By: Brianna Miyama
Perhaps one of the first thought of notions of medieval times and medieval literature is that of playing pretend, like a game. More often than not, when speaking of the Middle Ages, people are reminded of the courtly characters, such as knights and kings who dressed in lavish attire while living in a magical kingdom, and who were amongst the fantastical creatures who also dwelled during the time. Furthermore, it seems as though the more humanlike beings were always contesting the fictionalized beasts for a sense of supreme authority, alluding to a theme of game playing for an ultimate victory over the other. Noticeably so, the nature of game and play appears quite essential to the social culture of the Middle Ages, as medieval literature represents.
If games have been played as early as the Middle Ages, there is an obvious history to the want to play. So why play games? At the forefront, playing games appears to only disrupt harmony by pitting differences against one another; but at the same time, there appears to be an innate desire to participate. There is an apparent pleasurable effect to play which transcends the risk of defeat that might be involved in playing, and which causes a continual yearning to compete in the game. Referring to respected scholar Johan Huizinga, Kendrick says, “it is through…playing that society expresses its interpretation of life and the world” (Kendrick 43). By looking at texts from the Middle Ages who partook in the fun of play, it is perhaps possible to better understand the social rationalization of games and their valuable function in providing a better understanding of the world.
While the primary essence of play may be to simply have fun, perhaps the more overlooked facet of game playing is the way that one is able to challenge the mind and uncover new knowledge through this imaginative task, in addition to the emotional comforts associated with such thought. Huizinga defines the idea of play as,
Play is a voluntary activity or occupation executed within certain fixed limits of time and place, according to rules freely accepted but absolutely binding, having its aim in itself and accompanied by a feeling of tension, joy and the consciousness that it is ‘different’ from ‘ordinary life’ (Kendrick 45).
In this way, play is thought of as similar to entering a new mental space, and playing can be viewed as a sort of act, including a performative duty to others. The fun of play is imagination. As Kendrick’s article suggests, chivalry and courtly love were perhaps forms of games appreciated by medieval communities. The communal implications of play are distinctly what is left to gather the motivations which led to game playing during the time. Scholarship dedicated to this topic reveals, “many of the surviving texts of vernacular medieval literature are the remains of play or of social games” (Kendrick 47). Similarly, it is the undertaking of interpretation to these texts which can be likened to its own form of game—understanding medieval culture.
By studying the form and structure of medieval writings, it is possible to discern some of the fundamentals of playing games during the Middle Ages. Kendrick asserts, “debate and contest were common medieval literary forms, and the context for appreciating most vernacular compositions was performance…as leisure entertainment” (Kendrick 47). Contests such as waging war, vying for affection, and loyalty to the king were common motifs in medieval texts showing the amusing quality of such games, exploiting the inventive behaviors and tactical awareness which playing assumes; game play is thought provoking. It is this state of alterity which is perhaps most attractive to playing the game because one is able to experience a reality beyond convention, and this is exactly where new worldly understanding can first be conceived.
Yet another doctrine of medieval play is founded within the linguistic history of the words ‘play’ and ‘game.’ According to Kendrick, the Middle English word pledge expressed forms of physical activity, and the Old English noun gamen expressed more so the feeling of having fun. Over time, these words became associated with each other and their meanings developed more interchangeably. In regards to this significance, word play within Middle Age literature was pertinent to the entertaining factor of games. Ultimately, the objectivity of these surviving texts are prime remnants of medieval game play.
Essentially, the notion of game play during the Middle Ages is two-fold. While we can study the participation of game in order to reveal the social involvement of play and its creative capabilities, the remaining literary texts which we derive this knowledge from are also games of their own. Perhaps referred to as literary pleasure, the word puns in the texts challenge their audiences to join in a game of interpretation, in pursuit of a better understanding of the context of medieval society. Evidently, there is an element of learning which comes with amusement. So while game and play are fun, it is conclusively the interpretive worth which produces the most meaning to discovering new knowledge about the world, and is the game that medievalists were perhaps fondest of.
Works Cited
Aertsen, H. “Games and Sports in Medieval Literature: A Textual and Pictorial Survey.” 28th Symposium on Medieval Studies, 2008.