Masculinity In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

All throughout the poem titled Sir Gawain and the Green Knight it simply seems as if it is full of male power and masculinity. Sir Gawain, a knight from King Arthur’s court who steps up and agrees to take the blow from the Green Knight’s axe when he interrupts the holiday feast. The obvious male power of King Arthur, the power and masculinity of the Green Knight to come in and demand that one knight must receive a blow from his axe, and masculinity of Sir Gawain to step up and not only agree to take the blow but to cut off the Green Knight’s head first. The male power and masculinity shining through all three of these male characters mentioned is very prominent. We later meet Lord Bertilak who also shows male power and masculinity through his

leadership at the castle as well as hunting with his court every day. All of these portrayals of male power and masculinity being at surface level, when looking closely at this story it is showing something that is not usually seen when reading books from this time period. Reading closely reveals the power of females throughout the entire poem through four women in the story.
After Sir Gawain chopped the Green Knight’s head off it is declared that Sir Gawain had to meet him in exactly one year at his green chapel. He had to meet here to receive a blow from the Green Knight’s axe. While traveling to find the Green Knight’s chapel he prayed to Mary for help. The argument that this poem is showing the power of females can be proven by the quote in lines 737-739 where it states, “[Sir Gawain] Prayed Mary that she send / Him guidance to some place / Where he might lodging find (Winny 2011: 43).” Sir Gawain looked to a woman for help in a time of desperate need, showing that she held some sort of power over him. After the prayer, Sir Gawain “caught sight through the threes of a moated building,” this also showing that Mary does have power and helped him find the lodging he prayed for (Winny 2011: 45). Not only does Sir Gawain pray to a woman for help but an image of Mary is also on the center of his shield. The reasoning for her being on the center of his shield is “so that when he glanced at it his heart never quailed (Winny 2011: 39).” This showing that having the image on his shield made him feel safe and have no reason to be afraid while on his journey to find the Green Knight’s chapel. Mary is his protection and who he turns to in time of need, giving her the power over him as well as the power to control what happens. Mary just being one of the four that show that there is female power in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Another female character in the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight that shows female power is Queen Guenevere.

Queen Guenevere is the first women to be introduced in the poem while the holiday feast is going on. The reason she is seen as having power is because of where she is seated at the feast. The poem states, “The noblest knight in a higher seat, as seemed proper; / Queen Guenevere gaily dressed and placed in the middle, / Seated on the upper level, adorned all about… (Winny 2011: 7).” The fact that she is even mentioned as being at the feast as well as sitting at the same level as all of the noblest knights shows the power she has. It was rare to see a woman seated with knights let alone seated near the noblest of all the knights. Also, the way in which the poem glorifies her appearance and outfit matches the entitlement she is seen having because of her seating position. Many times, descriptions of knights are exaggerated and that is just what is done with Queen Guenevere. In the quote it states that she is “adorned all about…” meaning she was all done up and looking beautiful (Winny 2011: 7). She is described as being “The loveliest to see / Glanced round with eyes of blue-grey; / That he had seen a fairer one / Truly could no man say (Winny 2011: 7).” This quote saying that she was so beautiful and that no man could say that they have seen anything more beautiful than her. This showing that her beauty alone gives her power over the men, power to attract them with her

looks. Queen Guenevere sitting at the same level as the noblest knights in King Arthurs court as well as being extremely beautiful gives her equal or even more power than the men that surrounded her.
Later in the poem when Sir Gawain gets to the building that Mary makes appear he met Lord Bertilak and his wife, Lady Bertilak. They took him in and allowed him to stay as long as he wants. When Sir Gawain first saw Lady Bertilak he thinks she is even “more beautiful than Guenevere (Winny 2011: 53).” It is seen in the poem that she knows that Sir Gawain is attracted to her and she takes advantage of that. Lady Bertilak uses this advantage to sway the interactions they had. When Sir Gawain arrived at the castle he agreed to stay in and rest while Lord Bertilak went out and hunted with his men. He agreed that at the end of the day the two men would exchange the things they had won during the day. While her husband was out Lady Bertilak would enter Sir Gawain’s bedroom. The idea that a woman went into the bedroom of man by herself and unexpectedly shows the power she has. She knew that Sir Gawain was attracted to her and that when she entered his room he would be courteous and not make her leave. She even seduced him into kissing her and the kisses were what he gifted to Lord Bertilak each day. Towards the end of the poem on the third and final day where the two men had agreed to exchanged gifts Lady Bertilak tested Sir Gawain. Lady Bertilak offers Sir Gawain presents, first a ring that he refused to take, then a green girdle. She also knew that Sir Gawain had a fear of dying and took that knowledge and turned it against him. When offering the green girdle, she told him that if he wears it “for he cannot be killed by any trick in the world (Winny 2011: 103).” Sir Gawain does not give the gift to Lord Bertilak like he promised. Lady Bertilak knew she had power over him and she was right. She portrayed her power over him by entering his room and seducing him as well as using her knowledge she had to test him. In the end Sir Gawain knew the power she had over him stating, “But it is no wonder if a fool acts insanely / And is brought to grief through womanly wiles (Winny 2011: 135).” Here he blames Lady Bertilak for making him break his promise to Lord Bertilak, that she had tricked him into doing it. Though she tricked him into doing it with her power and control over him.
Lastly, the most powerful women of the entire poem, Morgan le Fay, the women that made it all happen.

We first meet her as the ugly old lady that was along side Lady Bertilak in the castle, she is covered head to toe but is described as “repulsive to see and shockingly bleared (Winny 2011: 55).” In the end we find out she is really Morgan le Fay. Though she is not mentioned very much in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but she plays a very significant role. Morgan le Fay is really King Arthur’s half sister and sent the Green Knight, who we also find out is the same person as the Lord Bertilak, to King Arthur’s in the very beginning of the poem. She does so to test King Arthur’s knights as well as to scare Queen Guenevere to death (Winny 2011: 137). “Through the power of Morgan le Fay” she controls Lady Bertilak as well as Lord Bertilak to do the work and test King Arthur’s knight, Sir Gawain (Winny 2011: 137). The whole time Morgan le Fay had power over most of the characters. She was the one that set up the idea that Sir Gawain would have to meet the Lord Bertilak/Green Knight at his chapel and set up the agreement that Sir Gawain and Lord Bertilak/Green Knight to exchange gifts daily. Though Lady Bertilak did go about testing Sir Gawain with her own power, it was Morgan le Fay who made it happen. This whole poem would not have happened if Morgan le Fay did not set up the whole thing. Morgan le Fay had power over everyone and everything throughout the entire

poem.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem that without close reading seems to merely be about male power and masculinity. Doing close reading it becomes clear that female power is a key part of this poem through Mary, Queen Guenevere, Lord Bertilak, and the most powerful Morgan le Fay. These women do not conform to the way women were back when this poem was written, instead they have equal or more power than all over the men throughout. Women having power back then and even sometimes today seems like a crazy unheard-of thing. Fortunately, there is women in the world, like the four women in this poem, that have power and take control.

Work Cited
Winny, James. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Middle English Text with Facing Translation.
Broadview Press, 2011.