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Religious allusions in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir gawain and the green knight christianity
Religion in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
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The term liturgy has its basis in Greek mythology. It can be defined as a form of worship that is that is done according to particular beliefs and practices that are held by a certain group of people. The beliefs and the rituals are usually practiced by the whole group. It may be understood as a ritual that is usually elaborate. Ritual on the other hand refers to a number of activities that are performed in a sequential manner and which more often are prescribed by specific communities. Liturgy plays different functions depending on their nature. To begin with, the catholic liturgy expresses certain religious beliefs towards a Supreme Being and therefore done in a manner that is an expression of worship to the Supreme Being. The term ritual …show more content…
Catholic Liturgy is well explored in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. There are various expressions that indicate this nature of liturgy. To begin with, the description of Christmas is one of the expressions of catholic liturgy in the poem. Christmas is a religious celebration that focuses on the birth of the savior. The poet provides a proper analysis of what is to be done during the time of Christmas and what order should be followed. Terminologies such as ‘Nowel’ are used as a sign of courtesy during the exchange of gifts. The poet takes a closer look at the various occurrences during the Christmas season as described in lines 37-197 and 750-2479. The main function of the religious liturgy is to show the beliefs of the characters and their importance in providing guidance to the Christian faithfuls (Howard, & Zacher, 1968).
The catholic liturgy is also depicted in the poem through the Sir Gawain. This character believes in God’s guidance. He looks up to the image of Virgin Mary each time he is on a lonely journey. The image of Virgin Mary is found inside his shield. The catholic liturgy is of great importance to mankind and functions as foundation of the upright ways that mankind should follow in life. In addition, the catholic liturgy functions as a link between humanity and God. It is through faith in God
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...
Gawain is a dynamic, evolving character. As the story progresses, he matures and gains experience from his journey. It is evident that Gawain is a loyal, religious, and honorable knight. He is naïve and young, but he has the makings of an ideal knight. Gawain shows honor and courage by honoring the agreement he makes with the Green Knight. He ventures from Arthur’s court in search of the Green Knight and arrives in a forest where he prays for a place to stay so that he can hear mass on Christmas Eve: “No sooner had Sir Gawain signed himself thrice than he was ware, in the wood, of a wondrous dwelling” (Norton, 312)...
Before Gawain departs for his journey to the Green Chapel, he is given a shield designed with a pentangle, an endless knot on the outside, on the inside was an image of the “Queen of Heaven found in her child” (l. 647), the Virgin Mary and her the child Jesus. The image of Mary and Jesus is a reminder of integrity, faithfulness, and purity the vital characteristics of being not only a knight, but also being one of God’s followers. He embarks on this journey with “his horse by forest and hill, And no one but God to talk to on the way” (l. 695-696). During this time, Sir Gawain prays to God for a place to celebrate Christmas mass. He prays to Mary and ends his prayer with a “Pater and Ave and Creed” (l. 757-758), which are The Lord’s Prayer, a Hail Mary, and the Apostles Creed. These prayers represents faith, charity, and hope. In general, this shows Sir Gawain is very religious due to the fact that he repeatedly prays and give thanks to
[152] Sir Gawain and the Green Knight contains many words and terms that ask for more than a narrowly secular reading of the poem to account for them. Examples that come readily to mind include "couetyse" (2374), "faut" (2435), "teches" (2436), "surquidré" (2457), and "surfet" (2433).1 These and other words possess strong theological valence, and they are as important to interpreting the poem as are words that derive from courtly or heroic or other codes. As part of a book in progress, "The Knot Why Every Tale is Told": Toward a Poetics of the Knot in Western Literature from the Classics to the Renaissance, I am preparing a study of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight that focusses on the figure of the knot in the poem, its relation to the similar figure in Dante's Commedia, especially the Paradiso, and the importance of the figure to understanding the theological vocabulary of Sir Gawain. The following remarks derive from this study-in-progress, and although necessarily they must abbreviate many of my findings to date, they still provide a reliable sketch of several crucial elements in the figure of the knot in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, especially the "syngne of surfet" and the surfeit of signs in the poem.2
The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tells the tale of one of King Arthur’s bravest and noblest knights, Sir Gawain. The author spins this magical tale of heroism and adventure over the course of one year. During this year, the hero Sir Gawain undergoes a serious alteration of character. When Bertilak enters King Arthur’s court as the mysterious green knight, he sets Sir Gawain’s destiny in motion. Change, especially spiritual transformation, is a common thread running through the poem. The poet depicts Bertilak as somewhat Godlike, and Bertilak plays a significant role in Sir Gawain’s spiritual transformation, through which he becomes more like Christ.
Sir Gawain contains many mythical elements, as well as story elements. The myths are thought to have originated from the Celtic world. Pieces of the poem are clear ties to some of the mythology stories that rose from Celtic traditions. One of the first ties comes from the setting of the introduction of the poem, when Arthur and the round table knights are celebrating the New Year. In Celtic mythology, this New Year celebration could be seen as Samhain, the tim...
The author focuses on Britain, and the worthy knights bred here, saying: "Bold boys bred there, in broils delighting, / That did in their day many a deed most dire / More marvels have happened in this merry land / Than in any other I know, since that olden time" (21 - 24). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is just one of many stories surrounding these "bold boys" from the original land of the Arthurian legends. "The story is set in Camelot, the court of the legendary King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, during an extraordinary Christmas celebration. The court is relatively new, and the nobles of the land are still young. During this celebration, a st...
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.
The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight follows the quest of one King Arthur’s many knights: Sir Gawain. The story deals with topics such as chivalry and temptation and is written in a poetic verse. As with many works of medieval literature, symbolism is a major factor in the storyline of the tale as well as in the morals it gives. Some of the more visible symbols are the Green Knight, Sir Gawain's Shield, and the Green Sash.
However, it could be said that adherence to knightly ideals contributes to the establishment of one’s overall identity and reputation. In this poem, Gawain’s shield is without a doubt the most important piece of armor that has been introduced thus far. The center of his protective gear, the shield is the perfect symbol of the virtues and ideals Gawain aspires to: generosity, courtesy, friendship, chastity, and piety. The pentangle on Gawain’s shield represents the formation of the endless knot. The side of the shield that faces towards Gawain when he wears it has the face of Mary, another important aesthetic aspect. The shield thus represents not only the profound heavenly protection of Christianity that was central to knightly culture, but also the protection from earthly harm via the security of Mary, a maternal figure whose womb signifies a place of
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a religious allegory full of Christian symbolism with the central message of sin, forgiveness, and redemption. The poem is a great story of virtues, trust and honor. It's an Arthurian romance in which Sir Gawain carries a shield on his chest in his quest for Green Knight. Gawain's shield has two images, a picture of Virgin Mary on the inside and "Painted upon his shield is a five-pointed star (pentangle). He is a perfect knight who realizes that it is important to be a good Christian The image of Mary inside this shield conveys that Gawain never loses heart and the detailed description of the pentangle is a key for proper understanding of the poem's message.
The poem has clearly brought out the themes of the mankind society versus nature. He employs objects like the green knight to display the nature. He also uses the winter landscape and contrasts this with his sexual needs. These are the themes that he tries to exploit in bringing out the real meaning of his poem. The author has also brought out the theme of trust and believe in God. This is because; he constantly humbles himself before God for assistance and guidance. He acknowledges that God is powerful and provides guidance to human beings. This theme is clearly shown by the way the author has faith in God. He also employs the theme of Chivalry to show the morality of the society. This theme is clearly brought out in the manner he displays the morality that should be attached in Christianity. The author of the poem is concerned with the values of the behavior of the society. He has a strong attachment to the morality and the way the society should behave. Imagery has been well employed through the use of the supernatural characters in the poem. This is the use of symbolism in the poem. Gawain has used the green knight in a supernatural way. All this symbols are used to represent some supernatural figures in the poem. The green knight is used in a way that man cannot confront and be equal to. It has some powers that the humans cannot understand. There is also the use of color in the poem. Gawain has used the symbol of green
Even more, Gawain 's true devotion lies on his spiritual love of Virgin Mary, whose he worships and is loyal to. During several times, Gawain encounters challenges that test his religiousness and devotion to Christianity, Lady Bertilak for
Rituals are traditional clusters of actions. They are performed for the most part to cast magical spells and to influence gods and spirits. Rituals are also passed down from generation to generation.
The ritual dimension of religion is vital for living worldviews. It emphasizes not only the beliefs that surround God, but the various acts of worshipping God. Worship is the outward expression of paying reverence to God. The rituals utilized in worship are performative acts – typically accompanied with visual aids such as candles or icons, music, words and bodily gestures – that communicate feelings and convey the relationship between the participant and the god he or she is worshipping. Rituals vary from highly formal, such as the Catholic Mass, to less flexible, like personal prayer.