Similarities Between Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Gawain is portrayed as a legend throughout the tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He is chivalrous, courteous, and brave in his actions and words. This folktale is believed to be written down sometime between the twelfth and fourteenth century, and Sir Gawain is the ideal man for the generation. Despite being a hero and one of the bravest knights at the Round Table, he does have multiple major flaws. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is shown as a hero, but consists of human flaws which makes him more related to the modern reader.

To begin, the protagonist is continually rendered as the ideal man of his society for his honor of his king. At the start of the book, the magnificent Green Knight described as the “mightiest of mortals”

The gallant did wear a girdle that protects him from being beheaded, just like the one the Green Knight wore. He found a loophole to spare his life, and was dishonorable to his host in the process by breaking the vow and not telling him about the girdle given by the mistress. Sir Gawain “relies not on St. Mary but on a belt of supposed magical powers” (page 99). This shows the man's doubt in religion late in the story when fate is supposed to be there, displaying his want to live over being chivalrous and religious. He obviously was not courageous enough to face death and fate when he graciously took the belt, but his actions under the axe prove this and his lack of bravery even more so. Gawain flinched when the Green Knight delivered the first strike upon his head who missed purposely and showed weakness on Gawain’s part. The Knight teased the so-called idol of chivalry on this, saying “ ‘Call yourself good Sir Gawain?’ he goaded, ‘who faced down every foe in the field of battle but now flinches with the fear at the foretaste of harm. Never have I know such a knight”(2270-2273). Also, the knight of the Round Table disobeys even more codes of chivalry. He prays for shelter, exhibiting that he cannot survive by himself when looking for the Green Chapel. Normally, a hero can endure the outdoors without help, but Gawain lacks the strength to make it and is dependent on resources on his quest. Overall, Gawain might be portrayed as a hero in the Arthurian legend, but he is not as perfect as one might think as he will do anything it takes to live to see another