The Roles Of Women And The Green Knight - 2290 Words

Abstract The roles of women in medieval writing is explored by examining three different works written by different authors, Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney, The Wife’s Lament translated by Alfred David and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated by Simon Armitage. In the earliest poem, Beowulf, women’s sole roles are defined by men and they were mostly used as peace-makers. In The Wife’s Lament, a poem written later than Beowulf, women are still ruled by men but are starting to exhibit their own voice. Eventually, women’s power and their voice is much more prominently depicted as seen in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Keywords: roles, peace-makers, voice, power Women’s Roles in Medieval Writing In the present day there is little knowledge of what women’s roles were during Anglo-Saxon time, therefore, the written words that have survived from that time period must be looked at and investigated to give insight as to their roles. These medieval pieces of literature allows the reader glimpses into the roles of women, which were often very limited. Women’s roles during this time period were very traditional, limited by the expectations of society which were defined mostly by men and the church. Evidence of that men control the lives of females can be found in the poems Beowulf, The Wife’s Lament and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, however as time progresses their roles become slightly changed . For example, early medieval writing, such as the poemShow MoreRelatedSir Gawain and the Green Knight: the Role of Women2398 Words   |  10 Pagesepidemics and the emergence of a mercantile middle class, the Gawain author per ceived a loss of religious values as the cause of its decline. Gawain and the Green Knight presents both a support of the old feudal hierarchies and an implicit criticism of changes by recalling chivalry in its idealized state in the court of King Arthur. 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