Abstract
Monsters are perceived as humanity’s enemy that should be eradicated. However, based on Jeffrey Cohen’s Monster Theory (1997), monsters play an important role in understanding humanity’s fears and anxieties. Monstrosity hinges upon the binary opposition of the Self and the Other, in which the Other is seen as a threat to the Self. With this in mind, this article addresses the female monsters of two medieval texts: Beowulf and Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. This paper aims to examine the female monsters, Grendel’s mother and Morgan the Fay, as a cultural reference to unravel the patriarchal anxieties of the time. Grendel’s mother represents a threat to the homosocial hierarchal bonds of Medieval society. Meanwhile, Morgan the Fay signifies danger to knighthood, chivalry, and courtly romance. At the same time, this paper also aims to continue the critical analysis and literature of the female characters in both texts with a heavy emphasis on their Otherness.
Highlights
Monsters are not the antagonist of a story, they capture a part of our culture that can be understood and dissected to provide insight into humanity’s fear, anxieties, desires, and fantasies (Cohen, 1997, p. 4)
The monstrosity hinges on the binary opposition of the Other and the Self, where the Other is seen as monstrous is a threat to the Self
By utilizing Jeffrey Cohen’s Monster Theory, this paper studies two Medieval monsters; Grendel’s mother in Beowulf and Morgan the Fay in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Sir Gawain)
Summary
Monsters are not the antagonist of a story, they capture a part of our culture that can be understood and dissected to provide insight into humanity’s fear, anxieties, desires, and fantasies (Cohen, 1997, p. 4). I argue that Grendel’s mother signifies a threat to the homosocial hierarchical kinship of the Medieval society in Beowulf This can be demonstrated through her attack on Heorot, an examination of her dwellings in comparison to the mead hall, and the overlapping qualities of the maternal and monstrous. Morgan the Fay embodies a danger or threat to knighthood, chivalry, and courtly romance in Sir Gawain. This is illustrated through her cunningness and. This paper is an examination of female monsters as a cultural body and reflection of society during the time, where this essay intends to unravel the patriarchal anxieties represented and embodied by two Medieval female monsters namely Grendel’s mother from Beowulf and Morgan the Fay from Sir Gawain. Any challengers who lose would be struck in the head by the green knight with his ax
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