Allegory In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Medieval society was centered around the church, which thrived off corruption by manipulating to everyone from the uneducated masses to the monarchs. Religion was used a way to instill fear into people for the benefit of church leaders. Thankfully, literary works aimed at achieving reform through highlighting hypocrisies and holding exemplary moral character in high regard. Literary works sought social reform using methods such as allegorical satire, an emphasis on personal salvation, and positively reinforcing character quality typical deemed honorable. Due to the fact medieval society was plagued by moral injustice and greed cloaked by faith, the era churned out brilliant literary works such as the prologues to Piers Plowman and The Canterbury

Such is the case with the knights in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by the Pearl Poet. King Arthur is exemplary in that "nothing on earth frightened him" (Poet l. 33). The average medieval citizen was afraid of death, not because they feared their own non-existence, but because they feared hell. By eliminating fear of the afterlife, one can improve their livelihood and, in theory, improve society. Knights also posses the virtue of honesty, a missing component in medieval society. When Gawain is offered an expensive ring as gift "He refused it and swore on his knighthood that he could take nothing" (Poet l. 206). Self control when it comes to unscrupulous means of attaining wealth is a quality that is lacking in medieval society, particularly amongst the clergy. The Pearl Poet recognized that people make mistakes and, therefore, he does not attempt to portray the knights in his poem in a Christlike manner, because then it would be unrealistic for people to strive to mimic them. "And she pressed the sash upon him and begged him to take it, / And Gawain did" (Poet l. 241-242). The sash grants immortality in battle. Gawain put aside his code to save his life, a very human thing to do. Yet another example of humanity within a knight is Gawain' continued fear of death in the face of destruction. When the axe is come down on Gawain's neck, "his shoulders jerked away from the iron" (Poet l. 259). Even though Gawain had on a protective sash, he still feared death and doubted the sashes ability to save him. This fear correlates with the average person's fear that God will not save them from eternal damnation. However, Gawain's actions are forgiven by the Green Knight when he says "Since now you've confessed so clean, acknowledging sins / And bearing the plain penance of my point; / I consider you polished as white and as perfectly clean / As