Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Threat of Women to Courtly Life

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Threat of Women to Courtly Life

By Emily Dangerfield

Undergraduate Paper, University of Guelph (2012)

Abstract: Historians of early-nineteenth century Europe have analyzed Arthurian legends and poems for their cultural values and understanding. Cultural historians in particular have analyzed the constant adjustment of small details in each subsequent translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, specifically in regards to the role of women in Arthurian times and the period of change following Arthur’s demise. Drawing from the translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by W.A. Neilson, this paper argues the use of this poem as a warning to readers of the period of the dangers of women to men’s chivalric values, honour, and their status as knights.

Introduction: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an Arthurian romance, written by an anonymous author in the late fourteenth century regarding the tales of Sir Gawain over a year with a being called the Green Knight. This poem begins on Christmas Day with a challenge to Arthur’s court by an unknown visitor called the Green Knight. He issues Arthur’s court a challenge to strike him, which he will return a year later. No knights step forward to claim this challenge, and thus Arthur rises to accept, but is quickly stopped by Sir Gawain who accepts the challenge, realizing no one else will. This begins a year-long quest where Gawain’s honour, courage, and chivalry are tested, and the actors in the stories are not all that they appear, contrary to many other verses.

In contrast to other medieval poems written in this time period, Arthurian romances began to incorporate the use of women into their stories, and began to feature women in prominent roles, whereas other medieval poems often featured women as minor characters, with limited influence and impact. Arthurian romances, and in particular, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight included women as a major component of the story, who drastically influenced Sir Gawain’s adventures. However, these women were often included in Arthurian romances in order to provide background and depth to the male characters of the stories, rather than for their own merits. Women were most commonly included in these works to construct men’s chivalric identities, rather for their own stories. They were not included in Arthurian romances to detail their own adventures, but rather to add an aspect or layer to a predominately male story. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, women are included to serve as a warning to readers of the dangers of women to men’s chivalric values, honour, and their status as knights.

Click here to read this article from the University of Guelph