The Ambivalence Of Chivalric Ideals in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

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The Ambivalence of Chivalric Ideals in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight.

After reading the poem I was very much captivated by the story of heroic journey. The fact that such fascinating narration could be produced more than 600 years ago was very surprising to me. The diversity in the literature is also amazing. Set in the time of King Arthur, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is a fantasy story of Sir Gawain who accepts a challenge by a green knight and embarks on a journey. The plot and setting are mythical and magic plays a significant role. However we can still find that various elements reflecting medieval times are abundant in the poem.

The medieval literature was not that gloomy or dark world as the literature in 'The Wanderer' or 'Beowulf'. the words like war and revenge disappeared but rather, bright humor and beautiful romantic love were more rich in those times. The knights that reflect the values of medieval times were always fighting against the evils that impede the faith of christianity and at the same time, they also frequently experienced romance with beautiful ladies.

Then what would be the warrior ideal in Middle Ages? How do the main character of the poem show such ideal? I think these are the important questions to be raised for the understanding of Sir Gawain and the Green knight. In this essay, I would like to discuss about the ideal knight manifested in the poem and analyze the meanings and functions of the three characters; Gawain, Green knight and King Arthur.

As the poem suggests, we can find that the writer put importance on 'beneficence boundless and brotherly love And pure mind and manners. and compassion' as the main virtues of a knight. Gawain equips himself with shield on which the pentangle is carved out before beginning the journey to perform his promise with the green knight, The symbol is a complex body of military, religious and social virtues that a knight should live up to. A knight should obviously be brave enough and at the same time should have warm heart as to feel compassion and mercy towards the weak and the poor. Moreover, he should convey faith in God and be equipped with strong religious belief. It shows that the knight has to stick perfectly to such obligations without forgetting any of them.

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