Pobre Emelye!

Emelye is all stressed out, because she doesn't want to be married, and after praying to the goddess of maidens, is told that she has to marry one of them. This is the second time that a decision has been made for Emelye. Theseus already told the two men, Arcite and Palamoun, that they would have a chance with her, without even consulting Emelye! Does this mean that women have less of a stature than men in this story? They have been talking about her as if she is a prize, or a piece of meat, and not like a human being.

In AP World History, we have been learning about some ancient civilizations, and the status of women in that time period. Before civilization, women were equal to men, because they were important to the clans for staying alive. The men would hunt, and the women would gather food. As time passed, cities were built, and civilizations were created; women slowly lost their importance and became more submissive to men. Women started to be viewed as animals, being given away in arranged marriages that had political significance, and being used for cleaning, bearing children, and

other labor. Sadly, in parts of the world this still occurs, and women are treated terribly and even worse than animals.

Of course, Emelye hasn't been abused yet, but the lack of respect for her feelings and opinion leads me to conclude that wome

n did not hold much significance exc

ept for the servitude of men in the Knight's story.