Perhaps William Shakespeare is right: the whole world could very well be a stage, with all the men and women merely actors. What happens when, despite their entrances and exits, these actors only play one role? In the absence of complete character development, do these individuals lose their value? Can this one part really affect the interpretation of the piece? Although standard, static characters are the norm in all forms of literature, these individuals rarely have as striking a presence as women in medieval literature. Geoffrey Chaucer's "Knight's Tale" portion of The Canterbury Tales and the poet Gawain's Sir Gawain and the Green Knight both depict standard female characters whose depictions offer commentary on the social perception of women in medieval times. As evidenced by the love story surrounding Emily in "Knight's Tale," heroes and men long for pure and innocent women to be their beloved wives. The tale of Sir Gawain, however, presents Bertilak's sensual wife as a contrast to Emily, thus exposing women as a source of temptation and weakness for chivalric morality. This tale also includes the mysterious Morgan le Faye as the manipulative witch, revealing society's fear of powerful women. Through the descriptions and interactions between characters, these poets illustrate that women play specific and limited roles within society. Despite their unique role in these works, their symbolic presence constitutes an imprint on the ever-changing perception of women within a literature dominated by men. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay For the role of an ideal lover and future wife, Chaucer plays the young Amazon Emily. Even though the Amazons are meant to be large, aggressive, and strong-willed women, Emily's exposition deviates in every way imaginable—a notable personality alteration given the poet's specific use of her heritage. “More beautiful...than...the lily on its green stem,” she wanders in the sun “like an angel from heaven” (Chaucer 27). The description of her beauty objectifies her as a fine prize to be admired, but also goes further in revealing her appearance as a testament to her purity and passivity rather than the warlike aggression associated with her people. She must be one-dimensionally beautiful, both in her looks and in her behavior, because that is her role. Despite social conventions, Emily wishes little more than to remain "a virgin all her life," longing to remain pure and unsullied by the touch of man (59). Her desperate attachment to virginity robs her of passion and desire, leaving her a sweet and innocent woman. To be without desire is to be without temptation or sin, which makes one the ideally submissive wife. Further showing both her religious fervor and obedience, Emily prays, pleads, and makes sacrifices to Diana to keep her virginity. In these actions, Emily promises to offer herself in Diana's service if she helps Emily's cause. After receiving a sign that her prayer will not be answered, she nevertheless willingly entrusts herself to Diana's "protective care", trusting her to "dispose of it as [she] wishes", even if it means ultimately giving up her virginity to Palamon (60). Her devotion to the goddess attests to Emily's willingness to submit her destiny and her body to the will of another. Through the description of her beauty, virginity, and religious faith, Chaucer makes Emily a wifesubmitted. With the role of “ideal woman” filled by Chaucer's Emily, the poet Gawain gives the role of seductress to Bertilak's wife. The description of her beauty differs significantly from that of pure and innocent Emily. Although her features are also "flawless," her "freely displayed face and clear throat... her almost bare breast" contrast sharply with Emily's demure and reserved beauty (Gawain 56). Here, his fontelle physical attributes are a source of temptation for Gawain to deviate from his code of chivalry rather than venture toward ideal love. Because her beauty is revealed in terms of sexuality rather than innocence, Bertilak's wife goes from being a beautiful object to being a timid temptress, from passive to aggressive. Although it would be easy to dismiss the Wife as little more than a pretty face, she appears to be an intelligent debater and an astute reader of Gawain's reactions. She has a specific agenda to pursue in order to seduce the knight, but recognizes the need for tact and persistence in her pursuit. Noting that she is Gawain's social superior, she knows that he is bound by the knights' code to obey her demands. Because of this “cunning,” she realizes that he will be torn between serving the queen and respecting the king; she employs both subtle and overt tactics to get what she wants from him (49). She remains persistent in pursuing Gawain, stealing kisses from him at each attempt, and resorts to flattery, proclaiming him "the noblest knight known to [their] time" (51). Although she ultimately fails to fully realize her sexual desires with Gawain, she manages to get the once-noble knight to break his loyalty to his host by accepting her belt. This receipt of a personal object that Gauvain will later keep from his host reveals the weakening of his character. By using his sexually charged physical appearance and cleverly manipulating Gawain, the female figure is no longer submissive and pure. With this exposition, Bertilak's wife plays the role of the unfaithful temptress and corrupter of chivalric ideals. Having already designated the roles of the beautiful innocent woman and the beautiful wicked woman, the poet Gawain presents Morgan le Faye as the ugly and wicked woman. In contrast to the youthful beauty of Bertilak's wife, Morgan appears "old" and "unsightly" with flesh hanging in folds on her face and a "round, broad buttocks" (Gawain 38, 39). Being neither delicate nor comely, Morgan immediately functions as a stark contrast to all the female characters introduced thus far. Because the nature of physical descriptions lends itself to revealing aspects of women's personalities, the crone must therefore possess sinister qualities to complement her outward appearance. Only in the last 100 lines are his unattractive attributes qualified. As a notable figure in Arthurian legend, Morgan le Faye usually acts as an antagonist of Camelot and works to put an end to the Knights of the Round Table. In this particular account, Bertilak himself admits that Morgan "guided him into this form" in order to "baffle [Gawain's] mind" (73). Shrouded in all her mystery as an anonymous figure in Bertilak's court earlier, she is in fact the mastermind behind this plot against Gawain. His evil and manipulative nature manifests in his outward behavior. Because she uses her intelligence for evil rather than good, Morgan le Faye acts as the witch figure, feared for her intellect and shrouded in mystery. It is only thanks to his knowledge of the "subtleties of the science and art of sorcerers" acquired under Merlin's knees that the plot will be able to unfold...