Performative Acts

 One of the new directions in medieval studies is a focus on performative acts.  Like many aspects of medieval studies, once scholars got past "rise of the nation state" about 50 years ago, this focus can seem obvious when one thinks about it, even if one hasn't thought about it before.  But what are "performative acts?" you say.  I'm about to tell you.

Every act done in public (and for that matter some done in private) is at some level a performance.  A good actor isn't just reading the lines of the script but performing, making you believe that he or she is really that person, really feeling the emotion of the situation.  In the same way, a college professor giving a lecture isn't just conveying information.  She or he is also indicating by subtle or not-so-subtle cues that this is authoritative information, and the professor is very well informed on the topic.  The professor stands up in front, wears more formal clothes than the students, and is the one who announces, "It's time to get started."

In the same way, medieval people surrounded their actions with symbols, visual cues, and ceremonies that reinforced what was happening or supposed to happen.  A king would "wear his crown" (as the chronicles put it) several times a year, when he wanted his loyal men to renew their vows to him.  Normally of course a king would not walk around with jewels and metal on his head, but when he did it emphasized his position.  (Queen Elizabeth II of England did not usually wear a crown either, but she did when addressing Parliament.)

The oath of loyalty itself was full of symbols, the loyal man kneeling to indicate subservience, the lord kissing him on both cheeks to indicate that their bond was one of mutual affection and respect, not just one of master and subject.  Someone making a gift to a monastery would not merely say he was giving something but would do so accompanied by many witnesses, to give the act extra significance.

In eleventh-century Anjou and probably elsewhere, serfs were expected to pay a penny a year to their lord of the body (in addition to any rent they might owe to the same or a different lord), and they didn't just pay it, but came on their knees with a rope around their neck and the penny on their head.  This certainly underscored their subservient position (and it's not surprising that serfs tried to buy their way out of this ceremony, offering far more than the penny-a-year was worth monetarily).

And then there was getting one's doctorate degree from the University of Paris.  One stood on the front steps of Notre Dame and answered all philosophical questions anyone could throw (in Latin of course).  Talk about a performance!

We still do performative acts, even though we're not nearly as conscious of doing so as medieval people were.  Weddings, with a bridal white dress, groups of male and female attendants, rings, and a church setting even for people who rarely attend church are certainly conveying much more than that two people have decided to stay together permanently.  Medieval weddings weren't quite the same as ours, but they had comparable ceremony.

Once you start thinking about such things, you'll be startled at how many such performative acts you do yourself.

© C. Dale Brittain 2023

For more on medieval social structures, see my ebook Positively Medieval, available on Amazon and other ebook platforms.  Also available in paperback.