Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
analytical Essay
1147 words
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an anonymous fourteenth-century poet in Northern dialect, combines two plots: "the beheading contest, in which two parties agree to an exchange of the blows with a sword or ax, and the temptation, an attempted seduction of the hero by a lady" (Norton p.200). The Green Knight, depicted as a green giant with supernatural powers, disrespectfully rides into King Arthur's court and challenges the king to a Christmas game -- a beheading contest. Sir Gawain, a young, brave and loyal knight of the Round Table, acting according to the chivalric code, takes over the challenge his lord has accepted. The contest states that Sir Gawain is to chop off the Green Knight's head, and in one year and a day, the antagonist is to do the same to the hero. The whole poem is constructed in a way that leads the reader through the challenges that Sir Gawain faces -- the tests for honesty, courtesy, truthfulness. Throughout, we see his inner strength to resist the temptations. Lines 566 through 634 portray the hero as he dresses up and gets ready to go to find the Green Knight on November first, almost a year after the beheading contest in the king Arthur's court. Remembering the beheaded Green Knight on the horse with his head under his arm, King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table try to talk Sir Gawain out of going on this dangerous and, possibly last, mission, but the hero, keeping his part of the bargain, acts as the true and honorable knight should act: he goes to find the villain. The first stanza depicts the protagonist who orders his armor to be brought to him. A rare and expensive car... ... middle of paper ... ...im to bear his shame. The passage from lines 566 to 634 brings forth the idea of truth, from which the rest of the poem's action evolves; it remains the central concern of the adventures and of the poem itself. As Sir Gawain leaves Camelot to search for the Green Knight, he sets on the quest to "retain his self-respect as a virtuous and religious knight" (Stone), which gives the poem its "final and only discernible shape" (Stone). Works Cited The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition Volume1. Ed. M.H.Abrams. New York: W.W.Norton and Company, Inc., 1993. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Second Edition. Translated with an introduction by Brian Stone. New York: Penguin Books, 1974. The Middle English text was obtained from the following website.Online Internet. April 9 1999. Available http://library.utoronto.ca/www/utel/rp/poems/sggk.html
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes sir gawain and the green knight, written by an anonymous fourteenth-century poet in northern dialect.
- Analyzes how lines 566 through 634 portray the hero as he dresses up and gets ready to go to find the green knight on november first, almost a year after the beheading contest in king arthur's court.
- Analyzes how sir gawain describes himself as poor, humble, insignificant, and the weakest of all the knights, yet he has goodly clothes and armor.
- Analyzes how sir gawain "heard the mass and honored god humbly" before the long journey. the hero thinks of himself as being humble and courteous, but the development of the action brings the protagonist to realize that he might not have been as humble.
- Explains that sir gawain's horse, gringolet, is the only companion for the knight on his long trip and his only support in the battles with evil and mysterious forces.
- Explains that sir gawain's shield has the greatest significance in this whole passage because of his emblem, the pentangle, portrayed on it.
- Emphasizes the 'fiveness' of the multiple concept of truth: the five wits and five fingers make up the spiritual and physical human self which can practice virtue or vice.
- Analyzes how the pentangle is established as the knight's symbol immediately before he sets out on his quest.
- Explains the norton anthology of english literature. sixth edition volume1. ed. m.h.abrams. sir gawain and the green knight.
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- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight & coloranalytical essayThough often extensive detail may be condemned as mere flowery language, in understanding Sir Gawain and the Green Knight one must make special emphasis on it. In color and imagery itself, the unknown author paints the very fibers of this work, allowing Sir Gawain to discern the nuances of ritualistic chivalry and truth. His quest after the Green Knight is as simple as ones quest toward himself. Through acute awareness of the physical world he encounters Gawain comes to an understanding of the world beyond chivalry, a connection to G-d, the source of truth. He learns, chivalry, like a machine, will always function properly, but in order to derive meaning from its product he must allow nature to affect him.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how bertilak de hautdesert's chivalry is more steadfastly based on truths and reality than courtesy in arthur’s court.
- Analyzes how color plays an important role in understanding the poem when the wife of bertilak de hautdesert becomes involved in the story.
- Analyzes how the green knight enlightens gawain on the short sights of chivalry, but only through acute awareness of the physical world surrounding him was he able to develop himself and understand the knights message.
- Analyzes how the unknown author paints the fibers of sir gawain and the green knight, allowing him to discern ritualistic chivalry and truth.
1426 wordsRead More - Sir Gawain and the Green Knightanalytical essaySir Gawain and the Green Knight - lines 491-565 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the greatest 14th century text. The poem is made up of two stories, one (the testing at Bercilak's castle) set inside the other (the beheading of the Green Knight at the beginning and the return blow at the end). The unknown author describes in the poem adventure of the brave and courageous Sir Gawain who challenges the Green Knight. The passage that starts Part II of the poem illustrates the feast given to honor Sir Gawain for his bravery and courage after he meets the first challenge of the Green Knight. All knights present at the Round Table celebrate this great event and have a lot of fun after drinking: "Gawain was glad to begin those games in hall, /But if the end be harsher, hold it no wonder, /For though men are merry in mind after much drink" (Norton, p. 212).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that sir gawain and the green knight is the greatest 14th century text. the poem is made up of two stories, one (the testing at bercilak's castle) set inside the other.
- Analyzes how the poem illustrates the feast given to honor sir gawain for his bravery and courage after he meets the first challenge of the green knight.
- Analyzes how relates to the christian traditions in the poem. after christmas comes the time of lent, a period of penance when people fast and get ready for the easter holidays.
- Analyzes how the unknown author creates for the reader a calm and easy mood while describing the seasons of spring and summer.
- Illustrates sir gawain's bravery. he could have left camelot and never returned, but he chose to keep his word and search for the green knight.
436 wordsRead More - Essay on Games in Sir Gawain and the Green Knightanalytical essayThe "Christmas game" that the Green Knight comes to play with Arthur's court at the instigation of Morgan Le Fay provides the structure with which the plot of the entire story is held together. At first, the court believes that the knight has come for "contest bare" (line 277); when he reveals his intent to exchange one blow for another, it seems that it would be an easy contest for an opponent to win, since no one expects the knight to survive having his head removed with his own axe. However, the knight picks up his severed head and leaves, revealing the seriousness of Gawain's promise to accept a return blow, Arthur downplays the importance of this promise, saying, "Now, sir, hang up your axe," and returning to the feast. (line 477) Arthur also downplays the importance of the contest before Gawain deals his blow to the knight, prophesying Gawain's eventual success:
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how gawain sees the mutual exchange of things won over the course of the day as a game, although the host describes this arrangement as "a covenant."
- Analyzes how the nature of the hunt that the host undertakes each day parallels his wife's attempts to seduce gawain.
- Analyzes how the game played by the green knight at the instigation of morgan le fay teaches gawain and arthur's court the lesson of humility.
- Explains sir gawain and the green knight in the norton anthology of english literature, sixth edition, volume one.
- Explains bennett, michael j., "the historical background" in a companion to the gawain-poet, pp. 71-90.
- Explains riddy, felicity, and jonathan gibson's "jewels in pearl" in a companion to the gawain-poet.
- Analyzes how the "christmas game" that the green knight plays with arthur's court at the instigation of morgan le fay provides the structure with which the entire story is held together.
- Analyzes how gawain's host hunts a fox symbol of the mind on the third day, and his wife manages to overcome him by appealing to his desire for self-preservation.
- Analyzes how the green knight reminds arthur and his knights of their place within the natural order of things. gawain is a fallible human who succumbs to his desire for self-preservation.
1340 wordsRead More - In the final scenes of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain’s encounter with Sir Bertilak allows Gawain to perceive his own flaws, manifested in his acceptance of the Green Girdle. The court’s reaction to his personal guilt highlights the disconnect between him and the other knights of the Round Table. Gawain’s behavior throughout the poem has been most noteworthy; his understanding of his sin, one that many of us would dismiss since it was propelled by his love of life, enhances his stature as a paragon of chivalry.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how gawain's moral superiority is revealed in his encounter with sir bertilak and his acceptance of the green girdle. his understanding of his sin enhances his stature as a paragon of chivalry.
- Analyzes how gawain lives up to his good name and resisted the unbearable temptations of lady bertilak, providing a mere kiss, in accordance with the code of chivalry.
- Analyzes how the green knight cracks gawain's façade of confident valor when confronted by his host as to his indiscretion.
- Analyzes how 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.
454 wordsRead More - Individuation in Sir Gawain and the Green Knightanalytical essayThe greatest part of these studies have involved the middle-English text Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Extensive work has been done on this alliterative four-part poem written by an anonymous contemporary of Chaucer: feminists have attacked his diatribe against women at the end, or analyzed the interaction between Gawain and the women of Bercilak’s court; those of the D. W. Robertson school seek the inevitable biblical allusions and allegory concealed within the medieval text; Formalists and philologists find endless enjoyment in discovering the exact meaning of certain ambiguous and archaic words within the story. Another approach that yields interesting, if somewhat dated, results, is a Psychological or Archetypal analysis of the poem. By casting the Green Knight in the role of the Jungian Shadow, Sir Gawain’s adventure to the Green Chapel becomes a journey of self-discovery and a quest - a not entirely successful one - for personal individuation.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the archetypes arise in the text under various guises, such as sir gawain and the green knight, guenevere and lady bercilak.
- Analyzes how the poem is structurally composed of two distinct plots: a beheading contest, used as the framework for sir gawain and the green knight, and an enmeshed seduction story.
- Analyzes how bercilak is read as gawain's shadow. his monochromatic tendency towards green, his weapon (an axe), and his pass-time, the hunt, reflect an unhealthy struggle between the two aspects of his personality.
- Analyzes how sir gawain's sacrificial journey as an archetypal quest must be determined. he undergoes two specific challenges: the exchange of blows with the green knight and the advances of lady bercilak.
- Analyzes stephen manning's "a psychological interpretation of sir gawain and the green knight" in critical studies.
- Explains that sir gawain is the most varied of the arthurian characters, from his first minor appearance as gwalchmei in the welsh tales to his side-line participation in modern retellings.
- Analyzes how gawain's 'dark side' is recognized and confronted by the shadow, and the process of healing itself takes place a little later.
- Cites anonymous's "sir gawain and the green knight" in the norton anthology of english literature, eds. abrams, and richter.
1833 wordsRead More - Sir Gawain and The Green Knightanalytical essayThe Poet’s Quiet Attack Throughout modern and ancient literature, much has been discussed about the culture of knightly chivalry, particularly that of King Arthur’s Court. Some of these pieces praise the principles of this culture, while some seek to critique or attack them. One example of the latter is the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by an author known as the Pearl Poet. In this 14th century classic, popular views on knighthood are challenged by the testing of a knights virtues. In a subtle attack on the romanticism of knighthood, the Pearl Poet exposes the flaws, fallacies, and falsehoods of chivalry through the characteristics and experiences of Sir Gawain.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the poem sir gawain and the green knight by an author known as the pearl poet, a subtle attack on the romanticism of knighthood.
- Analyzes how the pearl poet subtly attacks chivalry in the poem through the circumstances and experiences of gawain.
- Analyzes how the pearl poet's attack on chivalry through sir gawain is not only internal, but also portrays the poet’s points against knighthood.
- Analyzes how the pearl poet uses gawain's actions to portray ’s main theme.
- Analyzes how the pearl poet brings perception of arthur's court to a more realistic level. the poet uses gawain and the experiences he encounters to highlight the weaknesses and blemishes of chivalry.
830 wordsRead More - Who is the Green Knight?analytical essaySir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 7th Edition, Vol. 1 Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2000. pp. 156-210.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the green knight is described as an unusual and supernatural figure in the fourteenth century story of sir gawain's "green knight." he hopes to show the knights of the round table have flaws and weaknesses.
- Analyzes how the green knight's physical features are well depicted in the story. he is noted for his green skin pigmentation and giant size.
- Analyzes how the green knight's plan is to test the court and test one of arthur’s knights. he offers his head to be cut off in exchange for a counterattack.
- Analyzes how the green knight is known as bercilak de hautdesert, and morgan le faye, who is arthur's half-sister, transforms him into such a being.
- Analyzes how morgan le faye's scheme works to make sir gawain fall from his knightly role as chivalrous and virtuous, and uses the green knight for her plan.
- Analyzes the connection between sir gawain and the green knight and arthurian legends in the fourteenth-century poem.
- Analyzes how the green knight's physical appearance is surprising and stirs curiosity among the onlookers. the men struggle to understand how a man and his horse could be of the same color.
- Analyzes how the green knight only carries a bob described as "goodliest in green when groves are bare" and an axe, which he believes are the only ones needed for such journeys.
- Analyzes how the green knight's honesty and confidence places quite an impression on arthur and his men.
1179 wordsRead More - Human Nature In Sir Gawain And The Green Knightanalytical essayIn Gordon M. Shedd’s “Knight in Tarnished Armour: The Meaning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, he argues that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is truly about the strength and weaknesses of human nature. One particularly interesting part of his argument asserts that Gawain’s humanity broke medieval romance tradition.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how gordon m. shedd's "knight in tarnished armour: the meaning of sir gawain and the green knight" is about the strength and weaknesses of human nature.
- Analyzes how shedd argues that sir gawain's true conflict is internal; it is with the duality of his humanity.
- Analyzes how shedd argues that the concept of human nature broke romantic tradition by emphasizing humanity over chivalry and the green knight's illegitimacy as a true villain.
- Analyzes shedd's "knight in tarnished armour: the meaning of sir gawain and the green knight" as a conflict with the duality of human nature.
745 wordsRead More - Free Essays - Courage and Honesty in Sir Gawain and Green Knightanalytical essayThe story begins during the New Year's feast in King Arthur's court. Then a green knight enters asking all of the knights in the court if they would like to play a game. The game is he will allow which ever knight that chooses to challenge him one swing with a battle ax to try and chop off his head, but in order to play the game, the accepting knight must meet the green knight one year later at the green chapel. The brave knight Sir Gawain accepts to the challenge of the green knight. Sir Gawain takes one swing and chops off the head of the green knight. Right after the green knight's head is chopped off he gets up immediately, picks up his head and leaves. Once a year passes, Gawain sets off on a journey to find the Green Chapel. He arrives at a castle in which a lord welcomes him to stay for several days (Gawain only needs to stay there for three). The next morning the lord makes an agreement to share everything he gets during these three days with Gawain, but Gawain must agree to do the same. During days one and two the lord's wife tries hitting on Gawain, but he only allows her to give him a few kisses. At these days Gawain shares what he got to the lord for what he has hunted those days. On the third day, Gawain finally accepts to take a magic girdle from the lord's wife, but he didn't share it with the lord. This magic girdle helped Gawain survive the three fatal swing's of the green giant's ax, only leaving him with a little nick. After Gawain survives these 3 swings at his neck, the green knight then reveals his identity and explains that he is Bercilak, the lord of the castle. He also said that the three blows were taken at him in regards to the three days of their agreement.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the poem "sir gawain and the green knight" written by a poet (name unknown) approximately 6000 years ago in the late 1300's.
- Narrates how a green knight enters king arthur's court asking all of the knights if they would like to play the game. the brave knight sir gawain accepts the challenge.
- Analyzes how sir gawain demonstrates knightly virtues such as bravery, courage, courtesy, and honesty.
- Analyzes how sir gawain builds up the courage to face the green knight. the third knightly virtue is courtesy.
1148 wordsRead More - Christian Values in Sir Gawain and the Green Knightanalytical essayIn the opening scene Sir Gawain faces his first trial when the Green Knight proposes his “Christmas game.” The room falls silent for “If he astonished them at first, stiller were then/ All that household in hall, the high and low;” (lines 301-302). The Green Knight begins to mock the court; and then boldly, King Arthur accepts h...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how sir gawain and the green knight shows the struggle between a good christian man against the temptations of this world.
- Analyzes how symbolism is used throughout literature to give deeper meaning to a variety of literary works. in sir gawain and the green knight, the poem is set during christmas time at camelot, showing that they were christian.
- Analyzes how sir gawain stands up for what he believes in and defeats the green knight in the opening scene.
- Analyzes how sir gawain's three hunts parallel the three times he is tempted by the lady of the castle.
- Analyzes how gawain's first failure is that he has shown his weakness of believing in supernatural and magical things.
- Explains that repentance is part of a christian’s walk with the lord. gawain confesses in accepting the magical girdle from his wife.
- Analyzes how gawain shows how a christian must face trials and temptations throughout his life.
1002 wordsRead More