is not a unique skill found in Medieval Lays, but the combination of
technical mastery of the harp, and the ability to perform it to the standard
of a Breton minstrel is a unique occurrence. Thus supporting the idea of
a “performative culture” (Cartlidge, 2004 p. 199) existing within Breton
at the time. This blurring of boundaries from Orfeo being not only a
King, but a master-harpist is a running theme throughout the poem. His
playing helps to blur the line between different class systems, and asks
the question: what does Orfeo’s harping skill really represent?
In the Medieval Period, the harp was a powerful metaphor and its use by
Orfeo would have been understood by the Christian audience. The harp
was associated with divination, the power of grace, heavenly music, and
the harmony of the spirit. As Masi notes: “Compared to the music of the
reed and other wind instruments, [the harp] was the instrument of grace
and goodness, not of sensuality and ribaldry. It was a sacred instrument
and the quality of its music was not to be confused with the secular
entertainment of other music,” (1974, p.19). A Medieval audience would
have noticed the Biblical connotations of Old Testament kings and
prophets, especially with the lyres of King David. Furthermore, the harp
bridges the gap between different worlds: the fantastical Kingdom that
Orfeo reigns over, and the Fairie Kingdom that is beyond his jurisdiction;
the world of opulence that he enjoys at the beginning of the poem, and the
exiled woods that he finds himself reduced to. Perhaps, most crucial of
all, the harp is the only item that exists within the ‘internal’ world of Orfeo
and his Kingdom, and the ‘external’ world of the Medieval audience, and
the bard (Rider, 1988 p.356). Further analysis of the language reveals
the importance of a bard’s role in setting the atmosphere of the poem.
In the opening 24-line introduction of Sir Orfeo, the narrator immediately
states the significance of Lays as a story-telling technique when he
lists Lays of: “mirthe”, “joie”, “trecherie”, “gile” “aventours” “bourdes”
and “ribaudy” (lines: 6-9). The poet repeats the use of the words: “And
sum” three times here to reinforce the wide-ranging topics that these
Lays could cover. As one of the most enduring story-telling forms in the
Medieval period, the importance of Lays can not be understated here.
The poet even mentions some Lays being of “fairie” to foreshadow the
later events of the tale, and build anticipation in the Medieval audience
(who would have been familiar with tales of Celtic Fairies).
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