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Female Empowerment in Medieval Literature

There was a fast decline of chivalry and feudalism during the fourteenth century because of drastic economic and social changes. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has provided support and evidence for the feudal hierarchies that existed during the medieval years. In turn, this lead to the unfair treatment of women and their destruction, as well. Women were used as primary objects in the poem in many intriguing ways. The Virgin Mary was used as a representation of “death, lust, disobedience and courtly love, a symbol of a traditional female” (Tolkien 56). Gawain was sure to make it known that a conflict existed between spiritual and courtly love. This paper seeks to give a critical analysis of how women were subjected to misery because of the feudal system based upon religious values.

When an individual is reading the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight they view it to be a celebration of romantic chivalry. However, on further analysis of the poem, it becomes evident that there are more serious issues. There was a conflict between Christianity and traditional religions. For example, the knights had to undertake monastic vows of chastity, obedience and poverty (Tolkien 77). Also, they had to go for crusades as part of their duties to the church. Therefore, a rise of courtly love took place and the knights became extremely brave, and even devoted themselves to their mistresses other than God. At the time, the church had little trust for the flesh and women.

The church made it known that it did not trust women and that is what the poem meant to ensure that its readers became informed about. Most notably, women were seen to have extreme and great power (Tolkien 105). For example, Bertilak’s wife was trying to oppose Gawain’s bedroom activities in the role of an aggressor and hunter. The story’s instigator is also a woman known as Morgan who succeeds in entering the castle owned by Bertilak. Bertilak’s wife says “ but for love of your life I can hardly blame you” (Tolken 107). It is the intention of the poet to make sure that women will not be viewed as being powerful. They are meant to be constituted as metaphors for dangers and anti-social forces that are external to the control of chivalry and feudalism. Therefore in a medieval world, females are categorized by classical and biblical models that establish that feminine things are subversive.

Women have been identified through subversion accomplished by the various medieval archetypes. Bertilak’s wife is compared to the temptress in the Christian bible known as Eve. Eve is often seen as the symbol and source of lust as well as a danger to the flesh. She was responsible for leading Adam astray. Based upon the anti-feminist tirade that Gawain came up with, he compares Bertilak’s wife to Bathsheba and Delilah. She is a representation of courtly love that was often seen in most medieval literature.

In conclusion, it is only till recent years that women are treated in the same manner as their male counterparts. In the medieval years and in particular the fourteenth century, women were subordinate to the males. The poem has shown that Bartilak’s wife was assumed to be adulterous, yet if a man was in the same position the judgment would not be as harsh. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a memorable tale that proves that in medieval times, power was in the hands of men.

Work Cited

Tolkien, R. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: with Pearl and Sir Orfeo. New York: Harper Collins, 2006.Print.