Milena Vasquez Vasquez 1
Professor Derkan
English DC
10/17/14
The Ambivalent Perceptions Of Chastity
During the middle ages, chastity was well known issue passed down from the earlier concepts of Anglo-Saxon England. The religion of Christianity was a big part of their everyday lifestyle, it influenced their actions, thoughts, and beliefs. Men and women who practiced chastity were thought to be virtuous people who followed the steps of Christ and the Virgin Mary. It is through the christian church that these ideas were impose on society to follow. Sexual denial demonstrated their commitment to christianity specially for women because
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at that time women were seen as being in a lower class than men. With this in mind, author Geoffrey Chaucer was able to represent this perspective through the character of Sir Gawain in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” as well as defy it through the story of the “Wife of Bath” by utilizing humor and irony. A person who wanted to be chaste would demonstrated it by abstaining from sexual relationships, presenting themselves as humble, and modest.
This person was represented by the character of Sir Gawain in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” At the beginning of the story we learn that Sir Gawain is a great knight who everybody respected because he was a noble person who exercised honesty, loyalty, and chivalry. As the story progresses Sir Gawain makes a deadly promise with a green knight that they would cut each others heads. This initiated a long journey for Sir Gawain that would show and challenge his strength as well as show his weaknesses. When sir gawain arrives at a castle where he is welcome he makes another promise with the owner of the house of exchanging everything they earned during the day. This is when Sir Gawain's true challenge that would test his chastity,and honor began. The test initiates the very first day when they offer him the companionship of the master’s young wife who Sir Gawain at first sight becomes enchanted by her, “ ...fair hues of her flesh, her face and her hair and her body and her beaming were beyond praise, and excelled the queen herself, as Sir Gawain thought.” The next morning Sir Gawain is woken by an unexpected entrance to his bedroom by the master’s wife. She tries to seduce him through her physical appearance as well as intellectual words in order to make Gawain sleep with her. She immediately offers herself to him by directly telling him, “My body is here at hand, your each wish to fulfill; your servant to command I am, and shall be still.” The master’s wife tries this technique for three mornings. However, Sir Gawain maintain his composure and tries to reject her in the most kindest way in order to not insult her. He tries hard to keep his chastity and honor because as a man the temptation of being with the lady was enormous. He knows that if he were to give in to her he would be dishonoring his title as a knight as well as
also being looked down upon by society of his time. Although at the end, he still fails by hiding a girdle that the master’s wife had given him thus breaking the agreement he had with the master. Although he still remained with his chastity because he didn’t actually had sexual intercoarse with the wife his only fault was lying, but even then he was still seen as an admirable and honorable knight. On the other hand, The women from the “The Wife of Bath” does not practice chastity like society would expect for a woman like her to do. Instead she “ defends her rights and justifies her life as a five-time married women.”(Chauser 282). The wife of Bath had another mentality different from that of the clergy. She starts making her own arguments and ideas based on common sense that went against the authority of the clergy. Her character rebels against the common ideas of chastity in medieval times and makes knowledgeable questions that argues against those of the clergy. For example, if everyone remained a virgin, who would procreate in order to make other virgins? She admits that she is an exuberant woman who believed that sexual intercourse is for pleasure and procreation which was against the medieval views that sexual intercourse was only right if it was meant for procreation. If the wife of Bath were to have been an actual person in the medieval times then she would have probably been criticized and cast out by society for having such thoughts. For the wife of Bath chastity is a ridiculous and senseless idea because to her sexual intercourse was a natural part of life since she had already had many different experiences with all her different husbands. She expands on the idea that women have authority to enjoy life to the fullest and are not being limited to the norms and expectations stated by society. The chastity that Sir Gwang practiced was honored and appraise because as a knight he was able to overcome the temptation when the woman was testing him. Overall during the medieval age chastity put not only limitation on one man, but it also categorized women. The clergy was implementing the concept that women were control by limiting their actions of what they could and couldn’t do. On the other hand, chastity at a certain young age is good because it shows that young people have principles of abstaining from sexual intercourse before being marry. Ultimately, we can see that chastity is a controversial subject in which Sir Gawain and the wife of Bath had to go through in which both were define based on their actions that went against the social norms of their times.
He demonstrates goodness at the hand of the Green Knight. He shows courage by accepting what is to come upon him during his voyage. His journey to find the Green Knight is filled with temptations. In the conversation with him and the “Lady”, Sir Gawain showed a Chivalrous code by keeping his loyalty to the king by not kissing his wife. The lady states “if I should exchange at my choice and choose me a husband for the noble I know….would I elect before you”.
"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is a poem written by a poet (name unknown) approximately 6000 years ago in the late 1300's in the medieval times. This story was originally written in medieval literature with a real unique rhyme scheme, but was translated later in time to regular English for high school students and researchers to study and read.
Women were always viewed as weak, dependent, and powerless in the Middle Ages. Not only is it a common view during that time period, but this also is often stereotyped labeled to women today as well. In the romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the hatred of women is portrayed throughout. However, while women are certainly looked down upon, they also are influential to the knights. This romance also portrays how a woman having different characteristics, could change the way she was viewed as well. Although women in the Middle Ages appeared to lack power, the women in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight have a hidden influence over the men and actually drive the action of the medieval romance.
Sir Gawain is presented as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. He is the perfect knight; he is so recognised by the various characters in the story and, for all his modesty, implicitly in his view of himself. To the others his greatest qualities are his knightly courtesy and his success in battle. To Gawain these are important, but he seems to set an even higher value on his courage and integrity, the two central pillars of his manhood.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the greatest fourteenth century text. It was written by an unknown author between 1375 and 1400. The story begins at Christmas time, and there are many symbolic elements. The Green Knight is a color which symbolizes Christmas. Also, changing seasons and the coming of winter symbolize the passing of life and reminds us that Death is unavoidable. The author also skillfully illustrates human weaknesses in the descriptions of Gawain's temptations.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in the fourteenth century in Northern dialect by an anonymous author who was a contemporary of Chaucer. The story begins in King Arthur's court. The Green Knight, a green monster who challenges the court to a Christmas game, Sir Gawain, a brave, loyal knight of the court, and King Arthur, the lord of the court, are the main characters. Lines 279 through 365, which deal with the Christmas game, also known as the beheading game, foreshadow the Green Knight's supernatural powers, Sir Gawain's victory over the Green Knight, and his bravery and loyalty to King Arthur. The events surrounding the proposal of the game foreshadow what will happen next.
Fantasy literature is often used as a template for authors to showcase their personal views on things like sexuality and race. When it comes to homosexuality in fantastic literature, it has always been present. In early works, however, homosexuality was often masked with innuendos. The texts Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Huntress by Malinda Lo (2011) are two prime examples of fantasy, both past and present, that use homosexuality as a way to further their plot line. It is appropriate to compare these two stories, because they follow a somewhat similar storyline that uses homosexuality/ homoeroticism to enhance the story itself, albeit they each do it in a vastly different manner. These differing presentations help to showcase how the representation of homosexuality in fantastic literature has changed over time as well as how male versus female same sex relationships are presented in fantastic literature.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in the late fourteenth century. To this day, no one knows the name of the author of the poem. The poem was written in a dialect that is very hard to understand. Alliteration and rhyme are combined to create unique stanzas, called "Bob and Wheel." The term "Bob and Wheel" means that a poetic stanza has long alliterative lines; then, there is a two syllable line followed by a quatrain. The poem has several plots. One plot or theme is temptation. "The poem is a medieval comedy of manners told from a distinctly Christian viewpoint." In the lines from 366 to 443, the poem shows how Sir Gawain is chivalrous and brave. In this passage, there is action and symbolism that cause the characters' reactions.
In the Medieval Romance of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight imagery reinforces the five basic rules that are fundamental to the “Quest”.
No matter where we go in the world, we will always be surrounded and tempted by sin. These temptations test our character and morality, and they prove that our human nature inherently causes us to fall to the sins that encompass us. Even though the world is a dark and immoral place to live, we all value our lives and are prepared to do almost anything to protect ourselves from harm’s way. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the green girdle serves as symbol that highlights Gawain’s incessant love for life that tempts him to stray from his knightly code of chivalry.
“Culture does not make people. People make culture” said Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer and educator, in a presentation on feminism in a TedTalk. The culture in which Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written was misogynistic and it shows in the writing of the poem. Medieval cultural misogyny manifests itself in multiple ways in SGGK. This paper will examine the negative relationships between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and gender by discussing: the representation of female characters, gendered violence, and Christianity in the Middle Ages.
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is an example of medieval misogyny. Throughout Medieval literature, specifically Arthurian legends like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the female characters, Guinevere, the Lady, and Morgan leFay are not portrayed as individuals but social constructs of what a woman should be. Guinevere plays a passive woman, a mere token of Arthur. The Lady is also a tool, but has an added role of temptress and adulteress. Morgan leFay is the ultimate conniving, manipulating, woman. While the three women in this legend have a much more active role than in earlier texts, this role is not a positive one; they are not individuals but are symbols of how men of this time perceive women as passive tokens, adulteresses, and manipulators.
In the Middle Ages, a time of brave knights and fair maidens, chivalry was alive and well, and honor meant much more than just pride. A man could be expected to be as good as his word, and God was an integral part of his life. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the title character sets off on a month-long quest for the Green Chapel in fulfillment of a promise made a year earlier, knowing full well that it could mean certain death. After the knight's final days at the court of King Arthur are recounted, he sets off in "country wild" where he is "far off from all his friends" (lines 713-14). This lonely road on which he rides reflects the nature of his quest--Gawain's conflict is within himself, and is something which he must deal with on his own.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a story full of tests and inner challenges, was written by an unknown author somewhere in the late 14th century. The poem begins the same as it ends: with the mentioning of the fall of Troy. After the fall of Troy, the Trojan survivors ventured to Europe where each began a new kingdom. "Ticius to Tuscany, and towers raises, Langobard in Lombardy lays out homes, and far over the French Sea, Felix Brutus on many broad hills and high Britain he sets, most fair." (Norton p. 202) In the same lines in the original text, "And fer ouer the French flod Felix Brutus On mony bonkkes ful brode Bretayn he settez wyth wynne" Britain is described as a land that is settled "wyth wynne" or, with joy.
In the poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," Gawain is a guest at Hautdesert Castle. During his stay at the castle, three separate hunts take place. These hunts also parallel temptations aimed at Gawain by the wife of the Lord of Hautdesert Castle. In each hunt scene, a characteristic of the prey of that hunt is personified in Gawain's defense against the advances of the Lord's wife.