In “The Dream of the Emperor Maxen”, Elen is the love interest of the titular character and also an important political figure. Elen is given an essential role; she is credited with the acquisition of the Island of Britain and the Three Adjacent Islands, as well as holding those islands in her name. Her importance is in stark contrast to other women in the story, who are not shown to have any power. The men of Cynan “cut out the tongues of the women, lest their own language be corrupted” (Davies 110). In comparison, Elen has a voice and that voice is heard even by men, who “would never have assembled those large armies for anyone but her” (Davies 108). Elen’s flattering portrayal is actually more of a caricature, meant to symbolize the actual
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Given that founding figures are overwhelmingly male, the amount of recognition and respect shown to Elen is significant. For a society in which women are seen as having so little potential for power that those who “conquered lands… killed all their men, but left the women alive”, Elen is an extraordinarily powerful and eminent figure (Davies 110). Furthermore, Emperor Maxen’s relationship with Elen is why her brothers, Cynan and Gadeon, help the emperor to take back the city. Elen is connected, astute, and well-respected, all of which are excellent qualities. However, this story takes place in the Middle Ages, during which women were hardly well-respected or generally considered deserving of such generous characterizations. Therefore, it is important to note that she was seen by the emperor in a dream, because this seems to be a rather callous way of saying that a woman like Elen could only exist in a dream. Elen’s role as a mere figment of the emperor’s imagination is a commentary on how real women could never hold any power or be seen in an authoritative light. “The Dream of the Emperor Maxen”, though it gives little voice to women, nevertheless manages to express misogynistic opinions about women’s worth. Elen, as the only female character, is depicted with qualities that are never attributed to women, making her a parody that comments on the general uselessness of women in this time and society. Her perfection is only a mirror held up to real women to show them how insignificant they
Given that founding figures are overwhelmingly male, the amount of recognition and respect shown to Elen is significant. For a society in which women are seen as having so little potential for power that those who “conquered lands… killed all their men, but left the women alive”, Elen is an extraordinarily powerful and eminent figure (Davies 110). Furthermore, Emperor Maxen’s relationship with Elen is why her brothers, Cynan and Gadeon, help the emperor to take back the city. Elen is connected, astute, and well-respected, all of which are excellent qualities. However, this story takes place in the Middle Ages, during which women were hardly well-respected or generally considered deserving of such generous characterizations. Therefore, it is important to note that she was seen by the emperor in a dream, because this seems to be a rather callous way of saying that a woman like Elen could only exist in a dream. Elen’s role as a mere figment of the emperor’s imagination is a commentary on how real women could never hold any power or be seen in an authoritative light. “The Dream of the Emperor Maxen”, though it gives little voice to women, nevertheless manages to express misogynistic opinions about women’s worth. Elen, as the only female character, is depicted with qualities that are never attributed to women, making her a parody that comments on the general uselessness of women in this time and society. Her perfection is only a mirror held up to real women to show them how insignificant they