Women who adhere to the narrow roles of wives, mothers, and peaceweavers generally appear as confined. Although this word may conjure connotations of something being done against one’s will, the confined woman of medieval literature appears perfectly happy and gracious to live in such a role. She is not dangerous and poses no threat to the male power structure. Two earlier medieval texts, Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight offer readers two simple categories of women, those who are or are not confined. By presenting dual examples of each, both of these works illustrate certain notions about the role of the medieval woman and what her interactions with men should be. Later, with the writings of Margery Kempe, the strict duality begins to disappear and the reader is confronted with a woman who is blend of each of these ideas of women. While she is confined by her society, she is unconfined by its conventions such as marriage and traditional gender roles. In general, however, each text presents an example of a “proper” and confined woman as well as the complete opposite; almost so that the reader can see what evils can occur if a woman is not confined. By presenting such opposites, the paradigm is set that a good woman is one who is confined while a bad one is not and thus is allowed to act according to her own will, which is a dangerous prospect. Despite the amount of time that has passed between the writing of each of the texts used in this analysis, this pattern does not change throughout the range of medieval literature and can be found equally in Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and The Book of Margery Kempe. In each of these, the reader is presented with a clear duality; the confined versus free woman and what each means to society. Generally, the confined woman in these medieval texts is peaceable, well-liked or respected, and does not cause any of the conflict in the story. The free or unconfined woman, however, is often the source of tension in her society and the plot revolves around correcting, recognizing the evil of, or eliminating such a woman. While it will be most worthwhile to consider Margery Kempe, it is necessary to first examine earlier depictions of women, confined or unconfined.

In Beowulf, women who are confined serve a complex political function aside from their other sexual duties as subordinates and thus it is necessary that they remain so. As a result, it is also important that each woman in the text who is meant to represent male alliances and brotherhood is behaves according to her subordinate position. The women in Beowulf, at least on first glance, might appear to be glorified waitresses and sexual objects, but their role is far more complicated than this. When it is stated in one of the important quotes from “Beowulf” that, “A queen should weave peace” (Beowulf 1913) it becomes easier to unravel the importance of the role of the confined woman. She serves as a mediator, a departure from male-dominated activities and relationships and as a result of the importance of such a role she must be well-kept and confined, even if it is in the most luxurious of ways. If a woman is not confined to the role of being a peace weaver or even as a functional sexual (or even material) object, she is on the fringes and useless in the male dominated society. Even worse, she is not simply useless; she can also be a dangerous figure. In Beowulf, she can be epitomized by the figure of Grendel’s mother; a creature who does not act as a weaver of peace, but rather follows the male-based system of revenge and war.

Aside from the example of Grendel’s mother, the women in Beowulf are confined, both in terms of physical space and in their roles as peace weavers. They are never represented as being apart from their men and generally do not serve any other function throughout the story other than to assist with the relationships of men. They are often well-dressed and decorous and seem to be well aware and accepting of their role as peace weavers and objects of beauty. For instance, when Wealhtheow enters the hall, she is a spectacle and goes about her duties of weaving peace in an almost religious or sacred way. She enters, “observing the courtesies / Adorned in her gold, she graciously saluted / the men in the hall, then handed the cup” (Beowulf 614-616). By handing the cup, she is bestowing gifts upon the men in the hall and confirming male alliances. This is the case with all the women in the text, including other queens besides Wealhtheow. Their role is limited to serving men by offerings gifts and keeping the peace. Descriptions of Wealhtheow as she “went her rounds / queenly and dignified, decked out in rings / offering the goblet to all ranks, / treating the household and the assembled troop” (Beowulf 620-624) do not give insight to her character but rather reinforce her role as a peace weaver and object for men to gaze upon. Furthermore, as one scholar notes, “Diplomatic marriages are a central feature of Beowulf’s political world, and one which the poem’s wiser characters would encourage” (Hall 81). As a result, we see as this is one of the themes in Beowulfand that a woman’s confinement in marriage and its associated duties of peace weaving are not necessarily based on romantic love but rather political alliances. Hareth’s daughter, for example, is clearly not married for love but she still observes her duties diligently and “stinted nothing when she distributed / bounty to the Geats” (Beowulf 1929-1930). Through such political marriages, women are confined not only in terms of physical space and their role as peace weavers, but they are also emotionally confined. They are not free to pursue individual notions of romance or love or else they risk becoming pariahs and will be condemned to the monstrous status of an unconfined woman. As confined in a marriage, women in Beowulf are assigned the role of peace weaver, “queen and bedmate” (Beowulf 665). They are to act like the revered Halga, who is mentioned early in the text as serving as a model queen and medieval woman as “a balm in bed to [her husband] the battle-scarred swede” (Beowulf 61-63).

All of the human women in Beowulf are queens and adhere to their duties as such with grace and obedience. The only exception to this model of medieval femininity is Grendel’s mother who is technically a woman but is so hideously described that the idea of gender becomes grossly distorted. She is a woman who is not confined to any role aside from that of a mother and does not appear to have any male authority to bow to. As an example of a completely unconfined woman, she is represented as being wild, savage, and incredibly ugly. “Seen from the social world of the Anglo-Saxon hall, a maternal avenger can only be imagined as monstrous or subhuman, carrying the male hero to the threshold of death. The abject mother returns, with a vengeance, to haunt to patriarchal stronghold” (Acker 702). In a world where only male characters are permitted to engage in acts of vengeance, her role as an avenger is even more disturbing and grotesque as she is deviating so far from what is expected from any female character. Her ability to carry out the male-dominated act of revenge makes her almost androgynous and as a result, even more grotesque, especially when compared to the genteel and highly-adorned women the text has presented thus far. Her powers in revenge are so strong that she is compared to that of a man. The narrator states, “Her onslaught was less / only by as much as an amazon warrior’s strength is less than an armed man’s (Beowulf1283-1285). Like the hero of the text, she draws her power from her lust from revenge, something that has hitherto been something reserved specifically for men. She is the epitome of the unconfined woman, living in filth underground (both literally and metaphorically) as an outcast from God and the light of day. She is the ultimate threatening example of what happens when women are allowed to run free without some kind of mediating male presence and the narrator makes certain to make her as grotesque as possible. Being wild and unconfined there is nothing redeeming to be found in her femininity as she shows no traces of what the other women in the text posses. Because of this clear duality between and the confined and unconfined woman, the reader cannot help but draw parallels between the two and see how the unconfined woman is incredibly grotesque and distorted while the woman who is kept is clean, obedient, and not the cause of problems but is rather the balm.

A dual representation of the confined versus unconfined woman is also present in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight even though it was written some years after Beowulf. In this text, the reader is first confronted with the ideal woman, Guenevere, who is confined and is serving her role as peace weaver and object for the male gaze. The descriptions used to illustrate Guenevere sound much like those roles granted to Wealhtheow and she is introduced as, “the goodly queen gay in the midst/ on a dais well-decked and duly arrayed / with costly silk curtains…all broidered and bordered with the best gems” (Gawain 74-80). As the picture of the perfect confined medieval woman, she is obviously very well-kept, clean, and decorous. She meets the admiring gazes of the crowd of men graciously and seems to accept her role without complaint. As a result, at no point is she a contentious character, but rather is more like an ornament. While there could be assertions made for other later representations of Guenevere (most notably in Malory’s Morte D’Arthur) she is the perfect medieval woman; humble, attractive, modest, and obedient.

The beautiful lady at Bertilak’s castle is an interesting combination of both the confined and unconfined medieval woman. On the one hand, she presents herself with all of the delicate mannerism and decorum of Guenevere, yet on the other, she is bold and ventures into the bedroom of a man by herself. Unlike the more genteel descriptions devoted to Guenevere and Wealhtheow, this lady is presented in a far more sexualized (thus scandalous) way while still retaining some of the delicateness of her position. For instance, the narrator relates in one of the important quotes from “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, about the role of women in “Sir Gawain” “sweetly she does speak / And kindling glances dart / Blent white and red on cheek / And laughing lips apart” (Gawain 1204-1207). This description of her is at once very regal and fitting to her status as a confined woman, but because of the magical influence of Morgan la Faye, she is bordering on the “wild woman” image with her parted lips and sexualized appearance. Because of her status as a confined woman, Gawain is forced to behave in a decorous manner and, “He has indeed lacked the courage to see through the lady’s deceit and the courtesy and generosity of spirit make him wish to protect the lady from her feelings of sorrow” (Morgan 265). In other words, because he realizes she is not the kind of free (and thus dangerous) unconfined woman, he falls into the pattern of treating this woman in a chivalrous way, even though she is clearly treading on dangerous ground by her mere presence in his bedroom and accompanying seductive descriptions. What is most interesting about this lady is that she has no parallel in Beowulf, a story where women are either completely good or absolutely evil, thus she is more fully developed than any female character presented in that story. The lady in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight proves that there can be overlaps between a confined and unconfined woman.

Aside from the salacious character of the lady at Bertilak’s castle, just as in Beowulf, there is presented a direct duality between a kept and unconfined woman. Again, the notion of complete feminine duality is present. While there are the two beautiful women, with Guenevere being the most obedient and confined, there is also the opposite—a woman who is twisted and evil—in other words, an unconfined woman. The narrator makes the difference between both Guenevere and Bertilak’s lady clear, saying that, “for if one was fresh the other was faded” (Gawain 950). One cannot help but feel that since the old woman is not kept and does not have a place beside a man, she is faded and not as lustrous as the other. She is an old maid and, like Grendel’s mother, functions according to her own secret desires and passions. As a result, just as in Beowulf, the reader is aware of the paradigm of “The crone and the coquette” (Gawain 1317). The reader later comes to find out that this character is none other than Morgan la Faye who, unlike the appearance she takes on at the castle, is actually quite younger and not invested with the same ugliness that she takes on for Gawain’s sake. Morgan la Faye is an unconfined woman and as a result, is free to wreak havoc on the world of men. Unlike the peace weaving character of Wealhtheow, she is like Grendel’s mother, bent on seeking revenge or causing mischief simply because it is within her power to do so.

Along these lines, the Fair Maiden of Ascolot represents everything that Guinevere is not shown to be in this chapter. First of all, she is very submissive and as one of the most important quotes in “Le Morte Darthur” states,  “dud such attendaunce to hym that the Freynshe book seyth there was never woman dyd more kyndlyer for man”. (609) Guinevere on the other hand, is saucy, easily angered, and anything but submissive, especially in this section, and she causes Lancelot sorrow and pain as opposed to the Maiden of Ascolot who waits upon him hand and foot and strives to make him comfortable and happy at all costs.

Another key difference between the two women in “Le Morte Darthur” is respectability. At the beginning of the chapter, Guinevere holds a dinner where a knight is poisoned and the knights immediately think it is her doing. They don’t seem to trust to her in general and as soon as the man is poisoned they all gather force against her without a second thought. Although there is no direct textual evidence for this, it can also be assumed they all know about her relations with Lancelot, which makes them even more inclined to see her as trouble.

The Fair Maiden of Ascolot, on the other hand, is a pillar of virtue; she is dutiful, doesn’t stir up trouble, and this is key—she is respected by a peer of Lancelot’s. On page 611, she is given this description: “There was never chylde nother wyff more mekar tyll fadir and husbande than thys fair Mayden of Ascolot.” Then, directly following these lines, “Wherefore Sir Bors was greatly pleased by her.” After dealing with the angry and demanding Guinevere, this Maiden of Ascolot must to Bors like the obvious choice for Lancelot’s mate. She is subservient and is everything a woman should be (according to these older senses of what a perfect woman is). Although she is clearly less trouble than Guinevere, Lancelot nevertheless persists in denying her love, much to the chagrin of Bors, who can’t seem to see why he wouldn’t want this maiden (especially since he knows of Guinevere’s wrathful nature).

The Fair Maiden of Ascolot is not entirely perfect, however. It is impossible not to conjure up modern terms such as “sociopath” to describe her and there is some suspicion about her that is in a questionable passage on page 607 when Gawain wants to see the shield to determine the identity of the knight. She keeps the shield in her private chamber and asks Gawain “if ye woll come with me ye shall se hit.” There are definite sexual undertones to this statement and her always-present father jumps in the way of her “opportunity” and says to have the shield sent for (as opposed to her taking Gawaine into her bedroom). This passage is striking in a number of ways, any of which could be incorrect, but my feeling is that her father has his own suspicions about his daughter’s lustful nature. It cannot be denied that she is filled with passion, since from our very first introduction to her we know she will die for the love of Lancelot, and perhaps her father thinks she “falls in love too easily” and thus is hesitant to let Gawain enter her chamber.

The Fair Maiden of Ascolot is also prone to dramatics, perhaps more so than other woman we’ve encountered in the book. She swoons at everything as well as bursts into tears at the slightest affront or sight of injury, thus setting her up as being overly emotional. On the other hand, one could also say that Guinevere is set up as being overly emotional as well, since all throughout the chapter she oscillates between anger and repentance of anger. It is possible that Malory wants us to see that women, especially the highly emotional ones, are nothing but trouble and are likely to destroy good knights (or at least put them in precarious positions).

Given these background thoughts about the Fair Maiden, it is important to consider if Lancelot’s treatment of her can be considered to be harsh and uncaring. As a reader, it is impossible to blame him for his frustration. He did not pursue her love, nor did he give her reason to think he would ever submit to her appeals. As her says to Elayne’s father on page 615, “And me repenteth…that she loveth me as she dothe, for I was never causer of hit. For I reporte me unto your sonne, I never erly nother late profirde her bowtne nother fayre behests.” He feels utterly trapped by her love and her attentions and care of him while he is laid up make matters worse since now he “owes” her something. This idea about paying prices to woman who proffer him kindness comes up again when he is prison and the woman bringing him wants him to sleep with her to obtain his freedom. Lancelot makes the decision to kiss her, but that is a temporary fix and he let free with no harm done to his “purity” but in the case of the Fair Maiden, the solutions to the problem are permanent—wither be her lover or marry her.

In response to this feeling of “owing” her something, he offers one thousand pounds to her and her future husband. While it is hard not see how this is all he can do since he doesn’t want to marry her, one cannot help but feel sorry for the maiden—here her love is being put into material terms instead of being rewarded on emotional grounds. However, Lancelot is a fair knight that believes in doing right by women, so all he can do offer her some compensation for the kindness she never asked for and while it wasn’t the most romantic solution to problem of this obsessed woman, it was not cruel.

There is an interesting choice of paragraph formation on page 609. Instead of splitting two potential paragraphs, Malory makes them one, assumedly to propose a connection between two different topics. Around line 37, it occurs to Lancelot that now Guinevere will think there is something going on between him and the Fair Maiden: “And than Sir Lancelot compaste in hys mynde that Sir Gawayne wolde tell Quene Gwenevyre how he bare the rede slyve, and for whom; that he wyst well wolde turne unto grete angur. So thys maydyn Elayne never wente frome Sir Lancelot, but wacched hym day and nyght…” In this one paragraph about two completely different ideas, Malory is connecting for us Lancelot’s fear of Guinevere’s perception as well as the fact that the object of the problem is always right there beside him, reminding him constantly of what his lady in Camelot will think of him. This combined paragraph also serves to highlight a possible reason why Lancelot can be seen as being mean to the maiden; since he is worried about Guinevere’s thoughts and her presence only aggravated the situation in his mind.

It truly seems that Lancelot doesn’t wish to do her harm. He knows how she is very emotional and when he finally decides to leave the hermitage where she’s been taking care of him, he sends her out to collect herbs so that he may leave in secret (thus avoiding the hysterics and the pain he knows it will cause her if he has to say goodbye). This plan backfires and his wound re-opens, but still, she doesn’t get the hint that he was trying to get away from her and instead, she takes all her frustrations out of Bors and her brother for trying to get Lancelot to leave before he was ready. It is interesting that she doesn’t scold Lancelot himself, and this is another interesting conflict of personalities between her and Guinevere (as Guinevere would have raised hell with Lancelot if he tried to run off without saying farewell). Of course, after she sees Lancelot’s reopened wound, the Fair Maiden says in one of the important quotes from “Le Morte Darthur” “cryed and wepte as she had been wood.” (612) and there stands Lancelot, feeling guilty as ever and worse, knowing that he’ll be stuck in her presence for even longer.

Lancelot seems to view Guinevere as separate from all other women. She is angry with him at the beginning of the chapter since he is always off fighting for damsels, but he makes it clear that he is just doing his duty. This “otherness” of Guinevere in Lancelot’s mind is highlighted when he first meets the Fair Maiden. When she entreats him to wear the token of her love, the red sleeve, he agrees and states in one of the important quotes from “Le Morte Darthur”, “Never dud I erste so much for a damsel”. (600) The reader is well aware that he would do anything in the world for Guinevere, even at the risk of his own life, but here, we see a rare bit of grumbling from Lancelot about having to perform his role of keeping women safe and happy. Interestingly, he obviously leaves Guinevere (and all he’s done for in the past) out of the equation and doesn’t consider her to be even a “damsel” for some reason—perhaps because she is his love interest. Thus, it would seem that to Lancelot, all women other than Guinevere are somewhat the same—mere damsels and although he will always try to do right by them, they will never be anything more to him than just that.

So though it would seem that Lancelot cannot bring himself to have anything to do with this damsel, one must admit that Lancelot carried out the Maiden’s wishes after her death and without much grumbling. Even still, to a modern reader, morbid circumstances of her boat-ride while dead, with her dressed in her finest gear and looking pretty, perhaps to “remind Lancelot of what he missed out on” is very creepy and disturbed. When thinking about the Fair Maiden, the very fact that she is nuts is enough to make us excuse Lancelot’s curt behavior towards her. While Malory may be offering the readers a chance to compare Lancelot’s love-options, his Lancelot’s decision has been made and we will have to wait to see its conclusion.

Other essays and articles in the Literature Archives related to this topic include : Representations of Women in Medieval Literature  &   Hospitality in The Odyssey and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight