Part 7: The Gender Reveal - Or Not?

Here's the script for episode 8 within Season 13 of my Philosophy Fluency podcast. 

For the reference bibliography of works cited in this episode, see the end of this blog post. 

This episode is available to listen to on demand on Spotify 🔗 here.

🎧 

Hello and welcome to the 8th episode of Season 13 of Philosophy Fluency. Last week, I paused Season 13 and released a special edition bonus episode, to celebrate the Lionesses winning the women's UEFA Euro 2025 championship. We were all so proud of the England team, especially since women footballers have had to build up their sport from zero, after suffering a decades long ban on women playing football in the UK, from 1921 to 1971. So their win took on such significance too, both for women and for the whole nation as well, since football is something of a major, national sport here in England. 

In this episode, I return to Cavendish's play: The Convent of Pleasure, first published in 1668, by following on from my episode 7 on the theme of the Princess's petticoat. To recap: in that episode, I discuss the petticoat scene in Act IV. Scene I, which depicts the Princess praying to Mars and apologizing for wearing a petticoat while doing so. I analysed this passage in light of pagan rituals within which it was customary to dress in the gender of the god you are worshipping, not in accordance with your own gender identity. Hence, I questioned Tiller's claim in her talk that we can read into the Petticoat scene as showing that the Princess is not entirely at ease in feminine attire, and that this monologue acts like a precursor to the Princess acting like a threatening man when she, now revealed as a he, claims he'll send an army to the convent. 

So, to build on all this, over ice coffees today, I shall give a reading of the passages in question later on in the play, in order to:

1) give you a direct understanding of how the original text reads. It's a passage that I often find sounds very different from how it's talked about in Cavendish scholarship 

2) to bring the play to life, so you can envisage it and it seems less hypothetical 

3) so we are all on the same page, quite literally, when I'm discussing my research thoughts on this passage and play, because we'll all be looking at the same original wording. I'll read the entire scene, otherwise I'm not sure it will make much sense to listeners, especially since it's not a famous play, so people are not familiar enough with it to fill in the context for themselves. 

The Convent of Pleasure by Margaret Cavendish, 1668, ACT V. SCENE I.

"Enter the Princess and the Lady Happy; The Princess is in a Man's Apparel as going to Dance; they Whisper sometime; then the Lady Happy takes a Ribbon from her arm, and gives it to the Princess, who gives her another instead of that, and kisses her hand. They go in and come presently out again with all the Company to Dance, the Musick plays; And after they have Danced a little while, in comes Madam Mediator wringing her hands, and spreading her arms; and full of Passion cries out.

O Ladies, Ladies! you're all betrayed, undone, undone; for there is a man disguised in the Convent, search and you'l find it.

They all skip from each other, as afraid of each other; only the Princess and the Lady Happy stand still together.

Prin. You may make the search, Madam Mediator, but you will quit me, I am sure.

Mediat. By my faith but I will not, for you are most to be suspected.

Prin. But you say, the Man is disguised like a Woman, and I am accoustred like a Man.

Mediat. Fidle, fadle, that is nothing to the purpose.

Enter an Embassador to the Prince; the Embassador kneels, the Prince bids him rise.

Prin. What came you here for?

Embass. May it please your Highness, The Lords of your Council sent me to inform your Highness, that your Subjects are so discontented at your Absence, that if your Highness do not return into your Kingdom soon, they'l enter this Kingdom by reason they hear you are here; and some report as if your Highness were restrained as Prisoner.

Prin. So I am, but not by the State, but by this Fair Lady, who must be your Soveraigness.

The Embassador kneels and kisses her Hand.

Prin. But since I am discover'd, go from me to the Councellors of this State, and inform them of my being here, as also the reason, and that I ask their leave I may marry this Lady; otherwise, tell them I will have her by force of Arms.

Exit Embassador.

Mediat. O the Lord! I hope you will not bring an Army, to take away all the Women; will you?

Prin. No, Madam Mediator, we will leave you behind us."

I'll leave you with a few questions to think about before the next episode:

1) is this definitely a big gender reveal scene? 

2) is the mediator simply one of those pious, hysterical, fantasist TERFS who is just trying to cause trouble, conflict and pretend there's a safety problem for the women to be afraid of, despite the fact that they've just been absolutely fine and happy, living in close quarters alongside the Princess all this time? 

3) Does this scene tell us more about the Princess or the mediator? 

4) We have a slip here that suggests this could be written by Cavendish's husband rather than herself. So do such pivotal scenes tell us about Cavendish's authorial intentions or not? 

5) Does this scene help us understand the true gender identity of the Princess or not, given that it's coloured by the mediator's phobic reaction? 

Do join me next week for a discussion and analysis of this passage. Have a good week! Enjoy the hot weather. Stay hydrated.

References/Bibliography:

Cavendish, Margaret 'The Convent of Pleasure', 1668, available at: 

https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/newcastle/convent/convent.html