Men of Honour
A different, and complementary, view of the wronged husband is presented by the concept of the man of honour. To distinguish in general terms between the two, this chapter highlights the respective attributes of the cuckold and the man of honour, taking as paradigms for this the characterisation of the cuckold as he has emerged from Geoffrey Chaucer and Giovanni Boccaccio, and the man of honour as he is generally conceived in the Spanish Golden Age drama. In the case of each type, there is a question of identity at stake. The husband who is a cuckold is automatically removed from centre-stage and placed firmly in an ancillary role. His identity has depended upon his status as a husband who could assert his patriarchal rights in marriage, and this identity disappears with his failure to do so.
Keywords: wronged husband, honour, cuckold, Geoffrey Chaucer, Giovanni Boccaccio, Golden Age, drama, identity, patriarchal rights, marriage
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