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i feel like all medieval dramas have been low key ruined by game of thrones because now the showrunners believe all viewers just want gratuitous violence, soft corn porn sex scenes and exaggerated sexism
Things I want more of in medieval dramas:
– Culture! I want to see art and books! I want to hear music! Show me the Minnesänger, you cowards!
– Scholarship! I want to see people learning the ways of scholasticism in universities and having discussions on philosophy, medicine, law, etc. If a series takes place in Italy, I want to see the Schola Medica Salernitana, and the fact that women studied there too.
– Speaking of women, I want to see women who abided by traditional gender roles being shown as badass too. Medieval women don’t need to pick up a sword to be interesting and worthy of respect. After all, when the men were at war, who ran everything? Their wives.
– Also, the ladies had body hair and didn’t wear modern makeup.
– Humour! People had fun then too. I think the manuscripts that feature apes with butt trumpets are a testament to that.
– People not turning their longbows sideways to shoot. Seriously. That is a shitty way to shoot a bow.
– Peasants NOT being shown as completely filthy and having horrible teeth. Sure they didn’t have modern dentistry or showers, but people had other ways of keeping clean. They definitely had worn teeth because the foods they ate weren’t as soft as they are nowadays, but decay was only a problem later on when sugar was more available.
Minor correction: I have just been informed that noble ladies DID in fact have hair removal.
Schola Medica Salernitana, woo! I co-sign all of this, and add that I would like to see more
– Trade! I watched Pillars of the Earth with a bunch of other medievalists and we all got super-excited about the wool trade. Long-distance trade and complex markets were a thing!
– Relatedly, cultural exchange! As a thing that was normal!
– Crafts and industry! Show me beer-brewing! Public ovens! Smithing! Weaving! Apothecaries!
– People with hilarious distinguishing surnames/nicknames. Far too uncommon in medieval-set drama
– Complex religious cultures, interactions between religious and lay institutions/authorities, etc.
– Also, complex, nuanced relationships between belief, unbelief, and inconsistent beliefs, please and thank you
All the more reason for me to get on with my series. It has all of these things! 😀
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