It takes true talent for a playwright to include topics and themes that are common for their time period, and yet be able to simultaneously incorporate messages far beyond those performed around them. Hroswitha of Gandersheim, as her title indicates, was a woman from a very Christian background. She had been raised and educated in a place that would almost guarantee that the influence of Christian doctrine to permeate into her work (Hroswitha, ). Though considered a mystery play, The Conversion of Thais the Whore can further be analysed as a stance against the authority of men, and how they can use their Christian views as an excuse for their ill behavior. Hroswitha introduces the character Pafnutius as an example of this. He is a man who hangs
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Although Hroswitha would not have known this word, she perfectly depicted a character so wrapped up in a title that he is unable to treat her as a person. “Hrotsvit’s hermit monk takes centre stage more frequently than Thais, but it is the harlot’s conversion that is identified as the crux of the drama… yet the [title has] more to do with the monk’s reaction to the actress” (Brown et al. 220). His inability to see her as a person needing his help is where his mission turns into a punishment. He let his obsession with the actions of a courtesan takeover to the point that when he finally gets her to admit her wrong, he realizes he needs more than that from her. Pafnutius’ passion against her title becomes more evident than his passion for saving her soul, saying that she “shines forth in wondrous beauty, but threatens men with foul shame” (Hroswitha, 238-239). He convinces her to go with him to repent and fight for her soul, but as his plan unravels it becomes evident his intent is much more violent than expected, if saving her is on his mind at all. He locks her up in a cell with no bathroom, telling her that she is too filthy to even pray. As someone trying to help save her soul, he should be much more concerned with her well-being. Instead, his desire for her was too much for him to bear, so he wants …show more content…
In this, the patriarchal Pafnutius must prevent the courtesan from dooming too many male souls to hell. He is able to justify his actions by claiming he is acting on behalf of her salvation. By locking her up and torturing her to live in her own excrement for years, he forfeits any rights to humane actions, but when he claims it is in the name of the Lord, no one seemed to question it. She made Thais a character one who is strong, independent, and up to the end very positive in her demeanor. The truth is that Pafnutius introduces her to a better life, but the way he enforced it was entirely a personal decision, and as a Christian man he says “I am still disturbed by a decision on my part:/ I fear that her frailty/ can bear the long penance only with great difficulty/” (Hroswitha, 1.1.700-702). It is interesting that when he finally admits to it, he has a thought that she may have passed away in the time that she was in the cell. His guilt shows for a moment, and if the viewer is not attentive it could be missed; Pafnutius could not have been acting by influence of God if he was guilty for the actions that he took. When he finds her still alive, he profusely proclaims that her soul has been saved
Although Hroswitha would not have known this word, she perfectly depicted a character so wrapped up in a title that he is unable to treat her as a person. “Hrotsvit’s hermit monk takes centre stage more frequently than Thais, but it is the harlot’s conversion that is identified as the crux of the drama… yet the [title has] more to do with the monk’s reaction to the actress” (Brown et al. 220). His inability to see her as a person needing his help is where his mission turns into a punishment. He let his obsession with the actions of a courtesan takeover to the point that when he finally gets her to admit her wrong, he realizes he needs more than that from her. Pafnutius’ passion against her title becomes more evident than his passion for saving her soul, saying that she “shines forth in wondrous beauty, but threatens men with foul shame” (Hroswitha, 238-239). He convinces her to go with him to repent and fight for her soul, but as his plan unravels it becomes evident his intent is much more violent than expected, if saving her is on his mind at all. He locks her up in a cell with no bathroom, telling her that she is too filthy to even pray. As someone trying to help save her soul, he should be much more concerned with her well-being. Instead, his desire for her was too much for him to bear, so he wants …show more content…
In this, the patriarchal Pafnutius must prevent the courtesan from dooming too many male souls to hell. He is able to justify his actions by claiming he is acting on behalf of her salvation. By locking her up and torturing her to live in her own excrement for years, he forfeits any rights to humane actions, but when he claims it is in the name of the Lord, no one seemed to question it. She made Thais a character one who is strong, independent, and up to the end very positive in her demeanor. The truth is that Pafnutius introduces her to a better life, but the way he enforced it was entirely a personal decision, and as a Christian man he says “I am still disturbed by a decision on my part:/ I fear that her frailty/ can bear the long penance only with great difficulty/” (Hroswitha, 1.1.700-702). It is interesting that when he finally admits to it, he has a thought that she may have passed away in the time that she was in the cell. His guilt shows for a moment, and if the viewer is not attentive it could be missed; Pafnutius could not have been acting by influence of God if he was guilty for the actions that he took. When he finds her still alive, he profusely proclaims that her soul has been saved