Introduction

Summary

Menstrelles that walken fer and wyde,

Her and ther in every a syde,

In mony a dyverse londe,

Sholde, at her bygynnyng,

Speke of that ryghtwes kyng

That made both see and sonde.

Who-so wylle a stounde dwelle,

Of mykyll myrght y may you telle,

And mornyng ther a-monge;

Of a lady fayr and fre,

Her name was called Emare,

As I here synge in songe.

(Emare, lines 13-24)

(Minstrels, who walk far and wide, here and there in every direction, in many different lands; these minstrels should begin [as I have] by speaking of that righteous king who made both sea and sand. If you will linger a while, I may tell you of great mirth mingled with mourning, of a fair and gracious lady called Emaré, as I here sing in song [or as I hear sung in song].)

The Middle English romances create a performance context for themselves, and the use of modern historical performance can provide a tool to explore and inform theories that have until now been based largely on examination of texts. Much has been done in the last three decades to understand the manuscript tradition of English medieval romances more fully and to acknowledge its textuality; however, the minstrel tradition of the romances, because it is more elusive, has been largely ignored. Yet evidence does exist that offers a realistic and grounded understanding of minstrel performance of narrative.