Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Supernatural Elements in Literature
Sir gawain character analysis
Sir gawain and the knight analysis
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Supernatural Elements in Literature
What Could We Learn From Sir Gawain?
I think we could learn a lot many things from Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain is someone that I think everyone can relate to in some way. He was placed under many tests and performed admirable in all but one of them. It is that last test that made him seem 'human'; to me. I think in order to learn from someone you have to try to 'walk a mile in his or her shoes.'; I will describe, in detail, the parts of the story in which Sir Gawain excelled and why we should try to learn from him.
The first thing I thing we could learn from Sir Gawain is to always be ready to step up to a challenge. In Part 1 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain challenges the Green Knight. Gawain is the only Knight to accept the challenge for the King and does so without reservation. He easily beheaded the 'magical'; man as stated in the following lines: 'Gawain grips to his ax and gathers it aloft--/ The left foot on the floor before him he set--/ Brought it down deftly upon the bare neck,/ That the shock of the sharp blow shivered the bones/ And cut the flesh cleanly and clove it in twain,/ That the blade of bright steel bit into the ground./ The head was hewn off and fell to the floor;/ Many found it at their feet as forth it rolled;/ (Unknown, Part I, 421-427). He didn't know the Green Knight was magical and probably thought it would be an easy task. After all, he was a Knight in the great King Authur's court. For this I think Gawain shows strength, bravery, and loyalty.
The next thing we could learn from Sir Gawain is demonstrated on his trip to the Green Chapel: 'Many a cliff must he climb in the country wild; /Far off from all his friends, forlorn he must ride; / At each strand or stream where the stalwart passed/'Twere a marvel if he met not some monstrous foe, /And that so fierce and forbidding that fight he must./ (Unknown, Part II, 713-717). Gawain left his home during horrible chill of winter on a journey to meet a 'man'; who had survived being beheaded. His must have felt lonely, scared, and lost away from all that he is so very familiar with.
Both men are on a journey to test their courage and how strong their religious commitments are to God. Neither men are quite sure what their destinations are, but Sir Gawain is under the impression that his is certain death however, that doesn’t end up being the case. In Sir Gawain’s situation his beliefs are strong and he lacks any doubts toward God.
Over the course of the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain faced situations that influenced his character which can be taken and analyzed for a teenager today. A teenager typically faces the issue of blending in and accepting who they are in high school, and by viewing Gawain’s experiences and changes, we can use it to adapt along with our peers in school. Initially, he is seen as a humble and unpopular knight amongst every other at the round table in Camelot. However this changes after engaging in a violent game with the Green Knight. Gawain gained fame over the course of a year, and as a result it had changed his initial outlook on his loyalty to the chivalric code, as well as his values on life.
...stops him from sleeping with Bertilak’s wife, only until his finds a way to avoid death does he goes against them. What Gawain learns from the green knight’s challenge is that instinctively he is just a human who is concerned with his own life over anything else. Chivalry does provide a valuable set of rules and ideals toward which one to strive for, but a person must remain aware of their own mortality and weaknesses. Sir Gawain’s flinching at the green knight’s swinging ax, his time in the woods using animal nature requiring him to seek shelter to survive and his finally accepting the wife’s gift of the girdle teaches him that though he may be the most chivalrous knight in the land, he is nevertheless human and capable of error.
The guide pleads to Gawain that he will surely be killed if he continues on his mission and he tells Gawain to just leave and ride off in some other country rather than be killed (121). Gawain reaveals to us, yet again, his chivalry when he says that he would face his destiny rather than be a disgrace (121). When Gawain finally reaches the chapel of the Green Knight he is met with a roar. The Green Knight proceeds to play games with Gawain in an attempt to test his bravery and chivalry (127-128). The fact that Gawain did not retreat and run after several attempts were faked reveals how honorable Gawain was.
Sir Gawain is presented as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. He is the perfect knight; he is so recognised by the various characters in the story and, for all his modesty, implicitly in his view of himself. To the others his greatest qualities are his knightly courtesy and his success in battle. To Gawain these are important, but he seems to set an even higher value on his courage and integrity, the two central pillars of his manhood.
Sir Gawain has played a significant role in Arthurian legends since the Middle Ages. His first major appearance in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight depicts Gawain as a warrior rather than a womanizing knight like others from King Arthur's court. Even in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain focuses on his battle with the green knight rather than the advances of Bercilak's wife. During Gawain's visit to Bercilak's castle, his wife makes three specific advances to entice Gawain into an adulteress relationship. Although Gawain faces certain death with the Green Knight, he declines any sexual involvement with Bercilak's wife. Gawain's character remains faithful to his warrior image by rushing into battle with the green knight rather than prolonging his stay at Bercilak's castle.
Sir Gawain is, undoubtably, the most varied of the Arthurian characters: from his first minor appearance as Gwalchmei in the Welsh tales to his usually side-line participation in the modern retelling of the tales, no other character has gone from such exalted heights (being regarded as a paragon of virtue) to such dismal depths (being reduced to a borderline rapist, murderer, and uncouth bore), as he. This degree of metamorphosis in character, however, has allowed for a staggering number of different approaches and studies in Gawain.
Initially, Gawain’s strongest trait is humility, Beowulf’s is pride. In the beginning of Gawain and the Green Knight, a mysterious warrior enters King Arthur’s court to extend a challenge. Although he knows others in the court would handle the challenge better than him, out of respect, when King Arthur attempts to accept the challenge Gawain comes forth and suggests he takes his place. Gawain presents himself as “the weakest of them, I know, and the dullest-minded/ so my death would be least loss, if truth should be told/ only because you are my uncle am I to be praised/ no virtue I know in myself but your blood” (Broadview Analogy 269). Instead of bragging about his bravery, Gawain acts modestly and states that his death would be of little loss during this challenge. He is not self-absorbed and gives off the impression that the only reason he is a knight is because of his relation with King Arthur. By stating this, he gives off the impression that his self confidence is quite weak; this is astonishing for a character of this era. Although King Arthur has at least one of his knights to be proud of, it seems as though
Sir Gawain—the lead character in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight—has a hard time keeping his promise while his nobility is tested after he encounters the Lord on his trek to meet the Green Knight. He is depicted as a noble knight who is strong in faith and believes in sticking to his morals. In fact, Randy P. Schiff explains this in his article, Unstable Kinship: Trojanness, Treason, and Community in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, when he says that, “Displaying his mastery of courtly deference, Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight publicly defines himself through kinship” (Schiff 1). Meaning that Gawain prides himself on the loyalty that he is able to give to those who respect him and are close to him. Since Gawain needs a place to stay
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
The Character of Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell
He is not brave, selfless, chivalrous, or noble; with an immoral thought he only performs great acts in front of an audience. Knights are supposed to be fearless warriors, Gawain contradicts that stereotype. Once Gawain ventures towards the green chapel, he is overcome by fear. However, fear of death is not of the essence. When his escort offers to help him avoid the fight, Gawain had already obtained the green sash; he fights knowing he will not die. Gawain fears his kingdom will recognize his lack of pure motive and moral courage if he abandons the game, concerned that if he “forsook this place for fear, and fled,” Camelot will find out he is “a caitiff coward” who “could not be excused” for his lack of inner-chivalry (2130-2131). He does not go to the fight to prove he is chivalrous; his impure motive is to hide his immoral nature from
In conclusion, we can learn many lessons from Sir Gawain and the tests and trails that he endured leading up to his meeting with the Green Knight. Who only have to look for them and ponder how they can apply to us today. For instance, being true to ourselves and what we believe in. Keeping our word, and upholding our faiths even in the face of impending danger, even though the cost may be very great to pay.
He demonstrates goodness at the hand of the Green Knight. He shows courage by accepting what is to come upon him during his voyage. His journey to find the Green Knight is filled with temptations. In the conversation with him and the “Lady”, Sir Gawain showed a Chivalrous code by keeping his loyalty to the king by not kissing his wife. The lady states “if I should exchange at my choice and choose me a husband for the noble I know….would I elect before you”.
Sir Gawain is a poem of heroism, chivalry, brave knights and even romance. The story itself is so engaging that all too easily the reader may miss many of the symbols present within. Here we will consider the symbolism and importance of the hunting scenes and how they help develop and enhance the plot.