Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written by an unknown author probably between 1375 and 1400. It is one of the greatest medieval poems ever composed. The passage that describes the fox hunt and the last day spent by Sir Gawain in the castle is central to the entire poem. In it, all the individual character lines come together and are tied tightly together: that of Sir Gawain, who commits a sin for the first time in his life, that of the beautiful lady, who tries to seduce the knight, and that of the lord, who, as we find out later, is the Green Knight himself. The lord and Sir Gawain agree to exchange the day's gains with each other over the period of three days, and on two previous occasions, Arthur's best knight has kept his promise. But on the day that the passage describes, the lady gives Gawain a girdle that she says can save him from certain death, and we are about to find out whether Sir Gawain can be totally honest.
The passage starts with the third description of a hunt in the poem. The first hunt is for a deer, and the second hunt is for a boar. Both times, the lord kills the animals, brings them home and gives them to Sir Gawain. Arthur's knight, keeping his part of the agreement, gives the lord his gains for the day (which turn out to be the lady's kisses).
In this passage, the lord is hunting a fox. The choice of the animal, in this as in the previous hunts, is not accidental; it symbolizes Sir Gawain's future sin. The description is very detailed. Interestingly, the fox is mentioned by a human name, "Sir Reynard," which is a typical name for a fox in medieval tales. That probably indicates the respect that hunters (or the unknown author) have for this clever and cunning creature.
While the hunt is going on, Sir Gawain is celebrating at the lord's house after his third morning meeting with the lady. He already possesses the girdle. Being a smart person, he must have assessed his situation by that time and come to a decision to conceal the belt. However, the fact that he is about to lie doesn't bother him: "With the ladies, that loved him, he lingered at ease..."(Norton, 1927).
When Arthur's court was challenged by the Green Knight, Gawain alone offered to take the cup from Arthur's hands. He showed pride and courage greater than all - by coming forward. The poem is filled with opportunities in which Gawain inevitably was forced to face difficult decisions. During his travels he had every opportunity to turn around, especially when the rain and cold and desolation became fierce. Gawain, however, continued on his way. Three times did the lady tempt him and twice he managed to neither offend her with discourteousness nor accept her amorous advances and defile his chastity.
Yet, Gawain did err in accepting the girdle; that much cannot be denied. We, the reader, can forgive him since he repents fully, even going so far as to impose penance (of wearing the girdle eternally as a mark of his fall) on himself. It takes a mild rebuke by the Green Knight to crack Gawain’s façade of confident valor. His conscience compels him to break down when confronted by his host as to his indiscretion. However, this happened only when the host had revealed himself to be the same as the Green Knight. We realize that Gawain had previously perceived in Sir Bertilak an equal in knighthood; thus his ease in deceiving him in the exchange of winnings game. 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.
Many games are involved in the plot of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Green Knight, Bercilak de Hautdesert, plays a "Christmas game" with Arthur's court at Camelot (line 283); Gawain's host's wife plays games with Gawain throughout the third section of the poem; Gawain's sees his arrangement of mutual trade with his host as a game (line 1380); and all of the events of the story are revealed as a game of Arthur's sister, Morgan Le Fay (lines 2456-2466). Throughout the telling of the story, the author plays a mental game with the reader or listener, as well.
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.
The next hunt is one for a boar. The boar is an animal that, when hunted, can be fierce in retaliation against being disturbed. So when the lady comes the second day to tempt Gawain, he immediately greets her. The author writes, “Gawain thought it good to greet her at once,” (1447). He again stands against the temptation.
Web. 30 Sept. 2009. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume A. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt.
He could have figured out a way to prepare for what was to come, rather he took the path of deception when he decided not to be honest with his host, who as far as he knew was genuinely being a friend to him. In keeping the girdle to save himself from what he thought was certain death, Sir Gawain decided to deceive his host and not keep to the deal they had made. I believe that after Sir Gawain deceived his host, even if he felt a twinge of guilt, that … made it easier to deceive the Green Knight. He entered the Green Knight’s chapel, prepared to take his blow knowing that he was not forthcoming about having protection against said blow. While Sir Gawain kept his word and showed up to face the Green Knight, the choices he made along the way presented him in a less than honorable light. Although he told the truth to the Green Knight and then again to his court, accepting responsibility for his shortcomings, this did not absolve him of wrong doing nor does it erase the stain of deception that he would now wear for the rest of his days. So, with that, long live Sir
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.
Part Three of Gawain and the Green Knight tell about the three days before Gawain is to leave the Lord’s castle to meet the Green Knight. The first day the lord wakes up early to hunt for deer. The story tells in detail about the hunting party when suddenly we move to the castle back to Gawain. Gawain asleep in his bed is greeted by the lady of the castle sneaking into his room and watching him sleep. Gawain knows she is in his room but acts surprised to wake up to her. The lady flirts with Gawain by telling him how great he is and offers her body to him. The author writes “My body is here at hand, / Your each wish to fulfill; / Your servant to command/ I am, and shall be still.” (Lines 1237-1240). Gawain tells her he is unworthy of her to which the lady continues her flirtatious ways. Before the lady leaves Gawain’s room she asks for a kiss to which Gawain complies and grants her a kiss. The lord’s hunting party has killed a large amount of deer and begins dividing the killings. The party returns home and Gawain is given the game, Gawain gives the lord the kiss he received but refuses to tell who gave him the kiss.
Of the people whose names are mentioned in history, some men like Thomas Edison are praised for their genius minds, while others such as Adolf Hitler are criticized for leaving a depressing legacy behind. While it is relative easy to notice the type of legacies these two men left, legacies of other men are often vague and they seem to be imbedded in gray shadows. This is how many people view the life of Malcolm X. Malcolm X during his lifetime had influenced many African Americans to step up for their rights against the injustices by the American government. One on hand, he has been criticized for his hard stances that resemble extremism, while on the other hand he has been praised him for his effort in raising the status for African Americans. The extremes in viewing his life from the modern day perspective have often come from reading his climatic speech The Ballot or the Bullet that he gave in many cities across America in 1964. When he was with the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X favored Blacks to be separated from the Whites, and during this time he strongly opposed White Supremacy. This also seems quite prevalent in his speech The Ballot or the Bullet. However, one events during the last year of his life reveal that he wanted the Blacks and the Whites to coexist as peaceful Americans.
8[8] Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Marie Borroff. Norton Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1, New York: WW Norton, 1993.
Malcolm X while in prison completed his first transformation. Like many great figures and history makers had a low point in is life. At this time Malcolm was into drugs, hustling, women and money. He became so dependant on making a lot of money he and some of his friends decided to rob the house of an old white man. They were caught for this crime and were not only charged with this crime but were also charged with having sex with white women. Malcolm and his friend "Shorty" were sentenced to six years in prison. The two white women that were Malcolm and Shorty’s accomplices were sentenced to a year in jail. During the first couple days of prison Malcolm was coming off a drug high and was having withdrawals. These withdrawals led Malcolm into solitary confinement for two months. When he was let out of his chamber he met the man that would later be responsible for Malcolm’s transformation. This man was a follower of the nation of Islam and the great Alijah Muhammad. Malcolm learned a great deal form him. This shows us that even in the worst of circumstances we can learn and become better. This transformation was a great test for Malcolm and starts to let us see what a great influence he would end up being in the lives of many Americans.
There are many parallels that can be drawn from the three temptations and hunting scenes and the three blows exchanged by the Green Knight. All of these scenes are interlocked together in the way that Gawain's quest is told and his trails he endures leading up to his meeting with the Green Knight to fulfill his promise made the year before.
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Lais of Marie de France, the authors use animals as metaphors for human actions, and as characters. By analyzing the use of these animals, we are able to explore the meaning the authors were trying to communicate through specific scenes. The Book of Beasts, a translation by T.H. White (1984 ed.), provides a medieval standpoint when analyzing the use of animals in the Lais and in Gawain.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem which tells the tale of a knight who undergoes trials-testing the attributes of knighthood-in order to prove the strength and courage of himself, while representing the Knights of the Round Table. One of King Arthurs most noblest and bravest of knights, Sir Gawain, is taken on an adventure when he steps up to behead a mysterious green visitor on Christmas Day-with the green mans’ permission of course. Many would state that this tale of valor would be within the romance genre. To the modern person this would be a strange category to place the poem in due to the question of ‘where is the actual romance, where is the love and woe?’ However, unlike most romances nowadays, within medieval literature there are many defining features and characteristics of a romance-them rarely ever really involving love itself. Within medieval literature the elements of a romance are usually enshrouded in magic, the fantastic and an adventure. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight follows Sir Gawain over the course of one year, from one New Years to the next, as was the deal he and Bertilak, the green knight, struck.