Comparing Women In Beowulf And Le Morte D Arthur

In the early years from 1300-1400 AD, Anglo women had relatively similar roles throughout the land. Although their duties may have differed, women were generally depicted as being submissive, frail, and seductresses. They had little to no importance within stories of the time, with exceptions being women who held higher value; women who were high class, or who had supernatural abilities. These qualities are noted in virtually all old- English texts, not only through their actions, but through their words as well. The poems Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Le Morte d’Arthur illustrate these characteristics in each female character. In Beowulf, written by an unknown author known as “Beowulf-poet”, women were generally very passive
characters. They were respected, however dominated by men. They were not warriors, nor did they even have the capacity to fight. Within the mead hall in King Hrothgar’s kingdom, the role of women was to accommodate and serve the men. One example of this is during the feast at Heorot, Wealhtheow, Hrothgar’s queen, enters the mead hall, and
“Adorned in her gold, she graciously saluted the men in the hall, then handed the cup first to Hrothgar, their homeland’s guardian, urging him to drink deep and enjoy it because he was dear to them. And he drank it down like the warlord he was, with festive cheer.
So the helming woman went on her rounds, queenly and dignified, decked out in rings, offering the goblet to all ranks, treating the household and assembled troop until it was Beowulf’s turn to take it from her hand” (Lines 612-24).
Wealhtheow is described as “helming”, meaning to say she manages and directs the festivities in the mead hall. Although she is the queen, her role is still very minimal and subtle in comparison to that of the men. Another major female character in the poem is Grendel’s mother. She is a demon, however is beautiful and glimmering in gold. In this, she is depicted as a temptress, able to seduce a man only to guide him to his demise. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by another unknown author, women hold the same traits as being irrelevant or with morally depraved intentions. On his journey to find the Green Knight, Gawain finds a castle in which the lord guarantees to help him complete his journey in exchange for a game. Lady Bertilak is introduced as the lady of the castle, and eventually Gawain finds himself alone in his bedroom with her. In this scene, she tempts him and tells him “You’re free to have my all, do with me what you will. I’ll come just as you call, and swear to serve you well” (Lines 1237-40). Lady Bertilak is displayed as a seductress, leading Gawain astray from his path of moral upstanding. Her role in the poem is simply to test Gawain in his ability to withstand temptation, a very minimal part of the story. In another scene, Gawain describes to himself her features;
“Her chin is pale, her cheeks are ruddy red with health; her smile is sweet, she speaks with lips that love to laugh” (Lines 1204-07).
Caught by her desirable features, Gawain’s judgement is clouded, leaving him more vulnerable to her ways.
Lastly, in Le Morte d’Arthur, written by Sir Thomas Malory, women share many of the same traits as the poems previously mentioned.
Common women seem to merely exist, with no major contributions to society. They cannot have strength, as the men are the dominant sex. The only time women can have power is by means of being magical. In which case, they have evil intentions or prove to lead down bad paths. Queen Guinevere, when asked by Sir Lancelot if she had any armor in her room, replied “Now, truly, I have none armor neither helm, shield, sword, neither spear…” (485). As the Queen, Guinevere has no weapons to fight with or armor to defend herself with. These duties rest solely in the lives of the men, or the knights of the land. Guinevere has no physical power, much like all feudal women. Over all, women of the Middle Ages had no major roles in society. They lived to serve men and did so willingly. They had no real power, unless they were magical or non-human. This can be seen in Beowulf, as Grendel’s mother is a demon. Women were commonly known as seducing, and displaying the characteristics of a siren, which can be derived from all of the texts. Women of higher class were treated better, and were decorated in fine jewelry and clothing. Although women had no major parts in society, they were still respected and seen as
prizes.

Larson Garrett
Professor Richard Hartnett
English 205
4 April 2016
A Chivalrous Knight In the poems Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Le Morte d’Arthur, the qualities and characteristic of knights at the time can be seen throughout the actions of the characters in each. Gawain, in his journey not only maintains, but learns how to better himself as a knight. In Launcelot’s (a knight in Le Morte d’Arthur) journey, he finds himself in love and willing to defend the love of his life at all costs. Many of the characters of these stories demonstrate the qualities of a good, honorable knight. In Gawain, when the poem begins, during the feast “… Arthur would not eat until all were served… and what he liked the least was to sit still watching the seasons slip by” (Lines 85-88). One of the qualities this displays is to live for a purpose, to have reason and not to simply “sit still” as life goes on around you. Along with this, Arthur is exhibiting how caring he is, as he refuses to eat until he knows all others are fed. Just after Arthur accepts the Green Knight’s challenge, Gawain then interjects, refusing to let Arthur take the challenge saying “I am the weakest of you warriors and feeblest of wit; loss of my life would be least lamented” (Lines 354-55). In this, Gawain is saying that he would rather die for his king than to see his king die over some silly challenge. Although Gawain does not necessarily believe he is the weakest of the knights (in fact he is known as the best!), a part of his chivalrous code is to be modest and humble. Regardless of his true beliefs, he will take on the challenge so as not to see his king die. In Le Morte d’Arthur, when Launcelot is departing from his nephew, Sir Bors, he “departed and took his sword under his arm, and so he walked in his mantel, that noble knight, and put himself in great jeopardy” (Page 484). Although Launcelot is afraid and knows that what he is doing may result in his death, he willingly goes because it is morally correct; he follows his path as a knight and does so with confidence and pride. The stories of Gawain and Launcelot both include traits of a true knight. These are honor, modesty, loyalty, and compassion. The qualities of a true knight can be seen throughout the stories, and accurately depict the morals of a knight in reality.