Womens' roles in Arthurian Legend...?

Question

I have to write a paper for my english class featuring three example of women in arthurian legend. We read the stories Le Morte D'arthur and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and I feel a little lost. If anyone could help, I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer 1

Please, please do not perpetuate the misunderstood nature of Morgana Le Fey. Take the time to read The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Don't let the length of the novel put you off. It is such a great read that you will have it finished before you know it! And your English teacher will be impressed that you chose to write your paper--about three Arthurian women--from the women's perspective. It is worth it.

The tale is told from the points of view of the much maligned Morgaine, (Morgana Le Fey), Priestess of Avalon and Gwenhwyfar, (Gwynivere), Christian princess and future queen of Camelot. Although most of the events of the traditional Arthurian legend are presented here, it is extremely interesting how the tale, told by men, changes when viewed through the eyes and experiences of a woman. This is also the important story of the political and religious conflict between the new Christianity and the "old ways" of goddess worship. Believers of each religion seek to control the throne, but ultimately Christianity ascends to be the organized religion of the land. Since Morgaine is a Druid High Priestess, it would explain why she received such a bad rap in Christian civilization. The reader also views other famous female characters from a different vantage point, including Igraine, Morgaine's and Arthur's mother,
Ms. Bradley follows Morgaine from childhood to Priestess in her home on the Isle of Avalon, the center of Druidism and goddess worship since the Roman occupation forced the religion underground, where it remained long after the Roman departure. Mists surround this mystical isle, protecting it and its inhabitants from all who do not have the psychic powers to penetrate the barrier. Morgaine has dedicated her life to preserving her ancient religion and tries to defend it against the growing numbers of her countrymen and the Camelot royalty who exchange the old ways for Christianity. She is also a very powerful person and struggles against the stereotypes which expect her to adhere to more traditional "feminine," (dependent), behavior and roles.

Bradley also follows the lovely Gwenhwyfar from the innocence of her girlhood to her rise as King Arthur's Christian Queen. She deeply fears Druid magic and her terror causes her to miscarry a long awaited baby. King Arthur's acquiescence to his wife's pleas to turn his back on the old ways and adopt Christianity is the beginning of the cataclysmic fall of his reign.

Good luck with your paper. . . take the time to read The Mists of Avalon. . . you will not be disappointed!

Bright Blessings.

EDIT: I almost forgot to tell you: Don't watch the TNT movie by the same name. They claim it is based on Bradley's book---but it is not. It is a horrible re-write of Bradley's book--Do not watch to movie.....read the book. Thanks.

Answer 2

Arthurian Women

Answer 3

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RE:
Womens' roles in Arthurian Legend...?
I have to write a paper for my english class featuring three example of women in arthurian legend. We read the stories Le Morte D'arthur and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and I feel a little lost. If anyone could help, I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer 4

The question of the role of women in Arthurian legend has alot of cultural caveats nailed to it. What I mean by that is when you take your pick of the time and culture, you can often wind up with different emphasis.

Early tales made a huge point of the wickedness of women upon 'utopia'; Guenivere's betrayal, Morgan's lust for power and dominance, Nimue's ability to steal Merlin's magick. Their destructive powers became a continuation of the story of Genesis (no surprise there.)

Later tales diminished the role of women and emphasised the destructiveness of human nature in general to forshadow how Camelot was destined to fail despite the women. Guienevre is still destructive, but the foilibles of Lancelot, and the fact that he is Arthur's right hand man, illuminate the worm at the heart of the apple.

Sir Gwain and the Green Knight continues these traditions in that it is the wife who seduces Sir Gwain into keeping the scarf secret from her husband, but the seduction says less about the power of women and the weakness of men to face their own death, or maintain the high cost of chivalry to which they so supposedly uphold. The wife, in that instance, becomes a metaphor for the 'real' world and its concerns, which will always conflict and present obstacles to such high ideals.

There is another tale about Arthur who is threatened with death unless he can answer a riddle. A hideous old hag offers to give him the answer but only if he will promise one of his knights will swear to marry her. Arthur swears, the hag tells him the answer, and Arthur is allowed to pass, on the condition he keeps his promise. Long story short, the old hag was put under an enchantment that one of Arthur's knights broke, mainly by letting the hag/princess make her own decisions.

So you have both active (Morgan Le Fay, hag/princess) and passive (Guienevere) women in Arthurian legend, and one can even include Arthur's mother in the mix, since it is Merlin's magick that allows Uther to sleep with Igraine despite her husbands protections. One can even compare how Guinevere and Igraine are, in many respects, helpless pawns held out as objects of lust and conquest, with little regard for their own wishes, and then contrast that with the legend of the old hag. Lots of ways to approach the sword stuck in the stone.

Answer 5

Many depictions of the legends have the main women doing things they shouldn't. However in the original legends Guenevere wasn't unfaithful to Arthur. The round table was her dowry and it made the knights sit as equals. One of the main ideals of the knights was chivalry which is respecting and protecting women. The grail is a symbol of the sacred feminine. Most writers focus on the men, but the women were important to the men as well as to the stories.
The Lady of the Lake was the keeper of Excalibur. The Lady of the Lake could be Lady du Lac (Del Acqys), a relative of Lancelot du Lac. She may not have actually lived in a lake but her name was Lady Du Lac (Lady of the Lake) and when asked for the sword she made Arthur go out into the lake in a boat.

Answer 6

The theories put forth by people like lightningelemental are certainly imaginative, but there's no historical basis for them. They seem to have caught on solely because of Marion Zimmer Bradley's take on the story, which heavily played on her time's growing feminist beliefs about the historical patriarchal oppression of women just because they're women.

Women in medieval times were viewed as embodying two dynamics. One was the temptress Eve, and the other was the pure Virgin Mary. So women were viewed as either being wicked temptresses, or pure and virtuous.

To that end, Guinevere was cast as a wicked adulterer because of her affair with Lancelot as well as Mordred. Elaine was similarly cast as using magic to tempt Lancelot into being with her (she used magic to make him think she was Guinevere). Lunette, who provided assistance to Yvain in his time of need, is described as nothing but charming, clever, and polite.

There are other examples, but that should get you started.

Answer 7

After Arthur was devastated by Gwenivere and Lancelot getting together he fell into a deep melancholy. It was during this time that Morgan Le Fay(Arthur's half sister), tricked him into sleeping with her(gross I know.) and she became pregnant with Mordrid (a real crushing realization for Arthur). His Knights felt that if they could find the holy grail(the cup used by Jesus at the last supper) and Arthur drank from it then he would recover and rule camelot again. Sir Gawain was one of the knights sent to find the grail and instead he found and fell in love with Dame Ragnelle. A woman who has a pigs snout for a nose. She was kind to him and nursed him back to health and when Gawain was given the out to dump her, stayed with her at which time she was returned to her real state of beauty. If you want to read more look it up on wikipedia.org.

Answer 8

You should definately read about Morgan le Fay. She's one of my favorite.

Answer 9

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The role reversal would not bother me a bit. What is more important in my mind is that one of us parents is home raising the kids.