Sir Gawain Preparing Himself and His Neck

This shows a very human side to Sir Gawain as he appears somewhat afraid of death, but ready to face it nonetheless. It is this willingness and readiness to accept death at the hand of the Green Knight that makes Sir Gawain a... ... middle of paper ... ...in his willingness to lay down his life to fulfill the Green Knight’s request of King Arthur’s men. Beowulf is known among the people as a selfless hero in their times of need. Not only did Beowulf have immense physical strength, but he also had a burning desire for his people’s safety. It is for this selflessness and concern for others that Beowulf is the better hero.

Though Gawain sits at the high table during the New Year’s celebration at Arthur’s court, he defines himself as the least of King Arthur’s knights in terms of both physical ability and mental aptitude. Gawain continually seeks to better improve his inner self throughout the story. His only known flaw proves to be his love to preserve his own life, so much that he will sacrifice his honor in order to save himself. When the Green Knight arrives at Camelot, he challenges Arthur’s court, mocking the knights for being afraid of mere words, and suggesting that words and appearances hold too much power with them. Although the Green Knight basically tricks Gawain, by not telling him about his supernatural capabilities before asking him to agree to his terms, Gawain refuses to withdraw of their agreement.

When Gawain realizes he was the subject of a test, he sees Bertilak/Green Knight in a different light. The Green Knight now becomes Gawain’s confessor and in doing so assumes a fatherly role. We see that Bertilak perceives Gawain’s fault, his love of life, and irrespective of it, loves Gawain. Despite having sinned, Bertilak sees in Gawain a first-rate knight, far superior to his peers in Camelot, who, faced with the spectre of death, grew silent with cowardice, as the honor of the King lay unguarded.

The Green Knight rides off with his severed head in his hand, and the hall rejoices from the display of Gawain's bravery. However, as the deadline nears, not much joy is in the air. Many think they'd never to see him again, but a promise is a promise, and after all, Sir Gawain is an honorable knight. He has sworn to the agreement and now must seek out the Green Knight's Chapel. While Gawain is searching for the Green Knight's Chapel, he is taken in by a lord...

He trusts that a great execution on the front line will deify him as a legend among men who, in light of the training impacts of religion and instruction, infrequently separate themselves so drastically. Incidentally, in the wake of escaping from fight, Henry feels little blame about conjuring his own particular ... ... middle of paper ... ...s not trick his route to the respect that he so urgently aches for when the novel opens; rather, he wins it. This denotes a gigantic development in Henry's character. He figures out how to think about his slip-ups, for example, his prior retreat, without protectiveness or swagger, and relinquishes the trust of stormy gallantry for a quieter, yet all the more fulfilling, understanding of what it intends to take care of business. Over the long haul, Henry gets additionally brave, and before the end of the novel, he has turned into a more developed and prepared man who has confronted some of the most negative of situations.

He goes to the Green Knight, and as it turns out the lord was the Green Knight. He does not know that, so he goes and waits for the Green Knight to strike and he strikes. Gawain dodges it and runs, he says that that was his blow and that’s final. The Green Knight reveals himself as the lord and he learns a valuable lesson, and the lesson learned was known as, “ I must wear this badge… for nothing befalls a man who hides from his own fears.” ( Thompson 5 ) He learns his lesson and finds the true meaning of honor. From this he will now be more brave, more motivated, and he will never dishonor anybody

(Gawain; lines 284-285) The game’s rules were that King Arthur should get the Green Knight’s axe to cut him and then a year and one day from the New Year’s Ball, the Green Knight would come back and do the same thing to King Arthur. (Gawain; line 290) The King’s reaction was shocking, however he accepted to this ridiculous game. When th... ... middle of paper ... ... line 2365) King Arthur’s actions whether good or bad are supported by his loyal followers and brave knights. The theme of power is evident because even when Sir Gawain can try to escape from his own death, he decides not to in order to keep his King proud. In Gawain and in all the knights thoughts, if the King’s words were not followed, they were not worthy of having the privilege of being a knight.

The Incomplete Journey 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 fact, Bertilak still thinks Sir Gawain passes his task, which implies that the author believes that chivalry is not the most important element for the knight.

Gawain knows that he is not the strongest, smartest knight but the loss of his life would not be as bad as if King Arthur loses his life. King Arthur agrees to let him enter this game and gives him a weapon to use against this Green Knight. King Arthur says to Sir Gawain, "Keep, cousin what you cut with this day, and if you rule it aright, then readily, I know you shall stand the stroke it will strike after." (372-374) Gawain, with his weapon in his hand, is now ready to take part in the game. Before the contest starts, the Green Knight goes over the rules of the game again.

That’s when Sir Gawain politely asked the king if he could take his place. Sir Gawain taking on the Green Knight allowed the rest of the knights and king to live, since the Green Knight would only be returning the favor tho Gawain . The grace God showed, the gift of life... ... middle of paper ... ...s what the value to life meant to him but also because Gawain then admitted to what he did wrong and learned from his mistake. The nick on the neck shows that although God wants mankind to be obedient he understands that mistakes happen and that sometimes that nick on the neck is what humans need in order to realize what they did was wrong. The theme that mankind cannot achieve perfection conveys heavy biblical symbolism in, From Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.