“People have the right to live as they wish, we are no longer in the Middle Ages.” This statement, made recently by Luxembourg’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean Asselborn in relation to a homophobic law in Hungary, show that medieval is often used as a synonym for uncultured, barbaric and backward.
For example, for years, films and series set in the Middle Ages have portrayed a violent, unjust and superstitious society. And this vision is reinforced by an increasingly dark aesthetic – the sun apparently did not rise much in the Middle Ages. In this sense, The Last Duel, a recent Hollywood blockbuster set in period, is a clichéd example.
