Sir Gawain’s inner ideals and character are adequately tested and thoroughly defined throughout the poem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. During the course of his journey, Gawain was not only expected to maintain his honor to King Author, Lord Bertilak, Lady Bertilak, and the Green Knight, but was expected to maintain it while still loyally adhering to his chivalric and religious obligations. As a knight, it is important that he is loyal first and foremost to his God and religion just as importantly to his king. However, on his journey, Sir Gawain does not entirely live up to the integrity of a good knight as he struggles with conflicting values between his faith and knighthood. Although his honor appears to be questionable at times, Gawain’s nobility and bravery are shown in his compliance to face the Green Knight while withstanding the temptations and seduction of the lady, proving that he is truly an honorable knight. …show more content…
Referred to as one of the “most noble knights” (Norton 159) in King Author’s land, Sir Gawain intends to keep his word in the beheading game and is essentially forfeiting his life to protect King Author and secure the reputation of Camelot. In a year and a day, Gawain must travel to the Green Chapel in order to return the favor of enduring a blow by the Green Knight’s axe. Remaining true to his word, Gawain continues to pursue this journey endangered and alone as a noble knight would. His departure reveals the importance of self-sacrifice for honor. “He rode far from friends, a forsaken man, scaling many cliffs in country unknown…had death struggles with dragons, did battles with wolves” (Horton 48). His persistence and endurance serves as an illustration of his honor, considering that he could have very easily not held up his end of the
The poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, tells of one knights struggle to uphold the code of chivalry. What makes a knight a noble knight? Why does this social standard force us to hold this individual to higher expectations? What should we think about Sir Gawain when he breaks his vows in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight? How does Sir Gawain and Arthur’s court pass the test of The Green Knight? This paper will argue that Sir Gawain, despite his mistakes, is the greatest knight because of his repentance and the lesson he learns when he encounters The Green Knight.
Over the course of the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain faced situations that influenced his character which can be taken and analyzed for a teenager today. A teenager typically faces the issue of blending in and accepting who they are in high school, and by viewing Gawain’s experiences and changes, we can use it to adapt along with our peers in school. Initially, he is seen as a humble and unpopular knight amongst every other at the round table in Camelot. However this changes after engaging in a violent game with the Green Knight. Gawain gained fame over the course of a year, and as a result it had changed his initial outlook on his loyalty to the chivalric code, as well as his values on life.
He observes the progress of one’s journey and listens to people’s prayers. Similarly, the Green Knight secretly watches Sir Gawain through a disguise – Lord Bertilak. By disguising himself, the Green Knight could continue to test Sir Gawain’s faith by initiating another agreement. Unaware of the Green Knight’s presence, Sir Gawain is continually examined to discover the truth to his fidelity. Initially, Sir Gawain faces stressful and challenging experiences along his trek to the Green Chapel. Alone and enveloped by harsh winter’s cold, he “prays for God’s grace to save him” (Champion 418). Luckily, Sir Gawain’s prayers are heard when he uncovered Lord Bertilak’s castle amongst the woods. By humbly inviting Sir Gawain into the castle, pleas for safety and shelter from harsh conditions are answered, a depiction of God’s (the Green Knight’s) grace. Nonetheless, Sir Gawain’s hardships do not cease, but in fact, they continue to fall and weigh upon his shoulders. Once again, Sir Gawain partakes in another agreement, involving the exchanging of winnings. Human faith is yet again being tested, and once more fails to succeed. The affection of Lady Bertilak is arranged by the Green Knight himself as another test; however, Sir Gawain “fell short a little . . . and lacked fidelity” (Winny 4.2366). Fear of death encourages Sir Gawain to submit to greed. In order to continue living, he wears the Green Knight’s
In the early fourteenth century, knighthood represented respect and success for brave young men, and chivalry’s codes were necessary for those young men to uphold. In the book Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the author constructs the young Sir Gawain by testing his character. These trials, given by the Green Knight, challenge Sir Gawain 's loyalty and bravery to people’s astonishment Sir Gawain 's achievement is muddled. During the test he breaks his promise and takes away the green girdle that he supposes to exchange with Bertilak just likes his bargain.
In every great work of literature, archetypes appear throughout the story, playing a key role in helping the audience understand the story. Examples of these archetypes are the boon, the magic weapon, and the refusal of the call. Archetypes like these help us capture what the story seems to really be about. In the story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a knight of Camelot must go on a quest to keep the value of his home, Camelot. During this quest, he seeks a green knight to chop off his head; however after this quest, he discovers that the green knight was not really his enemy but, the one that would change him. Through the Archetypal Analysis we are able to see how the hero changes thought the story. An understanding of three key archetypes—the magic weapon, the boon, and the refusal of the call—reveal the essence of Gawain’s role within the archetypal quest motif.
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.
Tragic and hero may not be words that easily reveal a relationship, but throughout literature the two have been linked to create an enthralling read. The emergence of the tragic hero seemed to take shape in ancient Greece where such works as Oedipus and Antigone were popular among all classes of people. Aristotle defined a tragedy as "the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself. It incorporates incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish the catharsis of such emotions." Though Greece may be credited with the creation of tragic heroes, the theme is seen in literary works across many different cultures, including England. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one such English work where the development of the main character, Gawain, follows the pattern of the classical tragic hero. In this paper, we will explore the characteristics of the tragic hero and show how these traits are demonstrated in Gawain.
The Green Knight is a character in the 14th-century Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Green Knight appears before Arthur's court during a Christmas feast, holding a bough of holly in one hand and a battle axe in the other. Despite disclaim of war, the knight issues a challenge: he will allow one man to strike him once with his axe, under the condition that he return the blow the following year. At first, Arthur takes up the challenge, but Gawain takes his place and decapitates the Green Knight, who retrieves his head and tells Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel at the stipulated time. In Sir Gawain, the Green Knight is so called because his skin and clothes are green. The meaning of his greenness has puzzled scholars since the discovery of the poem, who identify him variously as the Green Knight; nature, magic and a Christian symbol or death symbol, all exemplifies the color. Not only is green associated with the knight, but the color also comes into play when he arrives at the castle; throughout the poem and throughout his journey.
In the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the author (aka Pearl Poet) arranges the story so that one scene has a correlating scenario with other scenes, thus tying the story together. In this story Sir Gawain rests at a lords castle for three days before he continues on to the Green Chapel where he is suppose to meet the Green Knight. Gawain is to meet the Green Knight there because he accepted the challenge for him to give a cut with an ax to the Green Knight and he would return the same to him at the Green Chapel. The lord of the castle that Gawain stays at is also known as the Green Knight, but does not reveal that to Gawain till he arrives at the Green Chapel and takes his part of the challenge. During those three days him and the Green Knight have many struggles. This essay will explore the three correlating relationships that happen between the three scenes of the lord’s hunt, Sir Gawain's bedroom, and the strokes of the Green Knight’s ax that he inflicts upon Sir Gawain.
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.
In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight are three major theme references. Gawain struggles with whether his life is more important than the Knightly advantage. Gawain accepts that the green knight covenant and then cuts off the green knights head. Furthermore, the green knight explains the mystery of the story.
Due to the fact that Gawain is a knight under the rule of the prestigious King Arthur, chivalry is to be expected, and Sir Gawain delivers. He proves that he has the same gallant and valiant characteristics as Beowulf in the course of his interaction with Lord Bertilak and his wife. Upon being offered sexual favors by Lord Bertilak’s wife (Such favors being a test of sorts put on by the Lord despite being unbeknownst to Gawain at the time.), Sir Gawain almost never fails to decline the special treatment out of pure honor, faithfulness, morality, and scrupulousness. However, when he does forego his knightly duties and accepts the wife’s garter, he utilizes the same courage as Beowulf possessed and readily faced the fire with an admirable
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 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
The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight revolves around the knights and their chivalry as well as their romance through courtly love. The era in which this story takes place is male-dominated, where the men are supposed to be brave and honorable. On the other hand, the knight is also to court a lady and to follow her commands. Sir Gawain comes to conflict when he finds himself needing to balance the two by being honorable to chivalry as well as respectful to courtly love.