Similarities Between Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

632 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Sir gawain and the green knight part one characterization

In Part I of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is characterized as a remarkable knight. The poet portrays him as loyal, self-deprecating, and brave. First, he proves his loyalty by supporting King Arthur when the Green Knight presents his challenge. When King Arthur calls him to his side, Sir Gawain instantly approaches him and bows. His immediate obedience shows Gawain’s loyalty to King Arthur. Secondly, Sir Gawain shows his self-deprecating side when offering to accept the Green Knight’s challenge. He says that he is the weakest, both mentally and physically, of all the Knights of the Round Table, and that his life has less value than the others. For example, he explains to King Arthur, “I am weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest...The …show more content…

He is shown as flawed, but also resolute. First, Sir Gawain proves he is flawed when he reluctantly accepts the green girdle from Lady Bertilak in order to protect himself against the Green Knight. However, he takes it reluctantly, in fear of his own death, because with the green girdle, “no man under heaven...can cut him down, and he cannot be slain” (l. 122). By no means is Sir Gawain infallible; not only does he accept the green girdle, he withholds the girdle for the final day of the gift exchange with Lord Bertilak. Unfortunately, these actions show how dishonest and deceptive Sir Gawain can be, especially when fearing for his life. However, despite being flawed, Sir Gawain is resolute. When faced with many obstacles and temptations he perseveres. Initially, Sir Gawain travels to Lord Bertilak’s castle “through the cold, threatening woods of North Wales” (1. 153). Besides conquering the loneliness of the journey and the harsh weather conditions, he also faces “grim landscapes and fighting dragons, ogres, and wild beasts” (l. 34). Nevertheless, Gawain arrives at the castle, where he encounters numerous temptations. The first and longest temptation is Lady Bertilak; she constantly seduces Sir Gawain and tries to give him a “rich ring of the red gold, with a bright jewel blazing on it that flashed as bright as the sunrays” (1. 243). Although the ring is worth a fortune and is very

Show More
Related

  • The Garden Of Eden Analysis

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    The lord planned to go hunting and invited Sir Gawain to eschange what he recieved in the castle for what the Lord recieved in the woods. For the first two days, the Lord gave Sir gawain venision, bear and a goose. And for every day, Sir Gawain recieved kisses from the Lady, so in return he must kiss the Lord. But on the third day, Sir Gawainj recieved three kisses and a green silk gridle. This gridle was magical according to the Lady. She said ""My knight, you must face many foes. This is a magic girdle; it has the power to protect whoever wears it against any weapon." Sir Gawains desire to live was overpowering so he accepted the gift. He failed to give the Lord this gift, but instead he gave him three kisses. Days passed and eventually Sir Gawain had to face the Green Knight. As scared as Sir Gawain was, he was determined to commit to his word so he allowed the Green Knight to swing his axe with the intent to decapitate him. Oddly enough, the Knight swung his axe three times and only cut Sir Gawains neck slightly.

    Read More

  • What Is The Difference Between Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, our main character is faced with a challenge. A

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Research Paper

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain in Transition

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sir Gawain has played a significant role in Arthurian legends since the Middle Ages. His first major appearance in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight depicts Gawain as a warrior rather than a womanizing knight like others from King Arthur's court. Even in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain focuses on his battle with the green knight rather than the advances of Bercilak's wife. During Gawain's visit to Bercilak's castle, his wife makes three specific advances to entice Gawain into an adulteress relationship. Although Gawain faces certain death with the Green Knight, he declines any sexual involvement with Bercilak's wife. Gawain's character remains faithful to his warrior image by rushing into battle with the green knight rather than prolonging his stay at Bercilak's castle.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Sir Gawain And King Arthur

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Literature Sir Gawain and The Green Knight and king Arthur have portrayed the thematic idea of romance by demonstrating love and passion throughout their literary works. Medieval romance can be found in literature and movies, that demonstrate ones love toward another and also the tragedy of life. In life there are a lot of admirable moments and Sir Gawain and King Arthur vividly express the moments in their works. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and King Arthur have different aspects to their plots but share same qualities such as romance, heroism, and courtesy.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain vs Beowulf

    2062 Words  | 5 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Comparing Wedding Of Sir Gawain And Dame Ragnell

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sir Gawain's inner values and character are tested to the fullest and are clearly defined in the text of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The unknown author describes Gawain and the other knights as "Many good knights" (Norton 159), and he is referred to as one of the "most noble knights" (Norton 159) in King Arthur's land. This claim by the author is solidified by a challenge presented by the evil Green Knight, who enters the court of King Arthur and asks him to partake in a Christmas game. Sir Gawain, after hearing this challenge, asks the king if he may take his place. This represents that Gawain is very loyal to his king. Sir Gawain is also an honest knight in the text because in a year's time he ventures out in search of the Green Knight to endure a blow with the ax as the rules of the game were stated. He very easily could have not have carried out his end of the bargain by not traveling to the Green Chapel to meet the evil being, but Gawain is an honest knight who is true to his word.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Chivalry

    1895 Words  | 4 Pages

    The story of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight translated by Marie Borroff and Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, are great stories that shows what heroes are all about. The story Sir Gawain and The Green Knight translated by Marie Borroff, is about a man named Sir Gawain who takes the place of King Arthur so the green knight does not cut off his head. The one thing that the green knight requests is that he will be able to do the same thing back to the Sir Gawain. So Sir Gawain takes the offer and he cut off the knights head but it doesn’t kill him. From there Sir Gawain takes a trip and finds a castle a year later where he meets a lord. At the lord's place the lord sets up a game to see if he is

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Christian text due to the fact that it mentions several religious figures, prayers and holidays. A story about a knight who makes a deal with a strange knight known as the Green Knight. The Green Knight challenges anyone of King Arthur’s men but all refuse except Sir Gawain. The Green Knight allows one blow with his axe but there is a condition and that condition is Sir Gawain must find the Green Knight in a year to receive a blow in return. Although this story does contain a lot of strange things that are not considered Christian or part of Christianity such as the Green Knight described as “one of the largest creatures in the whole world”(Gawain, line 137). But even before the Green Knight comes into the picture there is already mention of religion “When the knights arrived in the hall and Mass was over in the echoing chapel, the singing continued from the priests and the rest” (Gawain, lines 62-64), already you have Christianity being mentioned before the main character is introduced.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Sir Gawain And The Code Of Chivalry

    1645 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Green Knight’s speech shows this whole challenge is to test the reputation of King Arthur’s court, and Sir Gawain was motivated and willing to uphold this reputation no matter his skill. Once again, the Knight’s motivation is more so on his on survival, while Sir Gawain’s motivation is based on upholding King Arthur’s reputation.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Beowulf and Sir Gawain

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ves him self to be the least worthy of life and praise. He tells King Arthur, “Think of your bold knights, bursting to fight, as ready and willing as men can be…And I am the slightest, the dullest of them all; My life the least, my death no loss,” (Raffel 58). Sir Gawain is very humble before his King. He offers his life in place of King Arthur’s.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain's Failure

    948 Words  | 2 Pages

    If the Green Knight is considered to be a fairy, as Diane Purkiss proposes, then it should be considered that “there are exceedingly strict rules of behavior, but these apply not to the fairies themselves but to human beings,” (Source F). Using this logic, the Green Knight should not be held up to the same moral standards as Gawain. However, Gawain and the Green Knight seem to have traded their traditional roles, as Gawain acts deceitfully in order to complete the quest and the Green Knight acts according to all rules, obvious and assumed. Gawain is expected to act respectfully, bearing a shield decorated with the pentangle which represents the “five fives”: fingers, senses, wounds of Christ, joys of Mary, and the five virtues (640-654). Given the five meanings of the pentangle Gawain wields, one would expect Gawain to exactly follow every rule given to him and to never be led astray. This, however, is not the case which can be seen when Gawain cuts off the head of the Green Knight and when he accepts the green girdle. Gawain’s inability to understand and follow the implicit guidelines of the Green Knight’s challenge show that he not only fails the challenge, but also his knightly

    Read More

  • Beowulf's Character Flaws Essay

    1391 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this story, there are many questions that can be asked, such as why did Sir Gawain wait so long too embark on his journey? Why didn’t Sir Gawain just go ahead and give the green girdle to Sir Bertilak? Why didn’t King Arthur insist on being the one to accept the Green Knights challenge? Why did the whole ordeal with the Green Knight happen in the first place? All of these questions can be answered by explaining a few characters flaws. The first two questions can be answered by explaining Sir Gawains character flaw. Sir Gawain is brave on the outside but fearful on the inside. The reason that Sir Gawain waits to leave until the day of all saints is because he’s scared. He knows that he has to go find the Green Knight or people will call him a coward, but he also knows that (or he thinks he knows) that he has to live up to his end of the deal which to him, is getting his head cut off by the Green Knight. This is just the first example of Sir Gawains character flaw causing him problems. The next question can also be answered using Sir Gawains character flaw. When Sir Gawain got to the fortress of Sir Bertilak, they made the deal to exchange what they got at the end of the day. On the third day, when Sir Bertilaks wife gives Gawain the green girdle, Gawain doesn’t exchange it with Bertilak. The reason for this is because Bertilaks wife told

    Read More

  • The Morality Test In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    1335 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Code Of Chivalry In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

More about Similarities Between Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Open Document