Sexism In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the tale of King Arthur’s knight and nephew, Gawain, and his quest to fulfill a challenge that is proposed to him by a mysterious stranger known as the Green Knight. On his way to find the Green Knight, Gawain unknowingly receives various moral tests given to him by a lord named Bertilak, who offers Gawain a place to stay in his castle during his travels. The Sir Gawain and the Green Knight poem was written in the late 14th-century. Although the poem is a renowned Arthurian story, little is known about the poet who wrote it other than what is assumed by the style and wording in which he wrote the poem. Various interpretations of the poem suggest that the poet was not very fond of women. The Sir Gawain and the Green Knight poet was sexist towards women, and his misogynistic portrayal of women throughout the poem is a true reflection of how women were viewed during the time period in which he lived.
In late 14th century Europe, society was patriarchal in nature, which explains …show more content…
In the beginning of the poem, Sir Gawain is made out to be a chivalrous knight who values being courteous towards women, but by the time the poem comes to a close readers can see that he is quite the opposite. From how Gawain treats women based on their level of attractiveness, to how he goes on his famous diatribe in which he expresses the idea of women throughout history causing men’s undoing, Sir Gawain repeatedly displays his misogynistic ideals. Even though the true identity of the poet remains unknown, it can be inferred from his characterization of Gawain, and by knowing how women were viewed during the time period in which the poem was written, that the poet was sexist towards women. His anti-feminist beliefs are clear through how he portrayed women in the story, and how he made a woman appear to be the root of Gawain’s personal