The Hidden Power of Women in La Princesse de Cleves: A Study on Equality and Influence, Study Guides, Projects, Research of History

Download The Hidden Power of Women in La Princesse de Cleves: A Study on Equality and Influence and more Study Guides, Projects, Research History in PDF only on Docsity! The Equality of the Two Sexes in La Princesse de Cleves by Michael G. Paulson La Princesse de Cleves, on the surface, scarcely appears a work in which one would expect to find equality of any sort. It is a novel in which kings, various levels of nobility and their ladies machinate for position and power and in which all struggle to maintain themselves above everyone else. Yet, in a sense, there is not only equality among men, but between the two sexes as well. Our problem is to formulate a working definition of "equal" upon which the present study can concentrate. The adjective egal is generally defined as "semblable, le meme en nature, en quantite, en qualite ... qui ne varie pas" and as a noun as "qui est de meme rang." The substantive definition does not seem to suffice, since by nature, a king is higher than a duke and a duke is higher than a count. Even among kings, equality varies according to ability and power. Henri II, who reigns at the novel's beginning, is a physically stronger, more capable king than his sickly son, Francois II, who reigns, but does not rule at the work's end. For our definition of equality, we must instead work with the concept of "similar" and "the same in nature" as we strive to establish the equality of the sexes in La Princesse de Cleves. The plot outline itself does not inherently lend itself to this stance of equality. Writing nearly a century before Madame de La Fayette, Michel de Montaigne refers and disgresses to many of the historical characters of the novel in his Essais, but only the male figures receive extensive coverage. He delights in his narration of Henri IPs death, the exploits of the Guise family, and even of the brief reign of Frangois II. On the other hand, he refers to Catherine de Medici as only "la reine mere" and to the unfortunate Mary Stuart as merely the widow of the sickly Fran$ois. Madame de La Fayette's innovation appears hence in her accordance of a personality to female characters, a trait lacking in the Essais. Superficially, the world of La Princesse de Cleves is one in which men rule and dominate; women appear only 58 MICHAEL G. PAULSON in subservient roles. The introductory part of the novel leads us to this belief: La magnificence et la galanterie n'ont jamais paru en France avec tant d'eclat que dans les dernieres annees du regne de Henri second. Ce prince etait galant, bien fait et amoureux..., (3). Turnell (34) cautions us not to accept anything here at face value and we must read between the lines. Salic Law specifically bars women from the throne, even if they are more capable than the ruling males. Henri II, Francois II, the Duke Nemours, as well as various male members of the Guise clan, seem to be in charge, if we look at the trappings of authority seen from the opening passage. Legally, only a man can sit on the throne, wear a crown or lead an army, and the first tome of the novel concentrates on this aspect of power and authority. But there is more to be seen below the surface. Barbara Woshinsky points to the outward appearance of order: In the Princesse de Cleves, Mme de Lafayette reveals both the dynamism and the stability of the court and shows how they are combined in the daily lives of its members. History follows a continuous, orderly pattern, from father to son [not mother to daughter], from dynasty to dynasty. (64). As the work unfolds we see on the surface various masculine figures maneuvering for power. At the top is King Henri, legal in ruler of France in theory. Below him we find the Duke Guise, struggling to rise to the top and dominate Henri's successor, Francois. On the other hand, the Duke Nemours does not aim for ascendancy in France, but sets his own sights for a crown and its power in England. Throughout the first tome of the Princesse de Cleves, we learn of the struggles of the Vidame de Chartres, Montmorency, Brissac and others to attain and retain power vis-a-vis their countless rivals. The royal crown, the marshal's baton, the bishop's mitre and the general's insignia all are visible signs of male power and ambitions and seem to prove that France is a man's country—or so it would appear on the surface. Madame de Chartres' keen observation early in the novel provides a key to the proper interpretation of the actual situation. "Ce qui parait n'est presque jamais la THE EQUALITY OF THE TWO SEXES... 61 This group has its limitations. Comprised of adolescents in age or maturity, it lacks present organization and real power. Moreover, it depends uniquely on the frail life of its symbol, the dauphin. Since he and Mary have produced no male offspring, she lacks the tie to the throne that Catherine holds; there is no possibility that the dauphine could become the reine-mere. Moreover, during Francois' reign, there will be jockeying of powers between wife and mother, each trying to exercise effective authority over the poor, dying boy. Henri's death in 1559 in the third tome of the work precipitates Diane's downfall and raises Mary Stuart to queenship and power. The change of kings pulls down Diane's followers and on the surface, it elevates Mary's; one will note, however, that Catherine manages to draw courtiers to herself, both from the shambles of the Poitiers clique as well as from the Stuart group. The most notable "convert" is the Duke de Guise, Mary's maternal uncle, who knows exactly who will be calling the shots. Within the text there are a few indicators of the future; extratextually, we know from history that the Stuart faction will last less than a year and a half. At Francois' death in late 1560, Catherine will seize the reins of power without opposition for her second son Charles IX and will exile Mary to her native Scotland. Thus, Catherine's cabale will triumph over her rivals'. Women need not ally themselves with kings to attain and exercise power. At the beginning of the novel, we find several single young men with ties to powerful families. These males pride themselves in the display of their titles or prowess, but all eventually fall sway to the irresistible, feminine attraction of Mademoiselle de Chartres. Her presence and its magical coup de foudre captivate the Marechal de St. Andre, the Chevalier de Guise and the Prince de Cleves. Although superficially she seems weaker than any of the above, she is in fact stronger than all of the above. Denial of her hand causes both St.- Andre and Guise to despair; the latter will even join the Knights of Malta to forget her. M. de Cleves, the "successful" candidate, remains distraught, for he has attained only her respect, but not her love. When the Duke Nemours enters the picture, he innerly captures Madame de Cleves' heart despite her 62 MICHAEL G. PAULSON efforts to appear unmoved by him. By the end of the work, she alone has achieved mastery of her passions. Nemours languishes from unrequited love, while Cleves dies from exaggerated suspicions and jealousy. St.-Andre and Guise, both rejected early on, continue to despair. All four of these men are brave, capable individuals, who would not falter in battle or in the service of king or country. Yet once faced with denial or refusal from this beauty, they all crumble. She wields as effective a force over them as Mary Stuart, Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici exercise over the various court factions. In essence, the latter are metaphors for the powers of Madame de Cleves. Males flock to females and willingly surrender themselves and their visible signs of authority in exchange for favors of one sort or another. Whether they seek sexual favors, a promotion or the ruin of a rival, all seek out a woman as a means to this end. The novel seems to depict outwardly a man's world, where man is supreme, but there are other factors which merit consideration. The author of the novel, we must recall, is a woman; whatever importance she may assign to the males in her work, they are viewed from a feminine perspective. She selects and arranges the literary details to suit her ends, not the ends of males. Likewise, she has selected a female narrator, who in turn presents several women characters, who narrate tales in which women predominate. These digressions relate in depth the general dominance of women and show their power over men; whether in the tale of Diane de Poitiers, Marie de Guise or Elizabeth of England, we see females who have overcome obstacles to exercise authority successfully over males. The French monarchy has a mirror image in England. A literary image, however, is only as good as its novel- mirror, which in La Princesse de Cleves tends to distort the picture. The reflections we see involve essence rather than ocular imagery, for in England, we find a country ruled by a woman. Elizabeth I reigns with an iron fist and holds the same outward trappings of monarchy as her counterpart, Henri II. We are aware from history that there are several male-oriented factions at her court. To receive promotions or favors from Elizabeth, the ambitious must first seek a male intermediary such as Leicester, Cecil or Hatton to intercede on their behald. When Henri II encourages Nemours to pursue his romancing of the THE EQUALITY OF THE TWO SEXES... 63 English queen, it is partially with the intent of having direct access to Elizabeth. What we find in England is the reverse of France: a female sits on the throne, but males seem to have some impact on her decision-making. We have observed situations in La Princesse de Cleves which may cause us to debate whether there is indeed equality in the work. If we attempt to follow the guidelines of "same as," there is no equality. Twentieth- century feminists, civil rights activists and egalitarians seem overly preoccupied with possession of both de jure and de facto equality. What such individuals would require to complete the definition is that both sexes enjoy equality in theory as well as in practice and such a doctrine in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries seemed wholy impractical and improbable. In that age, women could not aspire to the French throne, but for that matter, very few men could entertain such prospects either. The crown, the foremost symbol of authroity, being unattainable to them, men and women of ambition sought to manipulate its possessor; hence, we understand the raison d'etre of such characters as Diane de Poitiers, Mary Stuart and Catherine de Medici, who had seventeenth- century counterparts in the guise of Mesdames de Montespan, Maintenon and others. If a woman in the novel and in real life could not expect to reign directly, she could at least hope to rule the person in theoretical authority. If we view the concept of equality from the stance of physical strength, we are perplexed. In the -sense of military prowess and physical force, the males in the novel seem to display greater strength; nowhere do we encounter any female with physical force greater than that expressed in Henri II, the Duke de Nemours and the Duke de Guise, the male "giants." Still, not all men are physically strong as we know from the sickly Francois II. On the other hand, women are emotionally stronger. In terms of passion, men fall to women more often than women fall to men. The female alone seems capable of controlling her emotions and feelings, and hence, acquires a mastery of the situation. Kaps documents that the latter are better capable of dissimulating their true feelings: Dissimulation, however, requires a great deal of discipline. Perfect discipline would require perfect