Launcelot? This reminds me of the movie temptation where the wife meets a new attractive man and he arouses in her something she never felt before. Something new and exciting and she realizes that she is tired of her old boring routine with her husband and so she gives in. She goes from being this good woman to a woman who drinks and does drugs and doesn't do much. All this for giving in to these new feelings that raised. In the end the new guy ends up beating her up and giving her HIV and her husband ends up married with a kid. This goes to show that it's not right to give in to temptation because you can end up losing. This isn't really the case for these poems, but they could've ended tragically. We need to learn how to know the right from the wrong and not give in to the bad.
I agree that both poems share the theme of temptation, but I also believe that both poems have a theme f sin as well. Many would agree that the greatest sin is deception, both of oneself and others. Guenevere stands accused of committing adultery, which was considered a major sin in the eyes of Arthurian knights, such as Gauwanine. A women's sexual purity was seen as one of the most important aspects of her character. Guenevere should not have given into her desires knowing it was wrong. To try to get herself out of the situation she was in, she tried blaming her beauty. Her physical appearance is emphasized throughout the poem. She uses her beauty as a point her her own defense, and mentions how her beauty alone should show her innocence.
ReplyDeleteOne of the strongest emotions essential in humans is desire. We are unable to control what we crave. We cannot afford to let our desire get the best of us. Thus, in both poems the writers are conveying the importance of maintaining control over one's self, by resisting desires, and choosing the right path, in order to remain safe and not fall into sin.
Sin and temptation live hand in hand, humans are naturally allured by what we can not have. The allegory of the poem lies in whose more at the fault the deceiver or the believer. The theme of adultery loosely represents the temptation of choice. Is it possible that if we were never given choice that we could live in a state of blissful ignorance? Adultery on a rudimentary level is also Guenevere's way of expressing her sexual freedom. She was rebelling against the notion that women must participate in monogamy yet men can engage in polygamy. Guenevere was a visionary in some senses for the way she dealt with the problems she faced. By blaming her beauty she brings to light the superficial culture of the time, if she was not as attractive society would not have reacted the way they did to her infidelity. Society would view her differently and expect less of her if she were not as beautiful, which is why she said her beauty is sign of innocence. The trap of desire and sin is all around us we must not ignore the temptations and we must not indulge in our moral faults. The poem also centers around a sense of community amongst women. A woman makes a mistake but is helped by another woman. In conclusion the story helps us reevaulate temptation and the idea of community.
ReplyDeleteThe story does touch a lot of religious aspects especially considering the time period it is told. I believe that this like many religious stories is more of a tale to make the reader feel guilty or to teach a lesson of not giving in to temptation. The hair is a symbol of femininity. Clearly this was taken away once Laura cut her hair for the apple. The paleness represented purity and her paleness was gone once she ate the apple.The apple symbolizes more of a poison or sexual dirtiness.This story clearly foreshadows many other intriguing renditions that can be similar to this one. Such as the story of Adam&Eve as well as Snow white, ect. I dont necessarily see the lesbian relationship that many acclaimed scholars and authors reacted to as they read the story. I see the angelic tone and description of the two sisters as more of an art form and whimsical fairy tail than more of a relationship.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these poems have a common idea of women doing things that are frowned upon by their society. Both women in the two poems are driven by temptaion into participating in "sinful" activities. In one poem the woman goes againts her sisiter's advice to stay away from the goblin men who were encouraging her to buy their fruit, which ended up getting her sick. In the other poem, a women cheats with a man that she is not married to, which was considered very sinful at the time and so was put on trial for it. Both of these poems show us what happens when women are told how they are expected to act and live in their society. In both situations, the women were being punished for acting in an unacceptable manner. I thought it was interesting to see that the women in both poems were the ones who were blamed and punished, even though the men were also to blame for what happened. It is because of the double standard that only women were punished at the time, even though it was not fair. Both of these poems stress the importance of self control and what affects it can have on you in if you feed into the temptation.
ReplyDelete"Goblin Market" and "The Defence of Guenevere" portray the importance of self-restraint. These two poems were written in the time period where women often had to stay at home and any obscene behavior was considered a serious offense. In "Goblin Market", an innocent girl named Laura, gets tempted by goblins to eat forbidden fruits. Her sister, Lizzie, cautioned her not to fall into temptation, but she ignored it. The fruits and the goblins represent prostitution. Laura had no money to buy the fruits so she offered one of her golden curls. Back then, hair symbolized femininity and was viewed as a woman's sexual feature. As a consequence for eating the forbidden fruits, Laura started to slowly die. She no longer heard the calls of the goblins and turned grey.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Defence of Guenevere", Guenevere had sexual relations with a man, Lancelot, whom she is not married to. Back then, adultery was looked down upon by society; especially if it was committed by a woman. Guenevere attempted to justify her actions by saying that they were both madly in love. Her punishment was death. Before her execution, Guenevere used her beauty as an advantage. She used it to flirt with men so that she can have more time before being executed; in hopes of Lancelot showing up to save her.
In the end, these two poems proved that love can overcome anything and that it is important not to fall into temptation. Lizzie went to the Goblin men in hopes of curing her sister, but instead they tried forcing her into eating their fruits. She resisted ad was let go. When she got home, she sucked the juices out of her sister, showing, that she is willing to do anything for her, and ended up curing her. In end of "The Defence of Guenevere" Lancelot showed up at Guenevere's execution just in time to save her. Both poems have a happy ending due to the circumstances of love.
I agree with Melanie in that both of these stories contain the theme of "temptation". In the Goblin Market, two women, two paths essentially, named Laura and Lizzie are approached by Goblins who urge them to "buy their fruit". Lizzie is angelic whilst Laura is devilish in that Laura is the one that gives into the temptations. She gets herself into the trouble by giving in which leads her to sickness. Lizzie, however, sees her numbness and wants to help. Even though she went to the Goblins, she still didn't give into the temptation after what seemed to be a rape scene. As for Guenevere, her reason for giving into temptation was "love". By filibustering about her beauty, she bought enough time for her "wish" to come true: Lancelot. Her knight and shining armor, literally, came to her rescue, or did he? By the leaving the ending ambiguous, we don't know if she lived or was executed. Either way, I also agree that it's only human to make mistakes. We give into temptation sometimes and it's not always the right path. Remember, we're only human.
ReplyDeleteDuring the time period of both of these stories, women were always treated and looked upon in a different way than men. They were supposed to be angelic and a good housewife. However temptations take over these women as well, but they are considered as sins. For example Laura was tempted by the goblin men and their behavior was seen as sinful because she gave in to their calls and even gave a lock of hair for their fruit. A woman in this time should not give into temptation and should behave properly. Also with Guenevere there is a sign of temptation. She slept with Launcelot and that was strongly frowned upon in society, especially since they were not married. Once again she gave in to temptation, something she should have not done. This behavior during this time period was unacceptable. However with temptation comes choice. I believe both women had the choice of saying no like Lizzie had done when the goblin men called. She walked away knowing going to them would only cause trouble. When someone is faced with temptation, it is up to him or her to choose the right path. Based on his or her decision society will react accordingly. Also gender difference should be eliminated. In both of these poems, women are looked upon differently than men and the consequences of their individual actions were different based on gender. During this time period gender difference played a huge role, women wanted freedom and the actions of each were judged differently. Temptation is a feeling that leaves you with a choice; however it is up to you to choose the right path.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the points that were brought up by all the previous comments when it comes to the focus of temptation and how it was difficult for women in those times and their roles in society. One thing that I would like to point out that differs from some other comments is that Guenevere never suffered consequences in “The Defense of Guenere” (that we know of at least), like we do when it comes to Laura in the “Goblin Market”. I feel for the time period examples in stories was the perfect way to force the point across of how bad temptation is and why we should control ourselves. Bet after reading this back then a lot of people really thought twice before they acted on their urges
ReplyDeleteBasically, I think this whole thing is about the yearning and lust for the sexual desire these women crave. They crave something they no longer have because of the situation they live in; that women must be housewives, must cook and clean, etc. These women have nothing to see beyond their eyes and for this reason they are pulled into the lust of the "fruit" and the temptation it offers along with it.
ReplyDeleteLike all previous comments, I too believe that the primary theme is temptation. It is evident in both of these poems. However, it goes much deeper than simply temptation, it also goes into gender roles and how they were viewed in society in this time period. I have seen a few others state this fact as well. This is not to say that the temptation would be easier or harder to conquer based on the gender of the person being tempted, it is just to say that society's viewpoint or outlook may change based on the gender. This is simply a fact, no matter how unfair it is. In both of these stories we see not only the consequences but the outcomes of the result of being tempted. Fortunately for all the main characters they were able to live to tell the tale. Temptation has been around since the beginning of time, and it is something that will continue to exist as long as humans do. However, I believe that these poems do a good job of pointing out possible consequences of giving in to temptation, and how it is not worth it. This is especially seen in The Goblin Market, which shows that going down the wrong path can have deadly consequences.
ReplyDeleteI also agree about these two poems sharing the theme of temptation and having a subtle connection to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The women of the poems gave into the allure of sin with the hopes of experiencing something new and gaining something from doing do. Lizzie and Laura do not gain anything except a life lesson on learning from the consequences. Guenevere may gain the love of Lancelot, but the true outcome of their relationship is left for the reader to figure out. We only know he made himself present at the trial, and doing so made Guenevere blush. Regardless, both stories show a lack of self-control or self-discipline.
ReplyDeleteThe Defence of Guenevere has been my least favorite story so far. Maybe I'm just not much of a romantic but I couldn't find it in me to like any part of the story. I thought however that it was funny that the knights were so easily tricked and distracted. The ending leaves the reader assuming that everything turned out okay, but the truth is we don't know what happened once Lancelot arrived. The story demonstrates how women were thought of as lesser during most time periods. They were willing to kill her just because she loved a man. I find it kind of disturbing how the life of a woman, or anyone for that matter, was so disposable.
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