The topic, about 300 words, is to deal with issues of gender and cross-dressing in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. After reading Sir Gawain, and exploring some of the essays and materials available at the Sir Gawain link at the online syllabus (www.english.iup.edu/mhayward/EN210), please review two other resources linked there: the summary by Marjorie Garber on "crossdressing" from her book Vested Interests, and some of the materials on Tom Long's very useful website on Queer Theory. Tom is an IUP grad (Ph.D., a few years ago), and one of the big names in the field.

You might think about such issues as descriptions of the clothing of the characters, the reasons that the Green Knight is sent to King Arthur's court in the first place, what Bercilak's lady has to say to Sir Gawain about his manhood, and how we might think of the twin compulsions of the knights: towards courtly behavior and towards chivalric behavior. You have two choices for submitting this paper: you may bring a printed copy to class or, preferably, you may send a copy of the paper to me as a file attachment. The file version should be as a word document (.doc) or as an html document (.htm). I can't read .wps documents. I will then post those papers so that we will begin the process of sharing our information and ideas.

(Think about Gender Identity and the Green Knight: Gender � sex based on distinguishable characteristics such as shape, social rank, manner of existence, etc.)

�Hony Soyt Qui Mal Pense�*
While reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, I found myself looking for characteristics of Sir Gawain that might indicate suggested homosexuality. However, the more I read, the more I chose to believe that his character is not only not gay, but a true man in the sense that he was noble yet humble, virtuous and appreciative, and courteous and friendly. He is truly a hero and knight. These characteristics are not typically attributed to �militaristic� men, which may be their downfall. Courtesy and humility are better seen as feminine traits, but why can�t a hero be feminine?

In training, men are taught to despise and distance themselves from their �feminine� side, or their emotions and feelings. Whereas this may be beneficial in some cases, perhaps it is the best attitude for all situations. Sir Gawain declares that he is �the weakest� and best suited to fight the Green Knight because he will be missed the least. Offering this humility, Sir Gawain is able to spare the King from dishonoring himself by shirking the Green Knight�s challenge. I view this as an extremely noble act, not only for taking up the challenge, but by doing so in a polite a way as possible.

An idea was offered in class the last time our class met that Sir Gawain refused Morgan le Faye�s advance because he was potentially in love with the King. I could not help disagreeing with this suggestion because I saw Gawain�s refusal of the lady�s advances as nothing more than honest, gentlemanly, and loyal. He was loyal to his self, his own pride and his host. It was refreshing to see such a character.

In one scene, Sir Gawain is decorated with robes and perfumes and admired by men and ladies alike. The description gives the reader a pretty feminine picture of Sir Gawain but maybe it is only to contrast the masculine motives of Morgan le Faye and Merlin, whose manipulations that are revealed at the end could be construed as masculine in strategy for the simple reason that they are aggressive, proud and insulting. Aggression, pride, and insult are attack methods that men in power often use to incite confrontation or war.

Overall, I am impressed by Sir Gawain�s character and was drawn to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight because the hero is well-rounded and a role model not often found. I would have to conclude that I don�t perceive Sir Gawain�s gender identity as confusing or even an issue. It�s his inspiring sense of honor that I contemplate.

* This means "Shame be to the man who has evil in his mind."

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