“Hanghen ende thoeft af slaen”: Vorme van geweld in enkele Middelnederlandse tekste

Abstract

After a consideration of what is meant by ‘violence’ (Afrikaans/Dutch geweld) in the current sense of the word, a number of instances of violence from the Middle Dutch literature are described with a view to singling out salient aspects of violence. Violence in nature and human reactions to it are looked at with reference to some monsters of the sea described by Adriaen Coenen. Aspects of violence in knights’ tales are considered with Karel en Elegast as a model. Beatrijs provides some insight into what may count as violence in the courtly sphere. The devil is a source, directly or indirectly, of widespread violence in the miracle play Mariken van Nieumeghen. Aspects of the ‘right’ to violence are dealt with in a discussion of acts of violence in the animal epic Van den vos Reynaerde.