The Female Troubadour

Trobairitz

Since women can do anything a man can, women were also present in the masculine community of troubadours in the medieval period. These women were daring when it came to their writing, and wrote of things like love in a way that was most likely seen as scandalous, especially coming from women who were supposed to be demure and chaste. These female troubadours known as trobairitz, were not afraid to shatter the innocent image often portrayed in medieval society and remind audiences that women are not perfect beings of chastity, their human.

One trobairitz to illustrate this in her writing was Beatrice of Dia, in her lyric, “A Lover’s Prize.” In this lyric, Beatrice conveys the story of two lovers committing adultery, which is not surprisingly similar to her own life, in which she is guilty of committing the same act she discusses in her poem. What makes this poem different and could be considered scandalous for her time, was the point of view it is written, which is from a woman. During this time period women are not usually the one to write about “love-laden kisses” and admit to wanting their lover to “lie in [their] husband’s place” (“A Lover’s Prize” 339). However, unlike some of her male counterparts, Beatrice manages to write about this less than innocent activity, tastefully and leaves out the vulgarity you would sometimes see in lyrics written by men. Beatrice makes the audience forget that she is writing about adultery by turning this lyric into a story of love and sacrifice for her “gracious knight,” which will ultimately end in a “prize” well worth it (“A Lover’s Prize” 339).

Despite the mistake Beatrice made in life concerning adultery, she embraced the idea that women are not perfect beings of demure innocence, and her tasteful illustration of love showed medieval society that women are capable of emotion. Personally, I enjoyed “A Lover’s Prize” because it portrayed a relatable story and was different from what most women wrote in this period.