Theme Of Chivalry In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Scholars think that “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” was written during the 14th century, a point in which the age of chivalry began to decline. Granting that the legends of Arthur’s court are reminiscent of Gawain’s bravery, loyalty, and his devotion to the codes of chivalry, the narrative exposes his flaw(s). The anonymous author of “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” uses the Green Knight and the green girdle as symbols to allude to the decline of chivalry within the author’s contemporary culture.

The Green Knight is a larger-than-life figure who has supernatural qualities that become apparent to readers in the author’s description: “Every man marveled what it could mean indeed that horseman and horse such a hue should come by as to grow

Since he believes that it will spare his life, he therefore places the will to live over the codes he lived by. Keeping the green sash makes him a coward since he is afraid of a return blow to come from the Green Knight. Again, his regard for his own life is depicted when Gawain flinches as the Green Knight swings his axe, to which the Green Knight says,

Thou'rt not Gawain…who is so good who never flinched from any foes on fell or in dale; and now thou fleest in fear, ere thou feelest a hurt! Of such cowardice that knight I ne'er heard accused. Neither blenched I nor hacked, when thy blow, sir, thou aimedst, nor uttered any cavil in the court of King Arthur. My head flew to my feet, and yet fled I never; but thou, ere thou hast any hurt, in thy heart quailest, and so the nobler knight to be named I deserve therefore. (2271-2279)

To this, Gawain responds, “I blenched once/and I will do so no more. But if on floor now falls my head, I cannot restore it” (2280-2284). Gawain points out that Bertilak is not a better knight since he is immortal. This seems to have a religious undertone, which points to the Christian teaching that a man’s soul and character are of more importance than keeping a covenant. This contradicts the mindset that honor and glory are won by

In the final part of the poem, the lord confesses that he sent the lady to test Gawain: “I sent her to test thee, and thou seem’st to me truly the fair knight most faultless that e’er foot set on earth!” (2363-2364). Even though Gawain repents for holding back the girdle in an effort to keep his life —a sign of his cowardice and lack of heroism— the lord pardons him: “I hold it healed beyond doubt, the harm that I had. Thou hast confessed thee so clean and acknowledged thine and hast the penance plain to see from the point of my blade that I hold thee purged of that debt, made as pure and as clean as hadst thou done no ill deed since the day thou wert born”