Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Book Report/Review Example

Order 334250 Topic: Sir Gawain & Green Knight: Hosts wife as a progressive female character Through the poetic story, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the lessons told about the nature of the fair-sex are, one may cross the moon and beat the stars, but to probe the mystery unfolding within a woman’s mind is no ordinary mission. The challenge of love that Gawain faced was no less than the challenge in front of a battle-ready warrior. He least expected it and was not mentally prepared for the encounter which was both tough and delicate. He was dealing with his host’s wife who was clever in the art of seduction and making love. How Sir Gawain challenged and succeeded in stalling the forays of love conducted on three successive days by the host’s wife who was a unique female character of her time? The first question to challenge the mind of Gawain was why his host arranged the sport of exchanging gifts? Was it just a source of royal entertainment, or whether Bertilak had a hidden agenda? Gawain least suspected any wrong intentions on the part of Bertilak. He was an excellent host and he made good arrangements for his stay at the castle! Let it be assumed that Bertilak had a fair idea as to what would happen in his absence from the castle. On the first day, Gawain was not aware of the nature of the gift he would receive that day. It seemed that he was not worried about it much, because only the exchange of gifts was involved and the transaction would come to an end. He would share the gain of Bertilak in exchange of the gift. But the developments during the day must have shocked Gawain, even though he conducted his part of the show, with admirable skill and restraint. The host’s wife had arrived with a plan of ambush and Gawain successfully cleared her love-mines of sweet dialogues. His reaction was crafty as if he had anticipated such a situation. The liberal-minded progressive character knew the merits of her body. Has she outsmarted men in the past with her love-assignments? Her dramatic dialogues on the first day of the three-day encounter could not have been part of the premier show. What were her motivations? Were her advances self-propelled or were they at the behest of her husband? On a careful analysis of the script, it can be concluded that they were not mind-dialogues. The feelings were from her heart. If Bertilak was the director of the drama, why he was conducting it? The reasons are not found in the story/poem. Let us watch the actions of the host’s wife. Is the morning time fine for delicate love play? For a passion-filled game of sex, any time is good, when both the partners are willing but that is not the case here. The first day’s encounter between the host’s wife and Gawain was a mind-game, each tried to evaluate the move of the other. She was not in a hurry and that could be the index of her confidence, that she had the capacity to seduce any man. Weston describes the beginning of the three day’s encounter thus: “And as he lay half slumbering, he heard a little sound at the door, and he raised his head, and caught back a corner of the curtain, and waited to see what it might be. It was the lovely lady, the lords wife; she shut the door softly behind her, and turned towards the bed; and Gawain was shamed, laid him down softly and made as if he slept.” (Weston….) What must have transpired in the mind of Gawain, though he was pretending to sleep? The fact that host’s wife entered the room without the customary knock, was revealing. She wished to catch Gawain off-guard. This woman was bold and progressive. She had a purpose which she could accomplish only by meeting him. She knew that he was not properly dressed and she wanted him to remain in that style. When he awoke and crossed himself on the bed, “she looked on him laughing, with her cheeks red and white, lovely to behold, and small smiling lips.”(Weston….) Her first words of conversations were revealing. She said laughingly, “Good morrow, Sir Gawain, ye are but a careless sleeper, since one can enter thus. Now are ye taken unawares, and lest ye escape me I shall bind you in your bed; of that be ye assured!" (Weston….) Polite but firm! She said that she was not prepared to leave his company at that time under any circumstances. How controlled and yet carefree was the repartee of Gawain when he accepted himself as “your prisoner.” He craved for some time to present himself better. Her conversation was frank and yet she maintained the essential dignity. Gawain tried to convince her about the necessity for him to get up from bed promising her to continue with the conversation, which she had so lovingly initiated. At times she was suggestive and at times she was vocal about her love and admiration for him. She mesmerized him with her bold talk and said, “Now ye are here and we are alone, my lord and his men are afield; the serving men in their beds, and my maidens also, and the door shut upon us. And since in this hour I have him that all men love, I shall use my time well with speech, while it lasts. Ye are welcome to my company, for it behoves me in sooth to be your servant."(Weston….) Gawain counter-balanced her words of flattery, with imaginative and polite dispositions, but the lady was firm in her approach. Seeking the grace of Mary was the quality of the progressive women of the era. She didn’t see any fault in her intensity of love for Gawain and thought that it was a god-sent opportunity for her as he was the greatest knight on Earth. Gawain realized that it was high time that the lady must depart, to avoid any complications and possible danger, and she must have sensed what was going on in his mind. She sought leave from him which was granted immediately. But she had something surprising in her stock of love-dealings. "So true a knight as Gawain is holden, and one so perfect in courtesy would never have tarried so long with a lady but he would of his courtesy have craved a kiss at parting.”(Weston….) She marveled at his restrained behavior. An ordinary human being would have fallen in to her love-trap and the ultimate possibility of bodily pleasures would have been explored. What must have been going on in the mind of the lady, when ultimately she called it a day, being the gainer of a kiss from Gawain? That was her initiative, as she bent down and kissed the knight. This is the hallmark of a progressive lady. Both of them commended Christ. That she can accomplish so much and almost ‘win the heart’ of Gawain speaks about her personality, internal strength and about her dynamic character. The author is trying to depict a special type of man-woman relationship and in this case the host’s wife has taken the bold initiative to kiss the knight. She has shown that she is not the traditional stereotype, shy and would wait for the knight to kiss her. This progressive woman demanded the kiss and completed the act of love without further loss of time. Even though working to a previously planned scheme for the day, she does not give the feeling to the knight that she is sort of a woman, whose arrival in his chamber is with a trouble-shooting intention. When the time arrived to exchange the gifts of the day as per the covenant, the conversation between Berlick and Gawain, was revealing, as for the goings-on in their minds. When Gawain kissed him, he gave the vocal expression to his feelings by telling, "Tis good," said the host, "gramercy thereof. Yet were I fain to know where ye won this same favour, and if it were by your own wit?"(Weston….) The sharp presence of mind is seen when Gawain replied like a seasoned knight, "Nay," answered Gawain, "that was not in the bond. Ask me no more: ye have taken what was yours by right, be content with that."(Weston….) She proved by action that she was far ahead of the social stereotypes of her times and was not influenced by the gender roles and attitudes defined by such stereotypes. The second day’s encounter between her and Gawain could be characterized as subtle humiliation for her and yet she emerged strong by taunting the knight as best as she could, without causing hurt to his psyche. That day Gawain was dressed properly and that indicted that he was expecting her. She touched the topic of kissing straightaway and ridiculed the knight for not reciprocating her love. Gawain replied in style, and was at her sweet disposal as for the kissing issue and he said, “I am at your commandment to kiss when ye like, to take or to leave as ye list."(Weston….) She immediately seized the opportunity bent down and kissed him courteously. The love-dialogues continued in the dramatic style and the knight defended his position well, notwithstanding her best efforts to win him. She craved that he should woo her. He had intelligent replies for her suggestive and pampering appreciation of his personality. Finally she kissed him for the second time, and called it a day. Her boldness was on the ascendancy. This is another distinguished trait of a progressive woman. On the third day she dressed herself with a rich mantle that reached the ground, bordered with furs, with a network of precious stones on her head. She knew, that was her last chance to seduce and win his heart. That day, she did not seek his permission to kiss him. She was so charming. Gawain could feel the beats of his pounding heart. Her clever conversation impressed Gawain but it did not elicit response in the form of love and he proved mentally too tough for her. She kissed him again for the last time. The condition of the covenant needs to be looked upon with lots of suspicion and introspection. Was the host a novice? Not by any count. The third day seems to be the decisive day as for the seduction-game. After trying her level best, the lady fails to outsmart Gawain. He counters her moves well by stating that he has certain vows to fulfill, and as a guest in Bertilak’s house, he can not be expected to behave improperly. She abandons her effort, yet takes to the sober line of action in the game of love. She begs for his gloves as his token of love to her, in return she would give him the ring. Gawain is not willing to give or take anything. Cleverly, she mentions about the unique girdle. That green girdle adorns her waist and she claims that it is a talisman with magical powers to protect the wearer from death. She plays upon the fear psychology of Gawain as next day, he would move to challenge Green Night, the deceive phase of his life….or death! The two agree to keep the gift exchange a secret from Bertilak. Losing no time, “She swiftly slipped off the cincture of her gown which went round her waist under the wonderful mantle, a girdle of green silk with a golden hem,” and hands it over to Gawain. “But here, as elsewhere, the poet builds a masterly ambiguity, because a green girdle sensually unfastened from a lady’s waist and securely lapped about a man’s certainly seems like a love-token...” (Stone, 1959, Back matter) Kiss is returned to the host, but Gawain does not mention about the girdle. This is the moral fall as far as Gawain is concerned and as for the host’s wife, the decisive win in her game of seduction. The only unanswered question is, notwithstanding the fact that Bertilak knew about his wife’s game to trap Gawain into committing a mortal sin through adultery, why did he allow that? Any other person would have put himself on alert when Gawain kissed on the first day. Whose kiss he was returning? But these unanswered questions better remain unanswered, as they add to the beauty as well as the ambiguity of the tale. The moot question is, is she beyond his control? Is she a progressive female character, who believes in free love and sex games? Did Bertilak think that it is expedient to let the woman (his wife) have her own way and sees nothing wrong in it? Or is he helpless in averting her adventurous assaults on men? Is he using her as a tool for some hidden agenda? Medieval literature though male centric, eulogizes the kings and knights, there are some very special roles played by women who are hailed as temptresses and troublemakers. They undo the kings and kingdoms by tempting them and making them fall into the love-traps. In 1790, Mary Wollstonecraft, a progressive female writer, wrote a book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. She espoused the cause of women made deep impact on the people and her writings became popular in European countries and USA. When the life is harsh, mostly women buckle under pressure. Some challenge the vicissitudes of life and achieve success. The tough situations right from childhood molds some women into the fighting, sometimes revengeful mold. The writings of Wollstonecraft were aimed at changing the thought processes of women. What she attempted during her times, more than two centuries ago, was an extraordinary task, taking into consideration the social and cultural traditions prevailing in that era. She confronted a totally male-dominated society. In the era, when Sir Gawain & Green Night was written, the women tried to subdue men through physical charm. Later during the 1800s, the intellectual revolution had begun to take shape amongst women with the spread of education. Bur their legal rights were restricted and in many of the European countries with no right to vote. In the present times, with the massive social change, women are equal to men in all fronts. They have equal education and job opportunities; and yet the attitude that men are more meritorious than women dominates the psyche of the society. The girl child is disfavored as compared to the male. A wealth of hidden meaning is the highlight of the medieval period literature. They contain symbolism and historical references relevant to the time. It is necessary for us to know the story in short. It details the severe tests which Gawain goes through to show his strength and weakness. He wins on both the counts, as for his physical and mental power. After a tough journey, when he spots and reaches the Castle, the lord of the castle, welcomes him with open arms. Was that invitation extended with open mind also? He introduces him to his lady and to the old woman who sits beside her. According to Brain Stone, “the essential point is that it is the wife of the Host who tries to seduce the guest in order that the husband may have power over him.”(Stone, 1959, Front Matter…)But she is a woman who acted true to her beliefs. She had attractive physical appearance, and Bertilak was aware of it. But to define her exact role is a tough job. Was she a temptress, a servant to her husband who would go to any extent to sexually gratify other men on the command of her husband or was she satisfied as an object of desire of men? An outright negative portrayal of her character is not justified and on the whole she proved to be a progressive female character of her times. ******************** Works Cited: Stone, Brain. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Penguin Classics, 2 edition, 1959 Weston, Jessie L (Translator). “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” Retrieved on November 23, 2009 Read More