Essay Example on 15th Century Marriage: Bringing People Together

Introduction

The poem is set in a traditional context, which is in May in the 15th century (Marlowe, n.d.). One of the historical events that happen is marriage. Marriage between two partners of the different sex is believed to have been there since the ancient times were at a certain age, a man was allowed to propose for marriage from a lady. Therefore, in this period, marriage was one of the historical events that brought people from diverse backgrounds to come together and celebrate, which enhanced socializing. The most significant innovation also in this period was the introduction of clothes. In traditional societies, most of the people were used to wearing animal skins as clothing, but a more significant innovation of making clothing from the wool of sheep made this advancement look greater.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

In this period, it is seen that there were advancements, especially in the social class. The material possessions such as land, animals one kept shows that the persons being referred to are rich. Marriage also contributed to such change in a social class that is mostly in the period, as one deserved respect and belonged to a different social class. Also, this is a period when the communities had an informal kind of leadership. The government comprised of a leader who was after death inherited and the territories were majorly split into small communities based on their cultural and economic activities such as farming, pastoralism, and trading.

Period Analysis

Love and Marriage

The poem majorly talks about the theme of love and marriage. In this society, people value love and friendship, where a man proposes to a lady. That is depicted where at the start of the poem, the poet says that 'come live with me and be my love.' This is written to request one for a hand in marriage, where it's a period that a man has the responsibility of looking for a wife to marry. Hence it is evidenced that a man is seen as superior in everything even concerning marriage, where he proposes, he is a shepherd meaning that it is a period where there was work that said to be for men and other work that was meant to be for women in the community. Also, at this period, there was mutual respect amongst the members of a community.

Also, marriage is accompanied by promises in this particular time, where the poet points out that the lover will be given, which is a valid proof of love. Happiness, therefore, is considered an in the marriage, for example, the poet says that 'we will sit upon the rocks seeing the shepherds feed their flocks' which is considered a true source of happiness in marriage. The theme of marriage, however, depicts the continuation of a family. The poet narrates how the bed will look like, 'and we will make the beds of Rosses...' which signifies that these two people will sleep together and give rise to children to enhance prosperity, a significant reason behind them coming together. Also, at this time, marriage is accompanied by a celebration, which makes it an important event. The poet says that 'a gown made of the finest wool' simplifying that these two people will carry out a wedding ceremony.

Humanities Contributions

The poem majorly talks about love and marriage in a pastoral community. The work has dramatically impacted on the human values; majorly respect (MindEdge, 2019). Despite the social and economic status of a person, every person deserves love and care. In this work, we see a shepherd who is proposing to a lady. Being a shepherd means that the economic situation of such a person is not stable, but the poet majorly uses such character to bring to attention that also this person can still live a happy married life with his partner. Therefore, the poem has shown some respect for gender and status, which is always an essential factor in humanity. Also, the author of this poem is valuing human activities. The poetry is majorly encompassed in a community whose main event is pastoralism, where they majorly focus on keeping sheep.

Therefore, the poem has greater importance in humanities. This is because as we see in the poem, first of all, it talks about marriage, which is an essential aspect of interactions between people of diverse cultures. It displays respect, which is significantly contributing to the humanities acceptance of people from different cultures. Also, there is a description of place features, wherein the poem he describes mountains slopes, portraying that the area setting is experiencing the mostly cold season. This has greater importance in studying humanities in such a way that it reveals the human activities which can well fit in the place, for example, he talks about the Rosses, which requires cold temperature. Also, the wool for making gowns shows that it's a cool place where sheep that is mainly kept for wool production can be kept.

References

Marlowe, C. (n.d.). Passionate Shepherd to His Love. Hoboken, N.J.: Generic NL Freebook Publisher. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2008540&site=ehost-live

MindEdge, Inc. (2019). Introduction to the humanities. Retrieved from: Waltham, MA: MindEdge, Inc