Analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, after Gawain ventures “into a forest fastness, fearsome and wild” (Norton, 311), he prays that he will be able to find “harborage” on Christmas Eve (Norton, 312). It is the middle of winter, and Gawain has been traveling in search of the Green Knight whose head he has cut off. After he prays and signs himself three times, Gawain finds a magical castle in the midst of a winter forest. He rides to the castle and is granted permission to enter by the lord. Gawain is attended to in a fashion befitting kings, and he meets the lord who tells his identity to all in the court. There are many significant implications and foreshadowings which occur during Gawain’s stay at the castle. Many references to the pentangle and Jesus Christ are found in this passage of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The castle which appears after Sir Gawain prays has many odd characteristics, and its inhabitants seem to know who Gawain is before he tells them. They seem to be waiting for the arrival of the young Gawain, who is venturing in search of the Green Knight.
Gawain is a dynamic, evolving character. As the story progresses, he matures and gains experience from his journey. It is evident that Gawain is a loyal, religious, and honorable knight. He is naïve and young, but he has the makings of an ideal knight. Gawain shows honor and courage by honoring the agreement he makes with the Green Knight. He ventures from Arthur’s court in search of the Green Knight and arrives in a forest where he prays for a place to stay so that he can hear mass on Christmas Eve: “No sooner had Sir Gawain signed himself thrice than he was ware, in the wood, of a wondrous dwelling” (Norton, 312)...
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...red is he. Each said solemnly aside to his brother, ‘Now displays of deportment shall dazzle our eyes and the polished pearls of impeccable speech; The high art of eloquence is ours to pursue since the father of fine manners is found in our midst (Norton, 315).
These lines show that the people of the castle have heard of Gawain before he arrives at the court. They speak of things before Gawain mentions anything about his knowledge of the green knight. The people are planning to be dazzled by displays of deportment, and this is strange because these people should not know anything about Gawain.
The castle in which Sir Gawain seeks refuge for the Christmas season is full of mysterious implications and references. Many of the occurrences in the castle seem out of the ordinary, but Gawain’s arrival in the castle is essential to his growth as a person and knight.
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.
To establish the knight as worthy, the author first shows Gawain’s loyalty to his king. The Green Knight challenges anyone in the hall to the beheading game and no one takes him up on it. Arthur, angered by the Green Knight’s taunting, is about to accept the challenge himself when Gawain steps in saying "would you grant me this grace" (Sir Gawain, l. 343), and takes the ax from Arthur. This is a very convenient way for the author to introduce Gawain and also to show Gawain’s loyalty to Arthur, but it seems almost too convenient. There i...
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.
In the opening scene Sir Gawain faces his first trial when the Green Knight proposes his “Christmas game.” The room falls silent for “If he astonished them at first, stiller were then/ All that household in hall, the high and low;” (lines 301-302). The Green Knight begins to mock the court; and then boldly, King Arthur accepts h...
Individuals in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. 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. The greatest part of these studies have involved the middle-English text Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
The audience finds another parallel to the life of Christ upon seeing that the story begins at Christmas, the birthday of Jesus. Gawain's actions themselves hold relation to Jesus's birth. He is the only person who comes forth to save his king, and resembles the way Jesus had the role of the sole person sent to save people of their sins. Gawain's epic and Jesus's legacy on Earth both had a stage of death, too. The color red holds significance to death, just as green does to birth. The Green Knight bleeds profusely after decapitation, which heralds immediate death for any mortal body. When Gawain has his second meeting with the Green Knight, the latter nicks the prior's neck with his poleaxe. The crimson blood that seeps from the wound reminds Gawain of the permanent death that would have befallen him, had he tainted himself by giving into the temptations offered to him at the White Castle. int the White Castle, the seductive lady of the castle attempts to entice him. His actions there ultimately determine whether he will receive death, or be able to return triumphantly to Camelot. Although Gawain makes his return to Arthur and the knights, he has shame on his head. Because he is not completely honest to the Green Knight
Of all the themes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the one which stood out the most to me was that of deception. With the Green Knight, the “evil” and Sir Gawain, the “good”, we see both forces partake in deceptive practices to achieve the desired outcome they sought. Throughout the poem, Sir Gawain’s moral compass was constantly being tested with deception being used to gage his level of loyalty, morality, and chivalry. The “game” that the Green Knight was hell bent on playing was not an honest one. He utilized a host of deceptions to gain the results that he sought after—there was little to no room for error with him. First, he presented a challenge in which he alone knew that he would not perish. When he asked for a volunteer to strike him with the ax, the Green Knight
Part Three of Gawain and the Green Knight tell about the three days before Gawain is to leave the Lord’s castle to meet the Green Knight. The first day the lord wakes up early to hunt for deer. The story tells in detail about the hunting party when suddenly we move to the castle back to Gawain. Gawain asleep in his bed is greeted by the lady of the castle sneaking into his room and watching him sleep. Gawain knows she is in his room but acts surprised to wake up to her. The lady flirts with Gawain by telling him how great he is and offers her body to him. The author writes “My body is here at hand, / Your each wish to fulfill; / Your servant to command/ I am, and shall be still.” (Lines 1237-1240). Gawain tells her he is unworthy of her to which the lady continues her flirtatious ways. Before the lady leaves Gawain’s room she asks for a kiss to which Gawain complies and grants her a kiss. The lord’s hunting party has killed a large amount of deer and begins dividing the killings. The party returns home and Gawain is given the game, Gawain gives the lord the kiss he received but refuses to tell who gave him the kiss.
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
Common Core is pushing students to think critically by answering questions with more explanation. Students are required back their answer providing evidence for their answers. “The Common Core strives to create a uniform playing field for all kids and an evidence-based, robust learning system in every grade, with the end goal of college and career success in clear and obtainable sight” (How Will the Common Core Standards Affect You Child?, 2014). On a positive note, this is great for the students, but will require corporation from everyone to make it happen. Teachers are required to make their math and literacy lesson plans rigor. “Urged to dig deeper, students will find themselves interacting with subject matter at an enhanced level, allowing for long-term retention of information and an enhanced ability to utilize analytical thinking throughout multiple areas of their lives” (How Will the Common Core Standards Affect You Child?, 2014). Common Core not only affects student learning, but it affects test also. With Common Core, tests will be more challenging and scores are said to drop. “As a measure of accountability, both for students and for schools, testing under the Common Core will be more challenging and for some, might produce temporarily drop scores and possibly the need for summer school” (How Will
In the poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," Gawain is a guest at Hautdesert Castle. During his stay at the castle, three separate hunts take place. These hunts also parallel temptations aimed at Gawain by the wife of the Lord of Hautdesert Castle. In each hunt scene, a characteristic of the prey of that hunt is personified in Gawain's defense against the advances of the Lord's wife.
In this particular passage, Gawain is a knight who is on a journey with deep faith in his religion. This is expressed through his fervent prayers to Christ and Mary. No one is here to help him except God who he speaks to and asks to hear mass on Christmas Eve. He humbles himself "meekly before God" in the snow and cold. His prayers are then answered immediately. Bercilak's castle appears out of nowhere, green with trees and grass as if it were springtime. It is almost as if the castle were provided for Gawain by God. He is at Bercilak's court, but of course, does not know this until the end. After praying, he crosses himself three times and then this grand estate appears before him like magic.
First, the major characters in both of the plays are suffering through great pain and end up with death. The drama Antigone which is written by Sophocles, tells the story of Antigone. Antigone is a tragic heroine who doesn’t have the power to challenge the authority of the king; she has to obey the rules. However, she shows her strong will and voices her opinions and she is willing to challenge the authorities and the rules. She not only fights for her brother, she also challenges her rights to speak out her thoughts. Yet, her sister Ismene is satisfied to recognize herself as a woman in a male dominated society. Ismene argues, “I, for one, I’ll beg the dead to forgive me- I’m forced, I have no choice- I must obey the ones who stand in power” (832: 80). Ismene's words clearly state her weak and helpless character. Antigone is not happy with her sister’s response, says, “Set your own life in order"(833: 97). Antigone is telling her sister to do her own life, and that she will do what she wants to bury her brother. Antigone preferring the god's laws to man's, disobeys Creon, to bury her brother Polyneices. After her uncle found out what Antigone did, he punished her with death. However, when Creon discovered that what he did was wrong; it was too late. Antigone is already dead, and Creon is punished by Heaven with the suicide of his own wife and son.
While in the wilderness he prays to God to “let Mother Mary guide him towards some house or haven” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 2.738-739). The next day, he prays to God to “let me [Gawain] happen on some house where mass might be heard” (2.755). At this part of his quest, Gawain express his reliance on God and his need for God’s help. Gawain puts faith in God rather than doubting God and trying to find a place to stay on his own. Champion even points out “his utter dependence upon God’s grace for safety and salvation” (424). This repeating idea of prayer and the need for God demonstrates the Christian idea that people need to believe in God and his grace. Trying to act independently during times of need can portray a lack of trust in God. But by maintaining the Christians morals of the time, Gawain can guarantee that “his soul might be saved when he goes to the grave” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 3.1879). These morals correlate to some the virtues expected of him as a knight such as honesty and chastity. The pressure to sustain Christian values and his complete trust in God encourages him continue on his quest even though he is still unaware of where the Green Chapel is. When confronted by Lady Bertilak’s wife during the three seduction scenes of the poem, Gawain manages to overcome the temptations and remain chaste. And as he promised, Gawain does succeed in finding the
After following in Linnaeus’s footsteps the next major discovery in taxonomy was in the 1880’s when Ernist Haeckel suggested a third kingdom. The advances in microscopy and biochemistry led to the discovery of microscopic organisms. It was found that they were unicellular, so they did not fit into either of the multicellular groups; So Haeckel recommended the kingdom Protista to put them in.