Gender in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is caged in a static binary composed of masculine and feminine; relative opposites within which individuals are expected to conform to a certain quota of behavior – since falling into neither category would apparently render a character useless to the plot: a celebration of male virtue. As a late Arthurian narrative, the poem appears very similar to its counterparts - it places Gawain of King Arthur's court, an apparent epitome of this masculine virtue and chivalrous valor, in competition with the mysterious and equally muscular Green Knight, later known as Lord Bertilak - creating an image of absolute and impenetrable masculinity. Interestingly, although constructions of masculinity maintain the narrative spotlight, women appear to act as architects of the poem's plot, using their femininity, whether through love or contempt, to dictate the actions of the male characters around them . This not only confirms the static binary by making gender relative to the narrative role, where females generate the plot and the male follows suit, but there is, furthermore, a contrasting nuance of what it means to be innately male or innately female. The blurring of binary behaviors distorts the importance of gender within the poem as well as its appearance as a key theme throughout the poem, essentially rendering the celebration of male heroism null and void as it celebrates femininity equally, if not subtly more, in Morgan le's final revelation. Faye's successful deception of Gawain. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Masculinity has an undoubted connection to Arthurian literature and could be described as thematically key to the construction of an Arthurian narrative such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The chivalrous male protagonist, who remotely follows a variant of the previous epic heroic code, takes part in a quest, normally centered on romantic interest, to win the favor of the court and the lady in question; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight loosely follow these principles. Gawain is almost immediately presented to us as having the characteristics that entirely create the desirable chivalric male: "Gawain was well known", for his behavior is "so cortays, so chivalrous" - later shown through his armour, "ful awles", and then his actions. The depiction of Gawain as a knight is relatively stereotypical in this way, bringing together all the masculine aspects of chivalric knighthood, represented by the "five points" of the pentacle; having the ability to fight well while being a devout follower of Christianity. The poet points out that “the five pure [virtues] were harder to obtain on that hathel than on any other” – he is the epitome of masculinity – essentially, chivalric representatives are not much better than Gawain. Gawain's armor is described in great depth and we are introduced to Gawain in great detail, much more than any other male in the entire poem other than the Green Knight, later known as Bertilak, who represents masculinity through his lordship. Great weight is therefore given to the character of Gawain, as if we as readers are totally relying on him to convey what masculinity is in terms of Arthurian literature - indeed there is little inclusion of other male characters, and even King Arthur himself it is set aside to bring the focus closer to Gawain, the “gentlest knight of praise,” and his gender representation. Theregender representation is diminished by this process. The Green Knight, Lord Bertilak, is the only other reliable representative of masculinity, as his character is also given meaning by the poet, known as "lede of lordeschyp a lee of ledes ful goode". Bertilak's character, both as himself and the Green Knight, is recognizably "stunned", which conveys a similar vibe of masculine strength and power possessed by Gawain both during the challenge of blows and in his return to Arthur's court. Bertilak's "hunts", like Gawain's quest, are representative of his masculine characteristics, representing violent strength and power over the natural world. The hunt, as well as battle, is a recurring theme in Arthurian literature and therefore points us towards the belief that masculinity is bound and dictated by gender. The exchange between Gawain and Bertilak as the Green Knight serves as a central aspect of the plot, and the entire narrative is almost exclusively dedicated to the match of blows between them, giving further centrality to masculinity and the behaviors expected of male characters for them. they have meaning. The focus on masculinity seems to be impenetrable as, despite occasional interruptions, the main focus of the poem is continually brought back to the male struggle to do what is expected of them as male members of society: to display maximum strength, resilience and virtue in all situations, as Gawain attempts and Bertilak undoubtedly possesses, have an understanding that allows him to forgive Gawain for his failure in relative masculine perfection; the end result in a male-oriented Arthurian world. Femininity stands as an obvious opposite to masculinity in the Arthurian world, where the binary appears rigid and there is little to no deviation between the two gender spheres. Again, femininity in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight follows a set of stereotypical ideals that masculinity follows, but the basic principles of these ideals are very different: instead of the hero, they are the "damsel", sometimes in danger, but most commonly a stormy lover. Arguably, Lady Bertilak is the only representative of femininity throughout the poem, as she is the only female character to be gifted with personality, having the ability to engage in conversations with her male counterparts. Her character also embraces the flirtatious and feminine nature expected of the Arthurian "mistress", acting as a temptress to Gawain from her initial "breastless" entrance and during the exchange in the bedroom: eager for Gawain to teach 'wyt while [his] lord is fro'. Her beauty is at the heart of her power, and this is emphasized by the poet in the constant calls: "lady, the most beautiful that can be seen". The appearance of femininity, in contrast, is much more subtle than that of masculinity, not only because the appearance of female characters is less, but also because on the surface it does not appear that femininity displays the same power and strength as masculinity; femininity seems relatively weak as it is based on emotional and mental qualities that are often difficult to see rather than physical attributes like Gawain and The Green Knight. The power of femininity lies in its ability to control: the prime example of this in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is Lady Bertilak's persuasion of Gawain in the bedroom and Gawain's subliminal acceptance of her terms without fail, even putting her desires before his. - agreeing to his request to lie about the belt despite it risking his chivalrous reputation. Women in the medieval era would have been seen as closely linked to the sin of Eve in the Garden of Eden, and this stereotypical image oftemptress is followed and represented by Lady Bertilak as part of her binary gender. Morgan le Faye, introduced at the poem's conclusion but not sharing the same influence as Lady Bertilak due to her lack of physicality, also appears to use her femininity through her temptation of success and use of other characters for narrative development . Morgan le Faye, although she does not appear to use her feminine nature for sexual temptation like Lady Bertilak, as her character is not encountered physically in the story, definitely possesses the ability to control the masculine using her femininity. Interestingly, this makes masculinity appear relatively weak. The mental strength of the male characters is not explored, as seen above, the focus is on their chivalric virtue rather than their intelligence as such, whether sexually or otherwise. Women, like Lady Bertilak and the briefly mentioned Guinevere, are constructs of their place within the hierarchy, meaning that, even if their power exists, it is not necessarily recognized as equal; it does not share the same clarity and nature as that of masculinity. This is what separates the masculine and the feminine into two separate gender binaries. The female's 'flesch' and 'lere' have importance, they must be displayed to emphasize these qualities; achieve the ultimate goal of femininity by having the charm of Lady Bertilak. However, their performance is not passive as you might expect, it is instead an extremely active process. Arguably, both masculinity and femininity are necessary for narrative construction to work, as it appears that both male virtue and female intelligence are necessary. to achieve a fully developed plot, causing the binaries to blend together through their dependence on each other for a successful narrative. Some characters begin to possess both masculine and feminine attributes, having both physical strength and mental competence, confusing the clear ideal of gender within Arthurian literature that reflected medieval society and the hierarchical symbols that defined gender performances of the period. . Unexpectedly, based on a prevailing medieval masculinity, women seem to drive the plot as a whole. Dependence surrounds the female characters, as if the poet himself demands that women make the events have some chronological connection to each other by leading the male protagonists between scenarios. In the poem's conclusion, it is revealed that Morgan le Faye was successful in a plan to deceive the Arthurian court by using Bertilak as the Green Knight, and in using Lady Bertilak to deceive Gawain more specifically: "thurgh mygnt of Morgue le Faye". Morgan le Faye's character is able to use her understanding of femininity and the female role not only within society but also within fiction to undermine masculinity through the manipulation of chivalric encounters between characters. Although she does not create the work herself, her character positions herself at the top of a literary chain; having final control over Bertilak, his wife, and ultimately Gawain. Female centrality seems relatively unusual within a narrative that has a clearly masculine purpose – a purpose to follow and make sense of the trials of knighthood, a profession dominated by masculinity. Instead of following what is assumed, Morgan le Faye arguably becomes the true image of masculinity by removing the masculine nature of others for personal gain. Gawain, later realizing "the false", recognizes the deception he has faced through feminine charms and curses the girdle, which he believes is representative of his.