Upon examining "The Bayeux Embroidery" (MyArtsLab), detail how scenes from the Battle of Hastings illustrate historical artifacts. In what ways do the scenes reveal a bias in favor of the Normans?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

This work was commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, half-brother of William, duke of Normandy, whose conquest of England in 1066 it narrates in both pictures and words (in Latin), from the Norman point of view. The story is both historical and biased. The tapestry was designed to be hung around the choir of Odo's Bayeux Cathedral, an unabashed act of self-promoting propaganda on the part of the Normans. Of particular note is the presence of Halley's Comet at the beginning of the tapestry. This event was seen as a bad omen and signals the beginning of trouble for Harold who broke his oath to William and claimed the English crown for himself. The emphasis on both William and Bishop Odo is clearly visualized due to the prominent size of each of their figures within the tapestry.