Just as Julie in the film Jezebel is unfairly shunned for her headstrong ways, the biblical Jezebel in the view of some has gotten an equally unfair reputation.
The following is from a much longer article by scholar Janet Howe Gaines : "When Jezebel’s name is mentioned again, the Bible writer makes his most alarming accusation against her. Ahab has died, as has the couple’s eldest son, who followed his father to the throne. Their second son, Joram, rules. But even though Israel has a sitting monarch, a servant of the prophet Elisha crowns Jehu, Joram’s military commander, king of Israel and commissions Jehu to eradicate the House of Ahab: “I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. You shall strike down the House of Ahab your master; thus will I avenge on Jezebel the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of the other servants of the Lord” (2 Kings 9:6–7). King Joram and General Jehu meet on the battlefield. Unaware that he is about to be usurped by his military commander, Joram calls out: “Is all well, Jehu?” Jehu responds: “How can all be well as long as your mother Jezebel carries on her countless harlotries and sorceries?” (2 Kings 9:22). Jehu then shoots an arrow through Joram’s heart and, in a moment of stinging irony, orders the body to be dumped on Naboth’s land.
From these words alone—uttered by the man who is about to kill Jezebel’s son—stems Jezebel’s long-standing reputation as a witch and a whore. The Bible occasionally connects harlotry and idol worship, as in Hosea 1:3, where the prophet is told to marry a “wife of whoredom,” who symbolically represents the people who “stray from following the Lord” (Hosea 1:3). Lusting after false “lords” can be seen as either adulterous or idolatrous. Yet throughout the millennia, Jezebel’s harlotry has not been identified as mere dolatry. Rather, she has been considered the slut of Samaria, the lecherous wife of a pouting potentate. The 1938 film Jezebel, starring Bette Davis as the destructive temptress who leads a man to his death, is evidence that this ancient judgment against Jezebel has been transmitted to this century. Nevertheless, the Bible never offers evidence that Jezebel is unfaithful to her husband while he is alive or loose in her morals after his death.
In fact, she is always shown to be a loyal and helpful spouse, though her brand of assistance is deplored by the Deuteronomist. Jehu’s charge of harlotry is unsubstantiated, but it has stuck anyway and her reputation has been egregiously damaged by the allegation. When Jezebel herself finally appears again in the pages of the Bible, it is for her death scene. Jehu, with the blood of Joram still on his hands, races his chariot into Jezreel to continue the insurrection by assassinating Jezebel. Ironically, this is her finest hour, though the Deuteronomist intends the queen to appear haughty and imperious to the end. Realizing that Jehu is on his way to kill her, Jezebel does not disguise herself and flee the city, as a more cowardly person might do. Instead, she calmly prepares for his arrival by performing three acts: “She painted her eyes with kohl and dressed her hair, and she looked out of the window” (2 Kings 9:30). The traditional interpretation is that Jezebel primps and coquettishly looks out the window in an effort to seduce Jehu, that she wishes to win his favor and become part of his harem in order to save her own life, such treachery indicating Jezebel’s dastardly betrayal of deceased family members. According to this reading, Jezebel sheds familial loyalty as easily as a snake sheds its skin in an attempt to ensure her continued pleasure and safety at court.
Applying eye makeup (kohl) and brushing one’s hair are often connected to flirting in Hebraic thinking. Isaiah 3:16, Jeremiah 4:30, Ezekiel 23:40 and Proverbs 6:24–26 provide examples of women who bat their painted eyes to lure innocent men into adulterous beds. Black kohl is widely incorporated in Bible passages as a symbol of feminine deception and trickery, and its use to paint the area above and below the eyelids is generally considered part of a woman’s arsenal of artifice. In Jezebel’s case, however, the cosmetic is more than just an attempt to accentuate the eyes. Jezebel is donning the female version of armor as she prepares to do battle. She is a woman warrior, waging war in the only way a woman can. Whatever fear she may have of Jehu is camouflaged by her war paint."
The following is from a much longer article by scholar Janet Howe Gaines : "When Jezebel’s name is mentioned again, the Bible writer makes his most alarming accusation against her. Ahab has died, as has the couple’s eldest son, who followed his father to the throne. Their second son, Joram, rules. But even though Israel has a sitting monarch, a servant of the prophet Elisha crowns Jehu, Joram’s military commander, king of Israel and commissions Jehu to eradicate the House of Ahab: “I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. You shall strike down the House of Ahab your master; thus will I avenge on Jezebel the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of the other servants of the Lord” (2 Kings 9:6–7). King Joram and General Jehu meet on the battlefield. Unaware that he is about to be usurped by his military commander, Joram calls out: “Is all well, Jehu?” Jehu responds: “How can all be well as long as your mother Jezebel carries on her countless harlotries and sorceries?” (2 Kings 9:22). Jehu then shoots an arrow through Joram’s heart and, in a moment of stinging irony, orders the body to be dumped on Naboth’s land.
From these words alone—uttered by the man who is about to kill Jezebel’s son—stems Jezebel’s long-standing reputation as a witch and a whore. The Bible occasionally connects harlotry and idol worship, as in Hosea 1:3, where the prophet is told to marry a “wife of whoredom,” who symbolically represents the people who “stray from following the Lord” (Hosea 1:3). Lusting after false “lords” can be seen as either adulterous or idolatrous. Yet throughout the millennia, Jezebel’s harlotry has not been identified as mere dolatry. Rather, she has been considered the slut of Samaria, the lecherous wife of a pouting potentate. The 1938 film Jezebel, starring Bette Davis as the destructive temptress who leads a man to his death, is evidence that this ancient judgment against Jezebel has been transmitted to this century. Nevertheless, the Bible never offers evidence that Jezebel is unfaithful to her husband while he is alive or loose in her morals after his death.
In fact, she is always shown to be a loyal and helpful spouse, though her brand of assistance is deplored by the Deuteronomist. Jehu’s charge of harlotry is unsubstantiated, but it has stuck anyway and her reputation has been egregiously damaged by the allegation. When Jezebel herself finally appears again in the pages of the Bible, it is for her death scene. Jehu, with the blood of Joram still on his hands, races his chariot into Jezreel to continue the insurrection by assassinating Jezebel. Ironically, this is her finest hour, though the Deuteronomist intends the queen to appear haughty and imperious to the end. Realizing that Jehu is on his way to kill her, Jezebel does not disguise herself and flee the city, as a more cowardly person might do. Instead, she calmly prepares for his arrival by performing three acts: “She painted her eyes with kohl and dressed her hair, and she looked out of the window” (2 Kings 9:30). The traditional interpretation is that Jezebel primps and coquettishly looks out the window in an effort to seduce Jehu, that she wishes to win his favor and become part of his harem in order to save her own life, such treachery indicating Jezebel’s dastardly betrayal of deceased family members. According to this reading, Jezebel sheds familial loyalty as easily as a snake sheds its skin in an attempt to ensure her continued pleasure and safety at court.
Applying eye makeup (kohl) and brushing one’s hair are often connected to flirting in Hebraic thinking. Isaiah 3:16, Jeremiah 4:30, Ezekiel 23:40 and Proverbs 6:24–26 provide examples of women who bat their painted eyes to lure innocent men into adulterous beds. Black kohl is widely incorporated in Bible passages as a symbol of feminine deception and trickery, and its use to paint the area above and below the eyelids is generally considered part of a woman’s arsenal of artifice. In Jezebel’s case, however, the cosmetic is more than just an attempt to accentuate the eyes. Jezebel is donning the female version of armor as she prepares to do battle. She is a woman warrior, waging war in the only way a woman can. Whatever fear she may have of Jehu is camouflaged by her war paint."
Prior to researching the film, I did a little research on the term, ‘Jezebel.’ I had an inkling of what it meant, but was curious as to not only the origin of the term, and to understand how that meaning could be applied to the film. Dr. Kaufmann’s said, “The 1938 film Jezebel, starring Bette Davis as the destructive temptress who leads a man to his death, is evidence that this ancient judgment against Jezebel has been transmitted to this century.” sums up the connection between the name and the movie rather nicely.
ReplyDeleteI was actually wondering the same thing. I did not see the connection to the name. Thank you for the explaination. Very interesting!
DeleteThanks for that piece of information, Peach. I also was wondering as I watched the film and thought back on the name. That really made it much more clear on what the connection to the movie was as it is not really a term we use today as much as they might have been aware of it back in 1938.
DeleteI know that a lot of the class did not like the way the movie ended. I also usually do not like it when movies end without a definate ending. Yet, I thought this one was perfect. The movie was more about the personality of the main character and how she struggled with good and bad within herself instead of it being about who ends up with who at the end. This made the film so different and more meaningful to me.
ReplyDeleteAfter letting the ending "marinate" in my thoughts for a little bit, I too liked the ending. It showed that Davis grew as a person and wanted to sacrifice her own life, of at least quality of life, to care for the one man she truly loved. This, in her mind, made up for the "Red Dress" mishap that she has longingly regretted.
DeleteJust to clarify--It was actually Janet Howe Gaines who provided us with the excellent information, down to the film reference. Click on the link (somewhat hard to see "longer article") to get more information if you're interested. Glad it clarified things for you.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard that we were going to watch Jezebel, my interest was peaked. I was familiar with the reference in the Bible but did not know about this movie. As the movie played, it was apparent why this title. Bette Davis played this part well although I was surprised about the ending. It made me wonder why she had to manipulate her way throughout the movie. Either way, the movie summed up the word "Jezebel" well.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this post by Janet Howe Gaines, I find myself thinking that the biblical Jezebel and Julie had more subtle similarities than just leading men to their deaths. Notice how the article says “She painted her eyes with kohl and dressed her hair, and she looked out of the window” (2 Kings 9:30).
ReplyDeleteApplying makeup in Biblical times was often considered as flirting, but in Jezebel's case, she is “donning the female version of armor as she prepares to do battle.” Throughout the movie, there are many times when Julie “dons her armor”, possibly by wearing the red dress to the Olympus Ball to get back at Pres for not coming to her fitting, or by wearing the white dress to win Pres' affection for her after he has returned from the North. Julie uses her fashion and beauty to her advantage and is able to convey a stronger message of what she is really after. The same is true when Julie dons the unfashionable grey cloak to accompany Pres to the island. The cloak symbolizes the extent to which Julie will sacrifice, for “When a woman gives up fashion, she is truly sacrificing herself.” (Basinger, 134)
Although she is not the classic female model, I feel like Davis' character got her power from manipulating men to, in turn, manipulate the world--as opposed to just manipulating the world herself. I realize this was set in the context of the 19-Century, but I feel like she behaved more childish--pitting two parents against one another, lets say--than headstrong.
ReplyDelete