Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Character Analysis

During the Medieval times of England, society was created as a pure patriarchy by the Christian church, and nearly everything was made male-dominated where the men held the power and their female counterparts held little to no power at all. Arthurian texts such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight showcase many of the characters mostly following these traditions with the men being portrayed as strong-hearted knights who follow a code of chivalry, and the women as passive and submissive beings to the men. However, Arthur’s half-sister Morgan Le Fay is featured in Sir Gawain, and she does not play any parts given to her as a woman, as she is portrayed as an enchantress and an evil, manipulative woman, which is an archetype that was given to women who did not follow their given gender roles. Morgan Le Fay subverts the traditional roles for women by having her own power in the play, and overall presents herself as the antithesis to the church and the patriarchy of the Medieval times.
Morgan Le Fay is not physically present for all of Sir Gawain, however, at the end of the play it is revealed that she was the one who initiated the plot, ironically making her the most vital character in the play. Although, at the beginning of the story she was mentioned, but she is never physically seen by any of the characters, despite her later importance. Instead, her brother Arthur and her nephew Sir Gawain are the characters that are physically seen, and it is their perspectives that get to be