Essay On The Role Of Women In Gawain And The Green Knight

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In tales like “Odyssey”, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and “The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Baths Tale”, women play an important role that contribute to many events of the story. The women’s role in these tales use the actions of their feminine psyche to persuade men to do things that they, of the time, supposedly would not usually do. The characters of these women greatly enhance important elements. Women in these tales were generally valued, but vastly for their sex appeal and or beauty. I will discuss the comparison of Lady Bertilak, Guinevere, Penelope, Clytemenestra, Calypsos and other women’s character and roles in these tales.
In the novel of “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” Lady Bertilak is described as “more beautiful than Guinevere” who was early described as “…the most beautiful queen there was…” in this poem. She is the seductress (or so to seem) that temps Sir Gawain the knight to have inappropriate encounters with him. Lady Bertilak is the wife of Lord Bertilak, whom accepts Sir Gawain into his home during his quest to find the Green Knight. During each morning of Lord Bertilaks hunt, Lady Bertilak plays a promiscuous role, invading Gawain in his bed. In the bedroom, the Lady is not only archetype suggesting certain moral associations but also testing his chastity and a real object of courtly love as well as testing his courtesy. As she presses him more and more aggressively as each day passes, the conflict between his spiritual love and courtly love becomes apparent. On the third day she "pressed him so hard, Lured him so near to the edge …" (1770) that the conflict is made clear. Although Gawain does not give into temptation for sex, he accepts her trade of the sash, bearing him to rely on enchantment...

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...ed, disloyal, and unfaithful. Her adulterous love for Aegisthus is the cause of her husband’s downfall and death giving Aegisthus Agamemnons thrown until his own vengeful death by the hands of Oerestis (son of Agamemnons). One would say that she was the downfall of Aegisthus as well.
The women of these tales, some ideal, some treacherous, others a combination of both hold either an aspiring position in their character or a greatly disliked position. Either way, these women have an effective role in the turns these tales took. Although the roles of each women vary in some ways than other every role that each female portrays has been one with holding feminine power. The hero in these tales performance would be altered and would or would not be able to perform great works. Whether overtly or covertly, women represent a vaguely hidden currency of power in these myths.

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