With these sounds, the apocalypse in The Lord of the Rings is completed successfully by a godlike figure acting through men, just as God acts through angels in the Book of Revelation. Many critics have wondered where God is in Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. They wonder how a fantasy classic about another world can have no notion of religion. The apocalyptic end to the tale seems to be devoid of religion, though an apocalypse is usually a religious concept. By looking at the aural imagery of the apocalypse at the culmination of the story, in conjunction with that in the Book of Revelation, one can see a way in which a notion of God acts in the apocalypse.
Rather than merely taking Sir Gawain’s head, the Green Knight gave him the opportunity to prove himself as “faultless” (95), or above his human nature, to “[purge] the debt” (96). Just as Shedd argues, the shift from external to internal conflict in the poem sets Sir Gawain and the Green Knight apart from other works of medieval romance. According to Shedd’s “Knight in Tarnished Armour: The Meaning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, Sir Gawain’s conflict is with the duality of human nature, not the Green Knight. His idea that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight breaks the traditions of medieval romance is especially
As W.R.J Barron says, ‘the elements [of the Green Knight] are familiar, but their fusion in one person is unacceptable, incomprehensible’. The court is stunned into ‘swoghe sylence’ (l. 242) for several moments, seemingly unable to process the almost-apparitional figure who has entered the civilised space. The poet adds that the silence was ‘not al for doute [fear], / Bot sum for cortaysye’ (ll. 246-7): the reaction is inappropriate (because these chivalric knights should not be afraid), yet completely justified, as they are showing respect for the impressive figure. The Green Knight, then, is an example of the Lacanian extimité, the ‘embedded alien’.
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.
The question arises as to the author’s meaning of constant. It is obvious that it does not mean that Gawain is constant in his moral decisions, as he just made an unethical decision. It also wouldn’t mean that he is determined or steadfast, for he just caved in to h... ... middle of paper ... ...ly a minor sin though; when the truth about the Green Knight is revealed, Sir Gawain is repentant, and his penance is served through the knick of Bertilak’s axe. Though technically Gawain fails the test when he gives into the lady’s temptations, he does well enough to pass in God’s eyes. As mentioned before, Sir Gawain is forgiven by God, as shown by the healing of the axe wound.
Considering these three points of view, one may wonder if the author is suggesting that the pagan Green Knight’s emphasis on life and humanness is more sensible than Gawain’s pursuit of godliness. Arthur’s court (and the poet) seems to think so. Furthermore, the poem suggests that in Arthur’s kingdom (and throughout medieval Europe), there is a blend of both Christian and pagan customs. The poem itself is, arguably, centered on a quest more pagan than Christian. While to Gawain the Green Knight is a supernatural and mysterious being associated with evil, the poet suggests that all things green are life-giving and good.
Beowulf has a superhuman body that is able to withstand even the most wicked of opponents while Sir Gawain possesses a mortal body. For example, Gawain claims, “My body, but for your worth, is barren” (line 357) and takes King Arthur's place in the Christmas game proposed by the Green Knight. The second comparison would be of their codes of conduct. If you compare the two heroes' ethics, you see that they are different, too. Beowulf appears to have little morals that he lives by.
It is these elements, moreover, the logical deduction from the hypothesis and the testing of the other elements to prove consistency which are practically impossible for a writer of fiction to accomplish. Character, setting and nearly ever aspect of a novel are not mere observations of the physical world but are created in the subjective mind of the author. It must be conceded, then, that Naturalism, like most literary genres and movements is neither definitive nor rational. At most, it is an application of somewhat murky scientific values to fiction, and nothing more. If Norris' McTeague does not, then, produce a rational conclusion to hypotheses and experimentation in and scientific manner, what is the novel's function?
These divine beings and their truths are not administered by the laws of physics. Supernaturalists agree with the naturalist worldview about ... ... middle of paper ... ... any other thoughts leading to a supernatural being to fill in these so called gaps. That is the KISS method: Keep it simple, Stupid. Another disagreement with the God of the Gaps is the Pragmatist Principle. This practical strategy simplifies the fact that even if a Supernatural being existed, it wouldn’t aid in the explanation of a naturalist worldview.
Within this piece we see the pure untainted character of Bilbo thrust into a world of adventure, danger, greed, ... ... middle of paper ... ... previous two philosophies to classify The Hobbit then lead me to one final conclusion: the conclusion that Bilbo’s state of innocence, or Tabula Rasa, was not a state of good at all, but rather simply a state of the absence of evil. For when Bilbo enters the world, evil is seen to be the only influencing factor. For this reason I have concluded that there is truly no form of good within the world as grounded within The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien Bibliography 1. Boethius. The Consolation of Philosophy.