A message to Women

Matthew Lewis's "Alonzo the Brave, and Fair Imogen" and Robert Southey's "Mary" are two poems that illustrate male dominance as it pertains to romantic notions of chivalry and male/female relations. As observed earlier in works such as Scott's "Marmion", the Romantic period witnessed a revival in old world sentimentality and a glorification of knights, chivalry, and fantastical tales of romance. Lewis's "Alonzo the Brave, and Fair Imogen" uses this same knight's tale storyline, but this time as a cautionary tale to the unfaithful. Female protagonists of stories like Sir Lancelot never stepped out of their proscribed roles as doting and adhering counterparts to the male leads. In Lewis's poem, Imogen is cast with an unconditional love for the leading knight Alonzo, yet her love is rapidly overcome by superficiality. Instead of conveying the depths of Alonzo's heartbreak, Lewis focuses on the punishment that is to fall on Imogen. An eternity as a tortured soul is the punishment for breaking her promises and for succumbing to the allure of earthly goods. I read this piece as a cautionary tale for women, in that as long as they stay true to their prescribed roles and faithful to their vows, they should bother no one. However, if they are to stray in any way moral or otherwise, they are to be punished with a most unimaginable fate.