Female Roles In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

It is no secret that female characters are not portrayed as being heroic in medieval literature. In Arthurian tales, it is the men who are usually depicted in the heroic role. The male characters go on their journeys and fight the enemies, while the women are less physically active. But in some stories, it is the female roles that are essential to the plot. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is about the honorable knight Gawain who accepts a challenge from a green knight and goes on a journey to complete it. Although the protagonist is a male, the role of women in the poem should not be overlooked. There are significant female characters that introduce the nature of female power within the poem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Virgin Mary

Bercilak’s wife holds Gawain in her power from the moment he sets his eyes on her, and the poet notes this effect; she is “the softest woman on earth-/ Lovelier than Guenevere, in Gawain’s eyes” (Lines 944-945). In his essay, Lawrence Warner states, “Gawain loses what would otherwise be one of the most stunning revelations in medieval literature: that the hero’s survival at the Green Chapel depends entirely on his behavior in the castle, which he and the poem’s readers assume to be a site of respite from the danger” (Warner). Since Gawain’s fate is determined by what he does when he in his bedchambers, it is actually Bercilak’s wife who has his fate in her hands. When the Green Knight’s wife is alone with Gawain, she intentionally takes control of the situation and manipulates him into kissing her. She tells him that he certainly can’t be the legendary Gawain, “as good as his name,” (Line 1297) if he "stayed so long with a lady / And left her unkissed: courtesy cries out / Against him!" (1299-1301). In these lines, she cleverly threatens his reputation for courtesy, and his good name, while still managing to be polite. Lady Bercilak has the power of being a manipulative woman and puts Gawain in a position where he cannot control himself or the situation. Gawain is known for being strong and honorable, yet Lady Bercilak has the power to strip him of these