The story of “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” involves many games and challenges between two antagonistic competitors. Gawain is perceived as the hero who is loyal, honest, and brave. While our villain the Green Knight is a mysterious foreboding figure with cruel intentions. When analyzing these two main characters we see that first impressions are not always factual and how the challenges these competitors faced though out the story has truly affected them. Resulting in them not only to change but reveal their true self. In the beginning of this epic tale, we are introduced to one of our main characters Gawain. In the castle ruled by King Anther he is not only a part of the royal family by blood but a knight. By Gawain upholding such …show more content…
At this time the leaves are falling and winter is right around the corner. Thus, our noble knight would have to endure the worse weather while traveling in search for the Green Chapel. This, itself, shows his perseverance. Gawain is also dedicated. He encountered a challenged that he plans to face head on even when he has the choice not too. The Green Knight requested that Gawain leaves his home to find him before the year ends. Meaning that it was his choice. “You must solemnly swear that you’ll seek me yourself; that you’ll search me out to the ends of the earth” (394-396). He did not threaten Gawain in any, instead, he uses temptation against him. Gawain is known to be a loyal man that will keep his word. If he were to break the promise he made with the green knight he then would put his own reputation at risk. Ensuing him to keep his promise by leaving Arthur’s court and never turn …show more content…
The host proposes a game that not only questions how courteous and well-mannered he is but his honesty and restraint to temptation. The challenge is a game of sorts: while the lord goes hunting with his men Gawain will stay at the castle and spend time with the two ladies. At the end of each day, the two men will exchange what they received during the day. Gawain decides to accept the challenge for an interchange of the lord giving him directions to the Green Chapel. This game last three days are broken into three separate scenes of the host’s wife trying to seduce Gawain. On the first day, Gawain receives one kiss, on the second day he receives two kisses. At the end of each day, he gives the lord what he received throughout the day. This proves to us the readers how honest Gawain truly is by him keeping his promise to the lord. While this scene also contradicts our previous assumption about his courtesy by him being able to resist temptation even when the host’s wife began questioning Gawain’s
The game in this story serves as a challenge to Sir Gawain to show his heroic development. The path that the Gawain takes ultimately determines his heroic maturity. It shows that the game hold the fate of the hero and what type of hero that he becomes. How the hero deals with the game is the factor of how he matures as a hero and what type of hero he is. The three games in this story prove Gawain ability to keep his word, his ability to be truthful in seduction, and the last test of character. The game brings out the true decisions of a hero in which he must decide what kind of hero he
To continue on testing a knight that does not seem worthy certainly will not result in much of a story, or in establishing a theme. Through the use of symbols, the author of Sir Gawain is able to show that Gawain possesses the necessary attributes to make him worthy of being tested. He also uses symbols throughout the tests of each individual attribute, and in revealing where Gawain’s fault lies. The effective use of these symbols enables the author to integrate the test of each individual attribute into a central theme, or rather one overall test, the test of chivalry. To establish the knight as worthy, the author first shows Gawain’s loyalty to his king.
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 final scenes of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain’s encounter with Sir Bertilak allows Gawain to perceive his own flaws, manifested in his acceptance of the Green Girdle. The court’s reaction to his personal guilt highlights the disconnect between him and the other knights of the Round Table. Gawain’s behavior throughout the poem has been most noteworthy; his understanding of his sin, one that many of us would dismiss since it was propelled by his love of life, enhances his stature as a paragon of chivalry.
...Gawain’s time in the wilderness, living nature, and his acceptance of the lady’s offering of the green girdle teach him that though he may be the most chivalrous knight in the land, he is nevertheless human and capable of error.
Many games are involved in the plot of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Green Knight, Bercilak de Hautdesert, plays a "Christmas game" with Arthur's court at Camelot (line 283); Gawain's host's wife plays games with Gawain throughout the third section of the poem; Gawain's sees his arrangement of mutual trade with his host as a game (line 1380); and all of the events of the story are revealed as a game of Arthur's sister, Morgan Le Fay (lines 2456-2466). Throughout the telling of the story, the author plays a mental game with the reader or listener, as well.
In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, our main character is faced with a challenge. A
The Green Knight begins to mock the court; and then boldly, King Arthur accepts his challenge. Sir Gawain realizes that this should not be the king’s responsibility for there are others present worthy of the challenge including him. Symbolically, this scene can be seen as a Christian standing up for what he believes in. Gawain says, “I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest;/ And the loss of my life would be least of any; (354-355). Here, Gawain humbles himself before his lord, just as a Christian should in prayer to God.
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.
Sir Gawain was heroic in seeking out the Green Knight to finish the challenge that was brought to King Arthur’s men. “Said Gawain, ‘Strike once more; /I shall neither flinch nor flee; /But if my head falls to the floor /There is no mending me!’” (lns. 2280-2283) There was no physical power that forced Sir Gawain to keep true to his word. Gawain sought out the Green Knight, just as he had promised, and was now about to receive the blow that would send him to his death. This quote shows that Sir Gawain was ready to be dealt his fate, and that he knew there was no way for him to survive as the Green Knight had done earlier in the poem. This shows a very human side to Sir Gawain as he appears somewhat afraid of death, but ready to face it nonetheless. It is this willingness and readiness to accept death at the hand of the Green Knight that makes Sir Gawain a...
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
The author creates a dramatic setting throughout the story by keeping up with an exciting plot. Both drama and mockery are at work in the character of Sir Gawain. He seems to be an over exaggerated character who in some cases is used to poke fun at king Arthurs knights. The author also seems to be making fun of stories of “True love,” this is shown most when the lady of the house gives Gawain a longwinded dramatic speech about true love as she tries to seduce him. Although, the author may be trying to show the qualities of a knight it comes off pretentious and self-glorifying on Gawain’s part. The work also uses a similar writing style as some of the other Arthurian tales written previous to Sir Gawain’s publication. In addition to using characters from previous Arthurian
When Gawain spurns the lady 's advances, she questions the validity of his reputation: "So good a night as Gawain is rightly reputed / In whom courtesy is so completely embodied / Could not easily have spent so much time with a lady / Without begging a kiss, to comply with politeness / By some hint or suggestion at the end of a remark. " Here we see the first example of Gawain 's values being thrown into opposition: he cannot hope to hold his honor, fellowship, and chastity without calling his chivalry and courtesy into question. Gawain faces a fork in the road in the first bedroom scene, yet it quickly becomes clear that neither road ends with perfection.
Chivalry was a set of codes and values that the knights would follow to show loyalty to their king, respect to their lady, and humbleness to the poor. Next, courtly love was more of a tradition that was beheld usually by a knight and a lady such as Lady Bertilak, they would engage in a relationship and it would be kept a secret. The two have conflicts with each other because while Sir Gawain was courting Lady Bertilak’s he was to do as commanded but also was to not betray the loyalty of King Bertilak who was his host. Furthermore, while Sir Gawain was receiving kisses he also had a deal with his Host, anything he received in his castle would be given to King Bertilak and in exchange, he would receive what the king killed during his hunt. Throughout the first and second time that the king left and came back from hunting Sir Gawain gave him the kisses he received but on the third he failed to give him what he received since Lady Bertilak had given him a green griddle and told him to take it as well as to not to tell her husband about it. Sir Gawain was not to say a word about the gift but in receiving this gift and doing what she commands he breaks the deal between his host and he fails to be
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain shows qualities of a chivalrous knight. He demonstrates that by showing generosity, courtesy, and loyalty during his travels. A mysterious knight shows up at the king’s castle and calls himself the Green Knight. The Green Knight then challenges one to play a game which he challenges the king to strike him with his axe if he will take a return hit in a year and a day. Sir Gawain steps forward to accept the challenge for his uncle King Arthur when nobody else in the castle would. He took the King’s role in the game to protect him from the Green Knight. He must learn to accept his responsibility as a knight, in accepting his fate.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 cho...