"Shamed be …": Historicizing Shame in Medieval and Early Modern Courtly Ritual

Abstract

This essay explores the relationship between shame and honor in various texts and practices associated with medieval chivalry, and especially in The Order of the Garter. The meaning and significance of the motto of thr Order–Honi soit qui mal y pense–is contested, but it emphasizes the close relationship between shame and honor in courtly society. The motto may not be an embedded coded reference to an unknown event; it may have been coined by Edward III to generate a sense of mystery appropriate to a courtly elite. An examination of selected literary texts (incluing Malory's Works and Shakespere's Henry VI, Part One) and historical documents describing the ceremonial rituals of heraldic degr..