The Unnamed Wife in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay -- Sir Gawai

The unnamed Wife in Sir Gawain and the Green horse cavalry In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the green knights wife plays a pivotal berth in the story. Yet, she is never given a name and it is unclear what motivates her actions. She could obviously be following her husbands orders to seduce this visiting knight. She could be under the tutelage of Morgan le Fay. Or she may be acting under her own guidance and using her grammatical sexual activity to carry expose her own desires or gain power. In light of this uncertainty, the unnamed wifes role in the chamber scene is excessively bad to decipher. As a woman she should be submissive, and yet it is Gawain who is forced to affirm himself against her advances to which he eventually submits. The multiple readings of the wifes role in like manner inform the notions of Christian and pagan in the story. Female power and sexuality are aligned with the wife, Morgan le Fay and paganism, while Gawain seeks protection and chastity from bloody shame and Christianity. Despite the power the wife may gain from pagan traditions, she could also be perceived in a Christian, patriarchal context as a sexual object who is commanded by her husbands authority. As a result the green knights wife represents the dichotomy of Christian and pagan and its prevalence in medieval society. In the bedroom scenes the wife appears to be playing the role of a submissive woman, exclusively is in fact using her position to dominate Gawain, who is limited by his pledge to the Green Knight. The wife tells Gawain, My body is here at hand, Your individually wish to fulfill Your servant to command I am, and shall be still. here(predicate) the wife is literally submitting her body to Gawain to use as he desires. Yet, she is fashioning this proposition in order to entice him to... ...ere her true allegiance lies. On the other hand, her position in this story provides insight into medieval society. Her antics with Ga wain in the bedroom scenes reveal that her position as lady of the house is skipper to Gawains as a knight. This situation further illuminates medieval gender roles especially when examining the ladys relationship with her husband. Even if he may use her as a sexual pawn, she is able to assert herself conception the tactics she uses to persuade Gawain to break his oath. She is also intrinsically linked with Morgan le Fay and pagan traditions. This bond is balanced by Gawains connection with bloody shame as a figure for guidance. The wifes position in this story epitomizes the dualities of medieval society. The conflicting social and gender roles and Christian and pagan traditions are somehow able to operate in this complex society.