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The power of women in sir gawain and the green knight
The power of women in sir gawain and the green knight
The power of women in sir gawain and the green knight
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Christian Values in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Thesis Statement: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight shows the struggle between a good Christian man against the temptations of this world.
I. Taking a Stand
A. Worthiness
B. Sir Gawain stands
C. Trial overcome
II. Staying True
A. Three temptations
B. Three hunts
III. Repentance
A. A promise kept
B. Confession of sin
Christian Values in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Symbolism is used throughout literature to give deeper meaning to a variety of literary works. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight symbolism is seen through the actions of Sir Gawain against the trials he faces. The poem is first set during Christmas time at Camelot,
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The Green Knight begins to mock the court; and then boldly, King Arthur accepts his challenge. Sir Gawain realizes that this should not be the king’s responsibility for there are others present worthy of the challenge including him. Symbolically, this scene can be seen as a Christian standing up for what he believes in. Gawain says, “I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest;/ And the loss of my life would be least of any; (354-355). Here, Gawain humbles himself before his lord, just as a Christian should in prayer to God. Sir Gawain stands up for he believes that his uncle should not take on the Green Knight while so many others, as mentioned earlier, are able. Gawain is successful by not only standing for what he believes in but also in defeating the Green Knight. The Green Knight plays the role of the tempter in this scene. He first tempts the court, but is defeated. Sir Gawain overcomes his first …show more content…
On his quest God protects him. Praying faithfully as weather begins to worsen in the winter months, he is revealed a castle in the woods. Once at the castle he faces his next trial, a trial of staying true to a future mate. The three hunts that take place parallel the three times Gawain is tempted by the lady of the castle. On the first hunt Bertilak and his servants slay a deer. The deer symbolizes how Gawain reacts to Bertilak’s wife on their first confrontation. The deer is an animal that has to be crept up on to kill, but is easily slain for it is ignorant to the presence of a hunter. Gawain pretends that he is asleep and acts ignorant of the presence of the huntress, Bertilak’s wife. In doing so, Gawain show his unwillingness to be tempted. He is preyed upon and faces his temptation, but overcomes this first trial while at Bertilak’s castle. The next hunt is one for a boar. The boar is an animal that, when hunted, can be fierce in retaliation against being disturbed. So when the lady comes the second day to tempt Gawain, he immediately greets her. The author writes, “Gawain thought it good to greet her at once,” (1447). He again stands against the temptation. In the final hunt the party chases and slays a fox. A fox, as one knows, is a cunning and tactical animal that will try to outwit his predator. In this case the temptation parallels the hunt in that Gawain must use his
The hunting and the seductions are both closely related to each other, but there is a little twist involved with the characters of these situations. The role of the game that the Lord is hunting is also the role of the Lady, but in the seduction scenes, it is the hunter being hunted by the prey. In the first hunt, the Lords prey is a deer. The deer was skittish and not much of a challenge; the first time the Lady seduced Sir Gawain she was a little skittish and not much of a challenge. Also, the Lord, "Let the bucks go by, with their broad antlers, for it was counted a crime, in the close season, if a man of that demesne should molest the male deer" (lines 1154-6). Just as it was a crime to hunt bucks at that time, it was also a crime for the Lady to "molest the male deer." But, she was only following the will of her Lord, something that Sir Gawain did not know at the time. The Lady’s seduction intimidated Sir Gawain, and this is where we can relate the first swing of the Green Knight’s ax. The Green Knight stopped his swing the first time because Sir Gawain flinched as the ax was coming. This fear of his death can be related to his fear of the seduction of the Lady. For both situations he had his life to fear (adultery is punishable by death), and at both situations he showed his fear. In the end, Sir Gawain exchanged the one kiss he received from the Lady for the deer that the Lord killed, as in their agreement of whatever was won would be exchanged at the end of the day.
Sir Gawain is presented as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. He is the perfect knight; he is so recognised by the various characters in the story and, for all his modesty, implicitly in his view of himself. To the others his greatest qualities are his knightly courtesy and his success in battle. To Gawain these are important, but he seems to set an even higher value on his courage and integrity, the two central pillars of his manhood.
We see that Bertilak perceives Gawain’s fault, his love of life, and irrespective of it, loves Gawain. Despite having sinned, Bertilak sees in Gawain a first-rate knight, far superior to his peers in Camelot, who, faced with the spectre of death, grew silent with cowardice, as the honor of the King lay unguarded.
“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Element of Literature, Sixth Course. Austin: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston, 1997. 161-172. Print.
Web. 30 Sept. 2009. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume A. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt.
In the anonymous poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the character of Sir Gawain is portrayed as the imperfect hero. His flaws create interest and intrigue. Such qualities of imperfection cannot be found in the symbol of the pentangle, which he displays on his shield. This contrast between character and symbol is exposed a number of times throughout the poem allowing human qualities to emerge from Gawain’s knightly portrayal. The expectations the pentangle presents proves too much for Gawain as he falls victim to black magic, strays from God, is seduced by an adulterous woman, and ultimately breaks the chivalric code by lying to the Green Knight.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval poem by an unknown author, written in Middle English in the 14th century. This poem is uncanny to most poems about heroism and knightly quests as it doesn’t follow the complete circle seen in other heroism tales. This poem is different to all the rest as it shows human weaknesses as well as strengths which disturbs the myth of the perfect knight, or the faultless hero. The author uses symbolism as a literary device in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to give the plot a deeper and more significant meaning. Symbolism is used to emphasise the difference of this heroism story against others and therefore symbolism is of great importance in this poem. The importance of the following symbols will be discussed in this paper; the pentangle, the colour green, the Green Knight, the exchange of winnings game, the axe and the scar. This paper argues the significance of the use of symbolism as a literary device in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Part Three of Gawain and the Green Knight tell about the three days before Gawain is to leave the Lord’s castle to meet the Green Knight. The first day the lord wakes up early to hunt for deer. The story tells in detail about the hunting party when suddenly we move to the castle back to Gawain. Gawain asleep in his bed is greeted by the lady of the castle sneaking into his room and watching him sleep. Gawain knows she is in his room but acts surprised to wake up to her. The lady flirts with Gawain by telling him how great he is and offers her body to him. The author writes “My body is here at hand, / Your each wish to fulfill; / Your servant to command/ I am, and shall be still.” (Lines 1237-1240). Gawain tells her he is unworthy of her to which the lady continues her flirtatious ways. Before the lady leaves Gawain’s room she asks for a kiss to which Gawain complies and grants her a kiss. The lord’s hunting party has killed a large amount of deer and begins dividing the killings. The party returns home and Gawain is given the game, Gawain gives the lord the kiss he received but refuses to tell who gave him the kiss.
Authors incorporate religious principles to set forth the moral characteristics and ideals expected of a person. Literary works are illustrated with biblical allusions to help express the message behind the plot of a story. The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight integrates biblical beliefs to depict the views on human nature. In this work, Christian concepts are embedded into the poem to suggest the Green Knight’s characterization as God, a representation to test human nature’s fidelity.
In the poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," Gawain is a guest at Hautdesert Castle. During his stay at the castle, three separate hunts take place. These hunts also parallel temptations aimed at Gawain by the wife of the Lord of Hautdesert Castle. In each hunt scene, a characteristic of the prey of that hunt is personified in Gawain's defense against the advances of the Lord's wife.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight takes its protagonist, the noble Gawain, through
The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight revolves around the knights and their chivalry as well as their romance through courtly love. The era in which this story takes place is male-dominated, where the men are supposed to be brave and honorable. On the other hand, the knight is also to court a lady and to follow her commands. Sir Gawain comes to conflict when he finds himself needing to balance the two by being honorable to chivalry as well as respectful to courtly love.
He demonstrates goodness at the hand of the Green Knight. He shows courage by accepting what is to come upon him during his voyage. His journey to find the Green Knight is filled with temptations. In the conversation with him and the “Lady”, Sir Gawain showed a Chivalrous code by keeping his loyalty to the king by not kissing his wife. The lady states “if I should exchange at my choice and choose me a husband for the noble I know….would I elect before you”.
The pressure to act righteously and to succeed socially forces individuals to sacrifice certain standards in order to achieve others. When deciding God and reputation, individuals’ ethics are questioned and sometimes changed. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight exemplifies this idea and the effect Christian and pagan ideals had during medieval times through its poetic language. There are several instances in the poem where Sir Gawain must decide between honor and his faith which unknowingly affects the outcome of his quest. Simon Armitage further denotes these ideals through tonal devices. The honor of being one of King Arthur’s knight and the Christian beliefs during his time form and shape Sir Gawain’s moral standards. His morals are altered
Bertilak's first hunting scene was of a deer hunt. Bertilak knew when he first started his hunt that he would have to use similar skills against this animal of great speed and nimbleness. Bertilak knew he would have to display patience and stealth to hunt this animal- Back at the castle, Gawain also had to use similar skills to resist Bertilak's wife's advances. When first approached by Bertilak's wife, Gawain reacted by lying still as if he were asleep, and then using his alertness and stealth to evade Bertilak's wife's temptations. This was portrayed when the author writes, "Lay hidden till the light of day gleamed on the walls,/Covered with fair canopy/" (1181-1182). Sir Gawain evaded Bertilak's wife's advances using skills of patience and stealth, which paralleled the skills that would similarly be used when hunting deer.