What Mans Made Of Essays - Literature, Cephalophores,

" What Man's Made Of" Looking at a story like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , there are some striking differences between their values and the values we hold today. This is especially true for the roles of men and women, as best illustrated by Gawain's visit to the home of Bertilak. The men partake in daring battles and hunts to prove to their toughness and fortitude to their women. Meanwhile, the ladies flirt and are constantly judged solely on the strength of their looks and appeal to men. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , the stereotypical roles of men and women and how strongly they are enforced displays how each gender revolves around the expectations of the other, and emphasizes the pressure put on Gawain to live up to his image as a supposed ideal man. The men of Gawain's tale are primarily defined by their feats of strength and valor, and thus, must continue to prove their strength to women for the remainder of their life. Notably, this "strength" affects all areas of their life, particularly their activities in the bedroom. When Lady Bertilak begins her temptation of Sir Gawain, she tells him "'I know your name-the knight Sir Gawain, famed through all realms whichever road he rides, whose princely honor is highly praisedYou're free to have my all, do with me what you will'" (1226-28, 1237-38). Because Gawain has built up such a lofty reputation, he has also brought upon himself a certain set of expectations regarding his behavior towards women. Unbeknownst to him, he is being deceived with the lady's flattery to see if an appeal to his manhood will win him over and persuade him to sleep with her.However, Gawain "acts graciously and remains on guard" (1282), defying the expectation that a man will always fall prey to a beauti ful woman who is impressed by his physical feats. This leads to her remark, "But I know that Gawain could never be your name'" (1293) because a man like him "could never have lingered so long with a lady without craving a kiss'" (1299-1300). While her tone is one of gentle mockery, there is a hint of truth beneath those words. It is not the place for a knight of such high stature to refuse a woman's proposition, yet engaging Lady Bertilak in anything further than kissing never seems to cross Gawain's mind. In terms of the Middle English value system, this makes him an anomaly. As for the other men, they judge their masculinity through their daily hunting expeditions. When Lord Bertilak displays his killings for Gawain to see, he asks "Are you pleased with this pile? Have I won your praise? Does my skill at this sport deserve your esteem?'" (1379-80) His urgency portrays how deep the desire for praise and affirmation of strength runs within the men of Arthurian legends. Bertilak's mo tivation for making his deal with Arthur in the first place stems from a need to make a name for himself and have something to live up to. As the hunting scenes play out, the master "found his mark, knifing the boar's neck, nailing his prey, bursting the hog's heart" (1592-93). The description may seem needlessly gory, but it illustrates exactly what acts a man will attempt in order to be known as powerful and receive the same attention from women that Gawain garners. What little presence that women have in the story shows the value of beauty and a flirtatious nature above a woman's character. Should a woman in Arthurian times be lacking in either of these departments, she will automatically be seen as somewhat inferior. Gawain meets two near opposite women in his visit to Bertilak's home, and his reaction to each is telling. The first and younger of the two is the lady of the house, and is "fairest amongst them-her face, her flesh, her complexionmore glorious than Guinevere" (943-45). To this woman, Gawain responds warmly and affectionately, "holding (her) for a moment in his arms, kissing her respectfully" (973-75). This portrays how beauty was (and still, in a way, is) seen as a value to be sought after, especially considering that women were once seen as