Medieval masculinity is inevitably illustrated in most forms of literature written during the Middle Ages. Masculinity and manhood were constantly displayed both in medieval life and in the literature that reflected it. But where did the medieval conception of masculinity come from and exactly how is it depicted in the literature of the times? Arthurian legend provides both an inclusive and somewhat accurate portrayal of manhood during the Middle Ages and the way it manifested itself in the lives of men.

Clare A. Lees, editor of Medieval Masculinities: Regarding Men in the Middle Ages, points to the classical world for sources of medieval influence in regards to ideas of gender roles. "Medieval anatomical and physiological ideas of what constituted maleness were for the most part inherited from the classical period" (31). The assumption based on these anatomical and physiological ideas was that the male was not only different from the female, but was also superior to her. This superiority was illustrated in the roles that men took in medieval society. Only men could really advance and become pillars of society. Women were merely compliments to male counterparts, as well as mediums for fertilization. During the Middle Ages, St. Thomas Aquinas was instrumental in asserting the superiority of men. "In the arts the inferior art gives a disposition to the matter to which the higher art gives the form…so also the generative power of the female prepares the matter which is then fashioned by the active power of the male" (32). In this type of thought, women are not only inferior to men, but they aren't even considered essential to the reproduction process. They are considered the more passive force in generation, while men are active and vital. Never mind the fact that without the egg, there would be nothing to fertilize.

Probably the main reason for the classical view of male superiority was the "evidence" found in nature. Aristotle was a vocal source of information on this issue.

He believed (and others agreed) that males domination was nature's will. In looking to things in nature, Aristotle noted that the male species were always larger, stronger and more agile. Therefore, he concluded that the female species must have been deliberately made weaker in order to fulfill subservient roles. It is easy to see not only how this view was carried on, into medieval thought, but to contemporary thought as well. Women in the Middle Ages, like many women today were responsible for rearing children, cooking food, cleaning the house, and other domestic chores. This idea of the "women's place" in both society and the more immediate familial structure has only begun to change within the last thirty or so years.

The classical idea of what gender meant in terms of status, was not limited to masculinity-femininity was also an issue of consideration. Not only was the classical world concerned with the characteristics of masculinity and femininity, but it examined what these attributes meant in relationship to one another. These concerns transcended the classical era and became rooted in medieval times. Being feminine came to mean being lower or less important. This is why men had to resist any urges to exhibit traditionally feminine qualities. Gender roles are often considered in the context of how they limited the "weaker" or less respected sex. However, this issue of femininity and the masculine aversion to it presents an interesting paradox. Essentially, the lower status of women hindered men who had more feminine urges. For example, there are many examples of cross-gender behavior among women in the Middle Ages, but almost none among medieval men. There were several female, transvestite saints who lived their entire lives as males and who were only found to be men when they died (34). Yet men had to live in fear of being found out and therefore the cases of cross-gender (or simply cross-dressing) medieval men are far less then women.

The definition of manhood is highly contextual and relative. Masculinity is different depending on culture, time and place. Yet it seems as though the characteristics of manhood can be almost universally (and simplistically) defined as the impregnation of women, the protection of dependents, and the providing for one's family. Obviously in contemporary society this definition has changed due to the change in family structure and the diminishing importance of the nuclear family. But these criteria for manhood are pretty accurate when applied to medieval masculinity, and illustrate the problems that men who were not masculine enough faced. In medieval society, men who failed to act like men (as prescribed by the above definition) had their manhood questioned. Both in the literature of the times and the depictions of everyday medieval life, it was almost as if the "superiority of the male" had to be continually demonstrated, or else it would be lost (34). This idea makes an interesting point about medieval literature, and more specifically, Arthurian legend.