Malefice In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Maleficent, a beautiful and wicked villain, warned, "[t]o all man in the world, think twice before you break a promise and break a woman’s heart because you’ll never know what she might become” (_____). The consequences of breaking a promise are overlooked and the damage that goes unnoticed becomes irreversible. Maleficent was always seen but never heard until she began to cause trouble. Morgan le Fay from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by the Pearl Poet, was a similar villainess. People feared her because she possessed powers and performed condemnable deeds. Not every deed that Morgana carried out was admirable, but her reasoning for taking the darker path rooted from somewhere. The Knights of the Round Table and the King and Queen of Camelot …show more content…
She sent a mysterious Green Knight to Camelot so that he may present the Knights of the Round table with a quest. Her challenge is considered heinous because Arthur's most noble knight's reputation is at risk if he fails. Thus, she is represented as a villain for causing such a heroic man more difficulties. Her appearance also contributes to the idea that she is, indeed, a villain. She disguises herself as an old, decrepit woman whose only features that show are her eyes, nose, and mouth. Gawain describes her as, "awful to see, bleared and sour-" (___ 963-964). Gawain seeing her as a revolting human indicates that she is mostly just as repulsive on the inside. What he does not know is that she used sorcery to manipulate her appearance completely. Her mythical powers were taught to her when she slept with Merlin, a famous wizard and devout friend of King Arthur. Merlin did not appreciate Morgana or see her the way she saw him. He abandoned her shortly after teaching her witchcraft, and he went to Camelot to be with her sworn enemy, King Arthur, whom she also loved. During the Middle Ages, women who slept with multiple men or if they were capable of enchantment, they were told that they would burn in the flames of Hell. Morgana was both an adulteress and witch, and she was the ultimate sinner in the eyes of society. She was not alone …show more content…
People hated her because she went against what was socially acceptable at the time. She was her own person, and she would not be told by any man what she can and cannot do. It was she who wielded the power over the Green Knight, and it was she who fearlessly challenged the men of the Round Table to question their pride. Her true purpose for sending Gawain away on a quest was so that he could prove to himself that he was truly the man that everyone thought hime to be. Morgana's plan is revealed by The Pearl Poet's technique of having the Green Knight describe what happened, he explains, "[s]he sent me in this shape to your splendid hall to make trial of your pride, and to judge the truth" (Pearl Poet 2456-2457). Instead of exceeding expectations, Gawain failed his test and wallowed in self-pity because of it. He also blamed Morgana for his defeat. The only man that did not view Morgana as completely evil was the Green Knight, and he even held great respect for her. He goes so far as to call her, "Morgana the goddess," (Pearl Poet 2452) and continues to complement her by saying, "No one, however haughty [o]r proud she cannot tame" (Pearl Poet 2454-2455). His meaning was that it is Morgana who holds the true power over whoever she chooses no matter who or what they are. Not only did she break social barriers, but she also illustrated why looks do not say much about a person. The Pearl