Females in Medieval Literature

Paper Summary:

The paper explores how the female archetype of the Medieval period in literature was personified in many different ways. The paper shows how in traditional Arthurian romances such as "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", the poem serves as a warning to uphold the values of courtly love. The paper then shows how Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath" and the women in her tale are atypical for female medieval literary characters while Grendel's mother in the epic poem "Beowulf" is portrayed as hideous until a male brings order into her life. The paper analyzes the structure of the heroic journey in both "Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and highlights how these heroic journeys in medieval literature symbolize and reflect the journey of humanity at that time.

From the Paper:

"The female archetype of the Medieval Period in literature was personified in many different ways. In traditional Arthurian romances, the courtoisie of the court was a gracious, quiet, obedient, pious and modest lady, and during a period when women were little more than chattel, this diffidence was a strong selling point for women of the upper classes. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the difference between women of the court of Camelot and those of the outside world has much to do with courtly and spiritual love. The common medieval literary motif of the "loathly lady" symbolizes a woman's transformation to an ideal which is generally achieved through marriage. Thus, the harridan becomes the paragon of wifely virtues. This motif shows up in later literature as well, such as the softening of Katerina in William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ferrante, Joan M. Woman as Image in Medieval Literature: From the 12th Century to Dante. New York: Columbia University Press, 1976.
• Murdoch, Brian. Adam's Grace: Fall and Redemption in Medieval Literature. Rochester, NY: Boydell & Brewer, 2000.
• Zesmer, David M. Guide to English Literature from Beowulf Through Chaucer and Medieval Drama. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1973.

More papers on Females in Medieval Literature:

• Comparison Essay # 52415 : "Female Sovereignty in Medieval Literature"
• Analytical Essay # 9701 : "Women in Medieval English Literature"
• Book Review # 107713 : "Medieval Epic Literature"

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