On the Dignity of Women: The "Ethical Reading" of Winsbeckin in mgf 474, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin-Preussischer Kulturbesitz

by Olga V. Trokhimenko, University of North Carolina Wilmington

. . . sô sol ein wîse man
oder swer dem wîbe ir êren gan,
wider ir guotem muote
dekeine ander huote
z'ir tougenheite kêren
wan wîsen unde lêren,
zarten unde güeten
dâ mite sol er ir hüeten. (Tristan, vv. 17897–904)

In his Tristan, the thirteenth-century poet Gottfried von Strassburg condemns the practice of huote, the excessive control to which some medieval men subjected their female relatives. The famous huote -excursus, from which the above passage is taken, appears to send a clear message: the male supervision of women is wrong and essentially futile. To limit a woman's freedom, to invade her privacy, and to put her under constant surveillance are all acts of mistrust and foolishness, dishonoring both the lady and her male guardian. Instead, men must surround their sisters, daughters, and wives with kindness and affection. Good women do not need to be guarded, for they shall protect their êre, that is, their reputation, themselves..