Essay example --

In literature there are many parts to a successful story. What appears to be the main themes within a specific text may in fact be completely different, or interpreted in another way. As with many successful works what happens in the background may be more interesting or noteworthy than that of which happens in the foreground. Those happenings may also control the outcome, or even the whole of the tale. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Such a circumstance may be in effect. Unlike in various other texts of that time, many of the females portrayed in the poem are unlike how they were supposed to be in that era. Through their actions, it is the women that control the story and thus guide it from its rocky start to its wild conclusion. This is shown through Lady Bertilak’s actions towards Sir Gawain, Morgan’s overall hand in the charade, and the symbols and actions of the main men within the text. Perhaps the most relevant point to make is Morgan’s hand in the plot. At the end of the poem the readers learn from the Green Knight that the entire situation is set up by Morgan. Essentially, the entire story rides on the fact that Morgan dislikes Guinevere and wishes to both scare her (Possibly to death) and humiliate Arthur and his knights. Without this malice towards Guinevere, there would be no poem to begin with. Morgan sets up the conflict by enchanting Lord Bertilak and ordering him to do as she bids, going to Arthur and his knights and posing the challenge to them. This proves the power Morgan holds over the men, as she is the one in control. This may be combatted with the assumption that she plays the part of the evil witch and thus plays into one of the many stereotypes of women in that time. Dr. Shadi Neimneh and associates ... ...t necessarily the ones holding the reins. Throughout the poem Morgan and Lady Bertilak transform the two main men at their will, Morgan turning Lord Bertilak into The Green Knight, and Lady Bertilak stealing Sir Gawains masculinity. They control everything from the beginning scene in which the Green Knight entices King Arthurs court, to Sir Gawains presence in Lord Bertilak’s estate, all the way to the very end when their deeds are revealed and they send Sir Gawain back to Arthur with the humiliating girdle tied firmly around him. Morgan may not have fully achieved her desire to mock King Arthur and falsify his knights, but with the combined efforts of Lady Bertilak and Lord Bertilak, she is able to shame Sir Gawain and teach him humility that he spreads throughout the kingdom. In the end, it is the women who earn the greatest importance in the quest, and the poem.