The English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a significant piece in Arthurian Literature. The story approaches Gawain’s character much differently than in Sir Thomas Malory’s well-known Le Morte d’Arthur. Unlike Malory’s version of the Arthurian legend where Sir Lancelot is known as the Round Table’s finest Knight, the author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight chose, instead, to have Sir Gawain play the role of Camelot’s most noble gentleman. In staying true to the theme of chivalry and virtue, the Gawain Poet tells a captivating story of a knights struggle to uphold the chivalric code in the face of temptation and danger.…
The first thing that Sir Gawain does in the story that proves that he is indeed a true knight is that he takes the challenge of the beheading game that the Green Knight purposes. At first King Author took the challenge, but Sir Gawain volunteered to take the challenge so that his King, King Author is protected. The fact that Sir Gawain does…
Gawain demonstrates chivalry by honoring the king and taking his place when cutting off the Green Knight’s head. He also shows justice when he makes a deal with Bertilak of Hautdesert, that with whatever Gawain received while in the castle he would have to give to Bertilak and whatever Bertilak received in the woods, would belong to Gawain. Gawain also showed justice by keeping his promise to the Green Knight by showing up to the Green Chapel in exactly…
Gawain didn’t show loyalty towards Bertilak when he allows Bertilak’s wife to kiss him, not only once but on three different occasions. Gawain does not give the green girdle to the Green Knight thus proving him to be un-loyal. Even though Gawain exchanges the three kisses with Bertilak, he doesn't tell Bertilak who the kisses came from. Fernández argues that, "The medieval hero may overcome the temptation, but not without making a mistake or wrong decision and therefore receiving some form of punishment." This proves that Gawain was capable to make some type of mistake. He overcame the temptation of the wife trying to sleep with him but he also made the mistake of letting her kiss him. Although Gawain was considered “the most courteous of all” he still makes mistakes. . He does show his loyalty and bravery by fulfilling his vow to the Green Knight by allowing him to strike him in the neck. Although he was scared, he kept his…
Sir Gawain shows his bravery the first moment he has the chance to, when the Green Knight enters King Arthur's Court. The Green Knight taunts with "Anyone with the nerve to try it, take this ax, here. Hurry, I'm waiting! Take it and keep it, my gift forever, And give me a well-aimed stroke, and agree to accept another in payment, when my turn arrives." (I, 292) Sir Gawain took this burden and took the ax from the king who was prepared to do this deed. Gawain knows full well that he would receive a blow in return and would have to find the Green Knight in order to receive his blow. He accepts these terms and gives the Green Knight his blow with no haste. Time passes and it eventually is time for Sir Gawain to start to look for his fate and find the Green Knight and his chapel. Starting his crusade, Gawain was given a feast and many thought he would never return again, as some of the knights would comment, "Better to have been more prudent, to have made him a duke before this could happen. He seemed a brilliant leader, and could have been." (II, 677) Gawain knows all of this that on his travel he would be put to death, he still went on this final crusade, to his death with utmost bravery.…
Chivalry has countless values that are interpreted in numerous ways in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight depending on which court you look at. This is because the nature of chivalry allows an individual to interpret these meanings in a way that reflects their beliefs and values. When looking at King Arthur's court you find a very lavish court fixed on appearances and relying heavily on the chivalric virtue of courteous speech and action, which leaves little room for speaking the truth. Yet a chivalric virtue is upheld when Sir Gawain speaks the truth about the girdle he acquired and the green knight in turn states by confessing your failings you are free from blame (2391). There are also various symbols found in King Arthur's court like the…
Sir Gawain is more than just a brave knight; he's a normal man, if placed in the current time period. A knight is seen as someone who is perfect at all he does, a person who doesn’t give in to sin, somebody who is godly. Sir Gawain is somebody who makes mistakes and accepts sins like an everyman. (QOUTE HERE) By the end of Gawain’s journey…
Firstly, St. Augustine and Sir Gawain were proud of the men they were while they were embarking on their journeys; however the type of people they were differ from one another. Sir Gawain was known to be a “good knight and gold purified, clear of every crudeness, graced and protected by virtues” (Merwin 633), proving he was already a good knight. He carried a shield on his path to the Green Chapel that represented all of his virtues through the five point of the pentangle on his shield: five faith wounds, five joys of the Queen of heaven, five unfailing fingers, five faultless senses, and five qualities he possessed. His values on his shield are put to the test when he takes part in his adventure through woods, the freezing cold, and the temptation of the lord’s wife. For example, his courtesy is tested when the wife of the lord tries to get him to kiss her and he does not know how to respond because it is courteous to do as she says but he does not…
Although Gawain called himself weak, he showed bravery when he protected his uncle, King Arthur, when he was being challenged by the Green Knight. With great boldness, Gawain called himself weak in stanza sixteen just to protect King Arthur. Gawain also managed to gruesomely behead the Green Knight after taking up his challenge in stanza nineteen. Doing this action, sealed the deal for the challenge that the Green Knight asked to be completed of the castle court. This is how Sir Gawain showed his bravery to his uncle and his…
Sir Gawain exemplifies the ideal knight because he demonstrates courage. First, he demonstrates courage before he departs from the castle. Sir Gawain’s courage first reveals itself when Sir Gawain offers himself up to challenge the Green Knight in King Arthur’s place and says, “’I beseech, before all here, / That this melee may be mine’” (lines 341-42).When Sir Gawain departs from King Arthur’s court, he is faced with difficult circumstances—circumstances that would have caused the…
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Middle English romance that intertwines the ideas of the importance of chivalry, Christian virtues and outward appearances, present within Arthurian legends. Sir Gawain is the epitome of the noble, virtuous knight who also strives to be an obedient man of God, represented by the pentangle and image of Mary within his shield (650). But with the arrival of the Green Knight at King Arthur’s court, Gawains faith in God and his Christian morals collide with his desire to be seen as the honorable, brave knight of Arthur’s court. When Gawains desire for self-preservation overcomes his faith in God, causing him to befall, some readers…
As the story progresses in “Beowulf”, Beowulf eventually becomes a well-known king and warrior. This shows that he develops into more than a warrior who goes around killing demons and dragons, he becomes a leader who is loved by his people. While he develops a great sense of leadership, he still had not grown out of his arrogance. Mirroring his encounter with Grendel’s mother, as an old man Beowulf sets out to kill the dragon terrorizing his land by himself telling his men to “stay safe in your armor” and watch while he is fighting with the dragon (“Beowulf” line 2530). This shows that while he had become a great leader, he still acts on his hubris tendencies. Gawain shows his character development when he decides to continue the girdle he kept hidden during his game with his host to exchange any winnings that they have earned. He continued to wear the girdle not for a fashion statement, but as a “sign of [his] sin” for valuing his life more than truthfulness (“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” line 2433). This shows that Gawain grows as a person and learns from his mistakes rather than brush them under the rug and move on with his…
Like the male code of conduct in Beowulf, the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight also exhibits a moral code in another androcentric society. Certain characteristic are valued at both Heorot and Camelot, such as honour. Before his fight with Grendel, Beowulf removes his armour and lays aside his sword, because his opponent has "no idea of the arts of war, / of shield or sword-play" and thus it would be dishonourable for Beowulf to use this to his advantage. At the end of the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is distraught over his violation of honour by keeping the girdle; he regretfully describes "the cowardice and covetousness [he] came to commit" (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 2508). There are…
From the poem, itself, it can be determined that Sir Gawain along with the other knight of the round table chivalrous, loyal, and honorable subjects of king Arthur. These men, the knights, live by a code of honor, so when the Green Knight showed up at their holiday celebration challenging everyone to a beheading game, Gawain saw that King Arthur was about to take the challenge and decided to accept himself instead. This is the first moment that we see a hint of heroism in Sir Gawain. His noble sacrifice, for lack of a better word, carries through the rest of the poem, even when he was face to face with, death, the Green Knight.…
In the poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, many people believe that Sir Gawain does not abide by his principles, and he lets go of what he values most. He is so proud of his values that he depicts them on his shield, which he carries around everywhere. People do not contend about his first four sets of virtues since the book mentions,…