The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle

E280798
Middle English Arthurian romance literary work poem

"The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle" is a Middle English Arthurian romance that tells how Sir Gawain marries the loathly lady Ragnelle to save King Arthur, exploring themes of sovereignty, chivalry, and the nature of true beauty.

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All labels observed (3)

Label Occurrences
The Marriage of Sir Gawain 1
The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle canonical 1
The Weddynge of Sir Gawen and Dame Ragnell 1

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Middle English Arthurian romance ⓘ
literary work ⓘ
poem ⓘ
answerToCentralQuestion Women most desire sovereignty over their own lives and choices ⓘ
audience medieval courtly and gentry audiences ⓘ
centralQuestion What do women most desire? ⓘ
climax Gawain allows Ragnelle to choose for herself whether to be fair by day or by night ⓘ
culturalContext reflects medieval debates about women and marriage ⓘ
featuresCharacter Queen Guinevere ⓘ
genre Arthurian romance ⓘ
chivalric romance ⓘ
language Middle English ⓘ
literaryForm alliterative and rhymed Middle English verse ⓘ
literaryTradition Arthurian legend ⓘ
mainCharacter Dame Ragnelle ⓘ
King Arthur ⓘ
Gawain ⓘ
surface form: Sir Gawain
moral Respecting a partner's autonomy leads to harmony and transformation ⓘ
motif loathly lady ⓘ
riddle test ⓘ
transformative marriage ⓘ
narrativeDevice magical transformation ⓘ
test of knighthood ⓘ
period late Middle Ages ⓘ
plotSummary After the marriage Dame Ragnelle transforms into a beautiful woman when Gawain grants her sovereignty ⓘ
Dame Ragnelle offers Arthur the answer in exchange for marriage to Sir Gawain ⓘ
King Arthur is threatened with death unless he can discover what women most desire ⓘ
Sir Gawain agrees to marry the loathly Dame Ragnelle to save King Arthur ⓘ
protagonistAction Sir Gawain consents to marry Ragnelle without complaint ⓘ
relatedMotif sovereignty of women ⓘ
relatedWork The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: The Marriage of Sir Gawain

The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: The Weddynge of Sir Gawen and Dame Ragnell

The Wife of Bath's Tale ⓘ
relationshipToKingArthur Gawain's marriage saves Arthur's life ⓘ
relationshipToSirGawain narrative emphasizes Gawain's courtesy and self-sacrifice ⓘ
resolution Ragnelle is freed from her enchantment permanently because Gawain grants her sovereignty ⓘ
setting King Arthur's court ⓘ
symbolism Ragnelle's transformation symbolizes the reward of respecting women's autonomy ⓘ
the loathly appearance represents social fears about female power ⓘ
theme chivalry ⓘ
courtly honor ⓘ
female agency ⓘ
loyalty ⓘ
marriage ⓘ
sacrifice ⓘ
sovereignty ⓘ
the nature of true beauty ⓘ

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Gawain → appearsIn → The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle ⓘ
The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle → relatedWork → The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Marriage of Sir Gawain
The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle → relatedWork → The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Weddynge of Sir Gawen and Dame Ragnell