Margery Kempe: A Medieval Myth

“She saw Saint Anne great with child… and anon our Lady was born, and she busied herself to take the child to herself until it was twelve years of age” (15). Margery Kemp often creates such donor portraits in her own mind where she holds a key role in a significant event that somehow involves Jesus, in this case, the birth of the Virgin Mary. Such performances were essential to many medieval mystics, but a great deal are present in the lives of Margery Kempe, a fourteenth century mystic and Benedetta Carlini, a sixteenth century nun from an Italian convent. Both women put on elaborate performances for specific purposes throughout their lives, many which resemble a social drama. Both Margery Kempe in The Book of Margery Kemp, and Benedetta Carlini

Margery’s crisis takes place when she is sentenced to arrest and imprisonment by the worshipful doctor of York. The text states, “ And then the doctor who sat there was a judge summoned her to appear before the Archbishop of York and told her what day at a town called Cawood, commanding her to be kept in prison until the day of her appearing came” (Kempe 90). Although the secular people of York fight for Margery to remain free until the hearing with the Archbishop, it is clear that Margery is not welcome in York. The text states, “ On the next day she was brought into the Archbishop’s chapel, and there came many of the Archbishop’s household, despising her, calling her ‘lollard’ and ‘heretic’ ” ( Kempe 91). Such an accusation most likely came about due to her rejection of church authority, and willingness to transcend it. Her pilgrimage as a whole undermines church authority, according to Terrance Bowers in his article, Margery Kempe as Traveler. He states that pilgrimage as a whole, “tended to undermine the power of priests because it gave worshippers a large degree of control over the ritual process (a central issue in Kempe’s book): pilgrims chose when, where, and with whom to go on pilgrimage , and how they would enact the journey” (Bowers 6). Although many people of York believe that Margery is a heretic due to such rebellious actions, the Archbishop himself seems to change his mind

Brown’s Immodest Acts also has elements of social drama depicted throughout her life. Benedetta Carlini exhibits a breach that begins with the counter-reformation that took place in Italy during the time she was performing her “miracles.” The counter reformation was a time where it was clear that Catholicism needed reform, and was beginning to undergo meticulous scrutiny by its leaders. According to Louis Chatellier in his book Europe of the Devout, the council of Trent established guidelines to reform European religion, in a time of confusion where many had turned from the principles of Christianity. He states, “ the Holy council believed that it should condemn and anathematize the principle errors of contemporary heretics, and expound to teach the catholic doctrine” ( Chatellier 1). At this council, a model of Christianity is created with reformed guidelines regarding what a model Christian should do in everyday life. It was important that they pray multiple times a day, meditate, set good examples for community members, and “shun bad company, oaths and dirty, false and dishonest talk” (Chatellier 5). Through their strict moral and religious codes, the members of this movement sought to change the practice of Christianity throughout Europe. Such a widespread movement (especially present in Italy), posed a serious breach for Benedetta, which leads directly to her crisis: the fact that she has established great power