Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay

An unknown poet during the Medieval time period wrote Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Sir Gawain is an Arthurian legend, a story about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, centered on the protagonist Sir Gawain. In the poem, a Green Knight comes to challenge the king, but Gawain decides to go in place of the king. Gawain makes a deal with the Green Knight. If he can’t kill the Green Knight then the knight gets to try to kill Gawain in one year. Gawain fails to kill the Green Knight. Gawain leaves the castle in search of the Green Knight, and he stops at a castle to stay for the three nights. Gawain and the king of the castle make a bargain to give each other everything they receive during each day. Gawain stays true to his compact until the last day. He keeps a “magic” green girdle for himself thinking that it will save him from death. When he meets the knight, he prepares to get cut by the Green Knight’s axe. The first two attempts fail to do any damage, but the third leaves a small cut. Gawain is shocked by what
They all start to wear green sashes in order to make Gawain feel better about his faults. “And all the lords and ladies belonging to the Table / Laughed loudly, and concluded amiably / That each brave man of the brotherhood should bear a baldric / A band, obliquely about him, of bright green, / Of the same hue as Sir Gawain’s and for his sake wear it.”(101) The king and the courtiers respond to Gawain’s confession passionately. The king and the other knights wear sashes similar to Gawain “for the love of that knight.”(101) Gawain feels remorseful about his sin. “It was torment to tell the truth; in his face the blood did flame; he groaned for grief and ruth when he showed it, to his shame.”(100) The other knights recognize his pain. They also wear the sashes to help Gawain forgive himself. Everyone makes