Entre Eva e Maria : a construção do ideal feminino na sociedade portuguesa medieval através d’A Demanda do Santo Graal (séculos XIII ao XV)

Abstract

The study analyzes the representations of women considered good Christians in the medieval chivalric romance The Quest for the Holy Grail, focusing on the influence of this ideal model on the consolidation of the feminine standard in medieval Portuguese society. The research methodology is based on bibliographic review and analysis of the source The Demand for the Holy Grail. The research analyzes how the work, produced in the 13th century and strongly influenced by the Catholic Church in the Christianization of the Arthurian myth, presents female characters who reflect social expectations of moral perfection, submission to Christian precepts, associated with the virtues attributed to the Virgin Mary. By relating these idealized characters to historical figures, especially D. Filipa de Lencastre, Queen of Portugal in the 14th century, the study highlights an attempt to establish a connection between literary fiction and real examples of women who embodied values of virtue, leadership, and social influence, revealing the complexity and multiplicity of female constructions in the Middle Ages. Furthermore, it shows that the narrative allows for identifying contradictions and possibilities for social transformation, especially in the interaction between religious, political, and cultural spheres. The analysis also emphasizes the pedagogical and moralistic role of the work, which functioned as propaganda by constructing models of female behavior to be emulated. Finally, the study contributes to the field of gender studies by expanding the understanding of social and ideological relations that shaped female experiences in medieval society, reiterating the importance of literary works in forming and maintaining cultural and social patterns.