In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, religion greatly impacts the decisions Sir Gawain makes during the times he spends preparing to fight the Green Knight, oftentimes connecting with the honor and power that comes with the chivalric code. A journey of self-discovery, however, can not be that simple, as Gawain can also be found struggling between his duties as a knight and his morals as a Christian. In the beginning of the poem, religion and the chivalric code Gawain follow work together as Gawain prepares for his long journey. Nowhere is this cohesiveness better presented than in the description of Gawain’s shield. The outside is supporting the “pentacle star, painted pure gold” (620), while “Heaven’s Queen” (649-650), Mary, is painted …show more content…
It has five points, each representing qualities important to the chivalric code and Gawain’s faith that all connect to protect the brave knight on his quest. The first point represents “his five senses [which] were free of sin” (640), with the second representing “his five fingers [which] never failed him. This is the perfect example of how Gawain could be successful and sinless at the same time, as his shield is supposed to show. The next point stands for the five wounds Jesus received on the cross when he was crucified (643) and the next symbolizes the five Joys of Mary (646), purely religious events to remind Gawain of the sadness and happiness that comes with practicing Christianity. The fifth point purely shows Gawain’s “knightly virtues” (654) which are told to be love, friendship, freedom from sin, courtesy, and pity. At the end of the description, the author describes all the points as being “wholly distinct, yet part of one whole” (659), tying together Gawain’s love for religion with his desire for heroism and knightly …show more content…
Because Gawain has “courtly virtue lining his heart” (1298), he kisses Sir Bertilak’s wife every morning before attending mass. His personal values against adultery and lust are challenged by his desire to not offend the lady of the house and to appear honorable. He finds this balance between his chivalry and religion even more wobbly as the days continue and he becomes more and more infatuated with his host’s beautiful
The pentangle symbolizes the five virtues of knights consisting of, generosity, friendship, courtesy, chastity, and piety. All of which Gawain is striving to adhere to due to his knightly obligation to the code of chivalry. Gawain alleges that all virtues are seamlessly interconnected in the man as in the geometric figure on the shield. Together with the amour, the shield seems to complete the visi...
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight – A Test of Chivalry Essay with Outline: Loyalty, courage, honor, purity, and courtesy are all attributes of a knight that displays chivalry. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is truly a story of the test of these attributes. In order to have a true test of these attributes, there must first be a knight worthy of being tested, meaning that the knight must possess chivalric attributes to begin with. Sir Gawain is admittedly not the best knight around. He says "I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest; / and the loss of my life [will] be the least of any" (Sir Gawain, l. 354-355).
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.
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, showing that they were Christian for they were celebrating Christmas. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight shows the struggle between a good Christian man against the temptations of this world. Symbolically, one can see Sir Gawain holding true to Christian values: first, by standing up for what he believes in; second, by staying true to a future mate; and thirdly by repenting from sins due to a broken promise.
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.
The first symbol in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight that I will discuss is Sir Gawain’s knightly shield. On Gawain’s shield is a pentangle, the five points on this pentangle represent the five virtues of the perfect knight; piety, friendship, generosity, chastity and courtesy. Each of the five virtues is tested on Gawain throughout the poem creating an emphasised importance on the shield’s representation and meaning. “Now alle þese fyue syþez, for soþe, were fetled on þis knyȝt, And vchone halched in oþer, þat non ende hade, And fyched vpon fyue poyntez, þat fayld neuer” (SGGK, 656-8). This quote tells of the pentangle’s design, how each line of the pentangles composition is endlessly linked to one another, suggesting that each virtue depends on th...
Summary: Relates the plot of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" to the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Examines the power of the Roman Catholic Church during Medieval Times.
The Character of Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell
While Gawain fails to accept the truth about his immoral identity, he also fails to maintain a sincere and truthful relationship with God. Camelot believes that Gawain is a perfectly chivalrous and Catholic knight, when in actuality he is an actor with an impure thought. Gawain is driven by selfish motives; he only considers what is best for him and as a result, uses God as a vehicle to get what he wants. Gawain acknowledges God when he desires comfort and “crosses himself, and cries on Christ in his great need,” of a castle (761-761). Likewise, Gawain prays when he wants protecting; his shield, decorated with the highly symbolic Pentangle and Virgin Mary, is the ultimate Holy accessory for his battle. Gawain only regards God when he is either wishing for comfort or for safety. Furthermore, Gawain strays from Catholicism completely by expecting the green sash to save him in the fight. Believing that the magical Pagan article will truly redeem him, demonstrates fear and proves Gawain lacks faith in God. Gawain lacks morals when abandoning Catholicism for a Pagan artifact, and when he does pray to God his spiritual motives are impure and
To begin with, the Green Knight, similar to God, bestows a trial to Sir Gawain in order to test his faith and loyalty to his promise. The beheading agreement made between these characters is organized to assess the truth to Sir Gawain’s knightly
When Gawain spurns the lady 's advances, she questions the validity of his reputation: "So good a night as Gawain is rightly reputed / In whom courtesy is so completely embodied / Could not easily have spent so much time with a lady / Without begging a kiss, to comply with politeness / By some hint or suggestion at the end of a remark. " Here we see the first example of Gawain 's values being thrown into opposition: he cannot hope to hold his honor, fellowship, and chastity without calling his chivalry and courtesy into question. Gawain faces a fork in the road in the first bedroom scene, yet it quickly becomes clear that neither road ends with perfection. The perfect, archetypal knight, one who seamlessly, simultaneously embodies all of the qualities so harmoniously unified on Gawain 's shield, cannot exist, as the five points of Gawain 's pentangle cannot fully be kept
Chivalry was a set of codes and values that the knights would follow to show loyalty to their king, respect to their lady, and humbleness to the poor. Next, courtly love was more of a tradition that was beheld usually by a knight and a lady such as Lady Bertilak, they would engage in a relationship and it would be kept a secret. The two have conflicts with each other because while Sir Gawain was courting Lady Bertilak’s he was to do as commanded but also was to not betray the loyalty of King Bertilak who was his host. Furthermore, while Sir Gawain was receiving kisses he also had a deal with his Host, anything he received in his castle would be given to King Bertilak and in exchange, he would receive what the king killed during his hunt. Throughout the first and second time that the king left and came back from hunting Sir Gawain gave him the kisses he received but on the third he failed to give him what he received since Lady Bertilak had given him a green griddle and told him to take it as well as to not to tell her husband about it. Sir Gawain was not to say a word about the gift but in receiving this gift and doing what she commands he breaks the deal between his host and he fails to be
In Gawain and the Green Knight, the poet used the narrative to point out how Gawain was the embodiment of what it was to be Christian but also show that he wasn 't perfect. He had his moment of weakness where he doubted God. This also shows how the mortality of man could be man 's biggest downfall because fear for his life
Gawain’s acceptance of Lady Bertilak’s girdle causes him to progressively lose himself internally in order to save his physical life. Gawain appears to be the perfect image of a knight, who exhibits himself as worthy and noble when he accepts the Green Knight’s challenge. Known to be “honored all over the world,” his remarkable valor and devout behavior define his character. He loses his honorable reputation, though, when he disrespects the honor of King Bertilak. Disgracing his knightly code, Gawain fails to exchange all of his gifts with the king and lies, without hesitation, to the king when he claims that “what [he] owed [King Bertilak] [he has] paid [King Bertilak]” (1941). Gawain directly lies to him without hesitation, proving that his conscience does not seem to be effecting his actions. Lying is a common action, but generally, it causes us to feel remorseful and guilty over our wrongs. Gawain breaks the code of chivalry that requires a knight to be loyal and honest, but he is not regretful due to his apparent selfish nature (“Code of Chivalry, 2 and 15”). He makes a deal with the king to “[trade] profit for profit,” yet he dishonestly “[hides] [Lady Bertilak’s] love gift” rather than honoring the king’s wishes (1677, 1874). Gawain makes a promise that he fails to fulfill. The girdle drives him to destruction because it pulls him away from what he knows to be good and
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”.