The Portrayal of Women in Medieval Literature The depiction of women in Medieval Literature can be broken down into few categories. After reading Beowulf, Sir Gawin and the Green Knight, and The Canterbury Tales: The General Prologue, gender roles were clearly defined. I noted that there were three types of women represented, confined, unconfined, and those women who fell into both categories. A confined woman was portrayed as a mediator, a peace-weaver, hostess, and often times, a sexual object. Their positions were always as subordinates to the male characters, and they rarely made an appearance in a story unless in they were in the presence of the male character to whom they tended. As far as their physical characteristics, terms such
