Although the idea of whether Sir Gawain and the Green Knight reinforces the idea of chivalry and encourages its readers to follow that noble path, or points out all of the negatives and flaws in the ideology, I believe that the purpose of this text is to show that although we may never be perfect or ideal, we should still strive for that. The poem shows us on many occasions the great people the knights are, even though they are not picturesque and perfect, much like ordinary life. They are portrayed in a morally upstanding and glamorous way, without ever making them seem to perfect, which is something that no ordinary reader would ever be able to accomplish. Gawain on many occasions chooses the ‘knightly’ road instead of the road that many others would have …show more content…
Although Arthur’s knights are initially reluctant to come forward and accept the Green Knight’s challenge, Gawain eventually comes forward; “Said Gawain to the king, ‘If you would, noble lord, bid me rise from my seat and stand at your side (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 145, ll. 343-344).” Gawain again shows chivalrous characteristics by being both courteous and honorable. He courteously comes forward to accept Arthur’s place, seeing as how he is the king. Also he steps forward to defend the honor of all the knights present. As the Green Knight was tarnishing it during his entrance speech. He then expresses the utmost humility while coming forward: “ I am the weakest of them, I know, and the dullest-minded, So my death would be least loss, if truth should be told; (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 146, ll. 354-355).” Even though he was the only one to step forward and take up the Green Knights challenge, he still refuses to give himself any sort of special credit, even though he may deserve it for being so
Deception is one of mankind’s most versatile and powerful tools and is used nearly every day for both evil and good. Whether it be deceiving an army in battle or using exaggerations and myths to teach a child right from wrong, deceit allows one to advance his selfish or selfless intentions by providing them a source of influence on others. Such deception is evident throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight—the host’s wife’s dishonesty in particular—as it helps to spur the plot of the poem. Lady Bertilak’s purposeful deception of Gawain has questionable motives that highlight the theme of human imperfection and susceptibility to temptation.
In his struggles to uphold his chivalric duties, Sir Gawain faithfully demonstrates the qualities of chivalry and fidelity until his honor is called into question by an unknown green knight that rides into the castle. Sir Gawain is King Arthur’s nephew and one of his most faithful knights. Although Gawain modestly refutes it, he has a reputation of being an honorable knight and courtly man. He prides himself on his adherence of the five parts of chivalry and is a pinnacle display of humility, piety, integrity, loyalty, and honesty that all other knights strive for. Though Gawain sits at the high table during the New Year’s celebration at Arthur’s court, he defines himself as the least of King Arthur’s knights in terms of both physical ability and mental aptitude.
It is easy to read _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_ as a romantic celebration of chivalry, but Ruth Hamilton believes that "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight contains a more wide-ranging, more serious criticism of chivalry than has heretofore been noticed" (113). Specifically, she feels that the poet is showing Gawain's reliance on chivalry's outside form and substance at the expense of the original values of the Christian religion from which it sprang. As she shows, "the first order of knights were monastic ones, who took vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity. The first duties th...
Initially, Gawain’s strongest trait is humility, Beowulf’s is pride. In the beginning of Gawain and the Green Knight, a mysterious warrior enters King Arthur’s court to extend a challenge. Although he knows others in the court would handle the challenge better than him, out of respect, when King Arthur attempts to accept the challenge Gawain comes forth and suggests he takes his place. Gawain presents himself as “the weakest of them, I know, and the dullest-minded/ so my death would be least loss, if truth should be told/ only because you are my uncle am I to be praised/ no virtue I know in myself but your blood” (Broadview Analogy 269). Instead of bragging about his bravery, Gawain acts modestly and states that his death would be of little loss during this challenge. He is not self-absorbed and gives off the impression that the only reason he is a knight is because of his relation with King Arthur. By stating this, he gives off the impression that his self confidence is quite weak; this is astonishing for a character of this era. Although King Arthur has at least one of his knights to be proud of, it seems as though
Romantic literature of the Middle Ages have strong themes of love. In “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” courtly love, amongst many other types of loves, can be analyzed linear to the main character’s struggles and accomplishments. The story has an idealization of romanticism and the following paper will determine whether spiritual, courtly, and erotic types of love are considered a suffering or an ennoblement towards the main character.
overlook the fact that Gawain kissed another man's wife, hid the truth about the green
Though chivalry may have been a driving force during the time of King Arthur, much has changed since then. Chivalry was created as a structure to guide the lives of medieval knights, and it worked well for them. However, it has become an antiquated idea that only exists in relationships, and even today has started to melt away. While honor and chivalry were a driving force for King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table, it has become an antiquated and unused idea today.
When considering what is at stake when Sir Gawain accepts this gift from the Baron’s lady, you have to understand Gawain’s world is strictly based on codes of behavior. Chivalry is what guides his actions and also the way he behaves. This affects not only him but any man because one man’s honor affects a whole nation. This is the whole reason he kept his word and went on the quest to, what he thought, his death. When accepting the girdle, he was trusted to tell Bertilak the next day but kept it a secret. In his head, he wanted to keep to his honest ways. When you have something that could possibly save your life right in front of our face then it is very hard not to accept this no matter what the cost. What do you have to lose? Gawain’s pride and greed struck his spirit and it tore his self-confidence. The game was all a scheme to prove the honesty of Gawain. How you look at the outcome is what decides who the victor of the challenge was. Gawain is the winner if his life was the prize but in his own eyes he was the loser. He was a man of honor and valor, and to go against his chivalrous ways was a shame and a sign that he was a coward. Because of the failure, he promised to wear the girdle as a reminder of his weakness. Accepting the girdle put his honor and pride at risk though it gave him certain life. This could be counted as the climax because everything after he takes the girdle is an effect.
Defined as an agreement between two or more parties, a covenant represents a formal and binding obligation.
...eas in one symbol is critical to the theme of morality and overall meaning of the poem, because it comments on the nature of morality and what moral behavior for a knight really is. Even court life need not be washed completely of human sin and the natural instincts all animals rely on, for being godly, as Gawain is, should not be viewed as the primary characteristic of being moral. There should be a balance between humanity and godliness, similar to Aristotle's idea of a golden mean, that all these knights seek. By showing that knights should achieve this balance, the author extends his message to the common people, who looked to knights as role models of morality. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight challenges the contemporary ideals of morality, presenting instead a golden mean that the common people would not have associated with their knightly role models before.
During the middle ages, chastity was well known issue passed down from the earlier concepts of Anglo-Saxon England. The religion of Christianity was a big part of their everyday lifestyle, it influenced their actions, thoughts, and beliefs. Men and women who practiced chastity were thought to be virtuous people who followed the steps of Christ and the Virgin Mary. It is through the christian church that these ideas were impose on society to follow. Sexual denial demonstrated their commitment to christianity specially for women because
He is not brave, selfless, chivalrous, or noble; with an immoral thought he only performs great acts in front of an audience. Knights are supposed to be fearless warriors, Gawain contradicts that stereotype. Once Gawain ventures towards the green chapel, he is overcome by fear. However, fear of death is not of the essence. When his escort offers to help him avoid the fight, Gawain had already obtained the green sash; he fights knowing he will not die. Gawain fears his kingdom will recognize his lack of pure motive and moral courage if he abandons the game, concerned that if he “forsook this place for fear, and fled,” Camelot will find out he is “a caitiff coward” who “could not be excused” for his lack of inner-chivalry (2130-2131). He does not go to the fight to prove he is chivalrous; his impure motive is to hide his immoral nature from
Honor, or reputation, is something that humans have been worried about throughout history, albeit some people more than others. Although bringing dishonor on someone’s name or family seemed to have more repercussions back in the older day, it is still something that people try to avoid doing. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (the author is unknown but referred to as the Pearl Poet) honor was an important factor as well. The story tells of a knight named Sir Gawain who has been challenged to a beheading game by a mysterious green knight. In this day and age, most people would just blow of the green knight as crazy and not even care about their honor as long as they could keep their lives. However, the knight is honor bound and takes the challenge;
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain shows qualities of a chivalrous knight. He demonstrates that by showing generosity, courtesy, and loyalty during his travels. A mysterious knight shows up at the king’s castle and calls himself the Green Knight. The Green Knight then challenges one to play a game which he challenges the king to strike him with his axe if he will take a return hit in a year and a day. Sir Gawain steps forward to accept the challenge for his uncle King Arthur when nobody else in the castle would. He took the King’s role in the game to protect him from the Green Knight. He must learn to accept his responsibility as a knight, in accepting his fate.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 cho...
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight fit in with the concept of a romance; it has all the elements that would make one consider the text as so. The tale holds adventure, magic, a quest and an unexpected reality check that even those who are considered “perfect” are also just humans. The author used this story as a way of revealing faults in some of the aspects of knighthood through the use of intertwining chivalric duty with natural human acts; thus showing to be perfectly chivalrous would be inhuman.