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Literary devices in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Gawain and the green knight symbolism
Literary devices in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
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Do you think all knights have integrity? As usual, all noble knights’ integrity comes from their morals. Their integrity towards others shows how important their chivalric code of honor is within them. There was only one person who tested Sir Gawain’s integrity in three major ways. When the Green Knight arrived and challenged everyone in the king’s court to his special Christmas game, he knew someone would accept his challenge but did not know who would succeed. After the Green Knight stood unharmed after King Arthur’s swing, Sir Gawain knew he had nothing to lose and requested to take on the Green Knight’s offer. Once Sir Gawain succeeds in the challenge, the Green Knight had a plan to test Sir Gawain’s noble honor. Whenever there is a noble …show more content…
After the slashing of the Green Knight’s neck, the Green Knight requested Sir Gawain to come to the Green Chapel and pay for his promise. The promise was for Gawain to receive a stroke the same as the Green Knight had taken. When the year was ending, Gawain left to seek the Green Knight and actualize the pact between them. Even though he encountered many dangers from the wild, Gawain kept going until an invitation for him to stay with a lord and his lady came upon. Now any man would have left, turned back, and would have neglected the pact made with the Green Knight; however, while staying at the lord’s house, Sir Gawain’s integrity was being tested and envisioned to …show more content…
The first two days while Sir Gawain lingered in the lord’s house, the lady insisted of seducing Gawain, but Gawain resisted every time and only took kisses from her. For example, what man do you know can simply resist a beautiful and consistent lady’s kiss? Well, Sir Gawain did and continued to resist her until on the third day she came with another gift to bear. For this reason, he bestowed on him a yellowest stone gold ring and depicted it as a rich king’s ransom. Gawain would not take the ring because he had nothing to give back. Consistently, she kept imploring him and he kept refusing simply because he did not have it in him. The lord’s lady then presented unto him a green silk sash embroidered with gold along the edges. Then, Gawain accepted the green sash because the lady justified that the sash can keep him from dying from the uncanny and anything on the earth. Finally, Gawain took the sash because he knew he was soon going to meet with the Green Knight and feared the
Integrity is the quality of having honesty and strong values. In the story “from Sir Gawain the Green Knight” Sir Gawain had to face many challenges and still had integrity. Although he botched some of his tests, he also exceeded some of the trials. His integrity helped him throughout all the challenges he faced. Due to the all the tests that were given he had to face them all. They were set to an ingenious mark on the King. The king’s test was to prove and see if he was conscientious, robust, and committed.
...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.
Sir Gawain, although not the mightiest of knights, proved to have a sense of integrity and honour when he offered himself for the Green Knight's game in place of the king. He stated in his speech to the King that he was “the weakest...and of wit feeblest;” (354) and that “the loss if [his] life would be least of any;” (355). Although knowing he stood an unfair chance to the large, bold Green Knight, Sir Gawain proudly and courteously took King Arthur's place in the game. He was allowed one blow to the Green Knight in exchange for a return blow a year later. On his journey to receive his blow, Sir Gawain stops at a castle and, during his stay, is offered another game from the host; at the end of each day the host will exchange his hunting prize for a prize Sir Gawain inherited around the castle that day. Of course, Sir Gawain accepted the game and played it fairly for the first two days. However, on the third day, he received a green girdle from the host's...
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight – A Test of Chivalry Essay with Outline: Loyalty, courage, honor, purity, and courtesy are all attributes of a knight that displays chivalry. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is truly a story of the test of these attributes. In order to have a true test of these attributes, there must first be a knight worthy of being tested, meaning that the knight must possess chivalric attributes to begin with. Sir Gawain is admittedly not the best knight around. He says "I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest; / and the loss of my life [will] be the least of any" (Sir Gawain, l. 354-355).
When Gawain shows up at the Green Knight’s chapel, his mere presence provides comfort to his host, who greets him: “Sir so sweet, you honour the trysts you owe.” Perhaps the green gallant had been expecting Gawain, as representative of the crumbling House of Arthur, to be derelict in his duties. Gawain lives up to his good name. Similarly, he resisted the unbearable temptations of Lady Bertilak on numerous occasions, providing a mere kiss, in accordance with the code of chivalry.
Gawain stands firm in his faith in the holy Mary, which is inside his shield, but he has weakness like every men. According to Mulburin, the book Isaiah 40.30: " Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall" ( ) Therefore, Gawain is a handsome young who sought after by another man 's wife. He endured the temptation by lady Bertilak to stay strong his faith, but becomes weary as time was coming near to face the Green Knight. Gawain becomes weaken in his faith when he starter to value his life, which goes against the Knightly Code. He put aside his faith in the Holy Mary when Lady Bertilak handed him green belt, she told him" through went on to beg him not to whisper a word of this gift to her husband, and Gawain agreed" ( Gawain 1862-1863). Gawain 's sins ,when he kept the green belt from Bertilak. He was told whatever I win in the forest it is yours and whatever my wife gives while I 'm gone, it will be returned back to me. (Gawain 1106-1107). Gawain failed to keep his bond as knight should, which goes against his virtues as
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
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain humbly approaches the King and courageously says, “For I find it not fit… when such a boon is begged… though you be tempted… to take in on yourself while so bold men about upon benches sit” (122-125) “And for that this folly befits a king, and ‘tis I that have asked it, it ought to be mine” (132-133). He, the weakest Knight, sees the injustice of someone challenging the King and instead of acting passively he willingly sacrifices himself for the King’s sake, which shows his loyalty, courage and integrity. However, Sir Gawain becomes a hypocrite even though the Green Knight says, “Friend mine, it seems your word holds good” (333-334) because the Green Knight’s wife “made trial of a man most faultless by far” (452) and he did not remain loyal and honest. The opportunity of remaining secure and safe presents itself and selfishly he chooses this course of action; consequently, he “lacked… a little in loyalty there” (456). In the end, the Green Knight reprimands him for his dishonesty and lack of integrity and in return Sir Gawain, shamefully responds “I confess, knight, in this place, most dire is my misdeed; let me gain back your good grace…” (Line 474-476) so even though he was not noble and loyal throughout the entire course he remains sincere in his apology. His loyalty to the King in the
When Sir Gawain is with the lord of the castle’s wife, on the third day after trying to seduce him, she offers him some of her personal belongings but Sir Gawain refuses all but one. Sir Gawain accepts a magical belt to try and be polite to the wife by accepting her gift but inside he wants to use it so he is not killed by the Green Knights axe, as the narrator states: “She offered a red gold ring, richly worked, set with a dazzling stone that shone like the sun-a gift suitable for the ransom of kings. But Gawain refused it…’then be less in my debt, but take by belt, neither as costly nor as good’…’for any man bound with this belt, this green lace locked around him, can never be killed, here under God’s on heaven- no blow, no trick, nothing can hurt him ’Gawain hesitated, his heart reached for protection, like a thief for a gem: He could come to that chapel, take that struck, and with this glorious device walk off unharmed” (ln.1817-1859, p.112-113). Sir Gawain is about to do the right thing in this scene but he knows that he could go unharmed if this magic belt is really magic. Gawain should not have even had her in his room for five minutes, he should have told her that he would meet up with her during lunch but his heart could not avoid the temptation. True courtesy and false courtesy are very important but if you do not use prudence to
There is, however, one central idea that every knight is a servant; a knight is the one who does only good in the name of love and never brings dishonor to anyone. In this second test, Sir Gawain proves to be a true knight when he is tempted by the hostess of the Green Castle. So far nothing can turn him from his path, for he is a true knight.
The wife of the Green Knight, unbeknownst to Gawain, was instructed to tempt Gawain into committing unchivalrous actions, such as convincing him to take her belt for protection. She tells him “No hero under heaven can hack him into pieces, for he cannot be killed by any cunning on earth.” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (ln 279-280). This is similar to the snake tempting Eve in the garden, except power and protection is being given instead of knowledge. When Gawain begs for forgiveness, the Green Knight forgives him for his actions. He says, “In my view you have made amends for your misdemeanor; you have confessed your faults fully with fair acknowledgement, and plainly done penance at the point of my axe. You are absolved of sin and stainless now.” (Gawain ln 526-529). The Green Knight, originally viewed as an arrogant, pretentious, and possibly antagonistic figure, was shown to “save” Gawain and can be compared to Jesus. Gawain’s beheading and survival serves as a parallel to Jesus’ death and resurrection. (Flood
In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Poet Pearl, Sir Gawain, knight of the Round Table, acts chivalrously, yet his intents are insincere and selfish. It is the advent season in Middle Age Camelot, ruled by King Arthur when Poet Pearl begins the story. In this era citizens valued morals and expected them to be demonstrated, especially by the highly respected Knights of the Round Table. As one of Arthur’s knights, Sir Gawain commits to behaving perfectly chivalrous; however, Gawain falls short of this promise. Yes, he acts properly, but he is not genuine. The way one behaves is not enough to categorize him as moral; one must also be sincere in thought. Gawain desires to be valued as
He observes the progress of one’s journey and listens to people’s prayers. Similarly, the Green Knight secretly watches Sir Gawain through a disguise – Lord Bertilak. By disguising himself, the Green Knight could continue to test Sir Gawain’s faith by initiating another agreement. Unaware of the Green Knight’s presence, Sir Gawain is continually examined to discover the truth to his fidelity. Initially, Sir Gawain faces stressful and challenging experiences along his trek to the Green Chapel. Alone and enveloped by harsh winter’s cold, he “prays for God’s grace to save him” (Champion 418). Luckily, Sir Gawain’s prayers are heard when he uncovered Lord Bertilak’s castle amongst the woods. By humbly inviting Sir Gawain into the castle, pleas for safety and shelter from harsh conditions are answered, a depiction of God’s (the Green Knight’s) grace. Nonetheless, Sir Gawain’s hardships do not cease, but in fact, they continue to fall and weigh upon his shoulders. Once again, Sir Gawain partakes in another agreement, involving the exchanging of winnings. Human faith is yet again being tested, and once more fails to succeed. The affection of Lady Bertilak is arranged by the Green Knight himself as another test; however, Sir Gawain “fell short a little . . . and lacked fidelity” (Winny 4.2366). Fear of death encourages Sir Gawain to submit to greed. In order to continue living, he wears the Green Knight’s
Gawain’s acceptance of Lady Bertilak’s girdle causes him to progressively lose himself internally in order to save his physical life. Gawain appears to be the perfect image of a knight, who exhibits himself as worthy and noble when he accepts the Green Knight’s challenge. Known to be “honored all over the world,” his remarkable valor and devout behavior define his character. He loses his honorable reputation, though, when he disrespects the honor of King Bertilak. Disgracing his knightly code, Gawain fails to exchange all of his gifts with the king and lies, without hesitation, to the king when he claims that “what [he] owed [King Bertilak] [he has] paid [King Bertilak]” (1941). Gawain directly lies to him without hesitation, proving that his conscience does not seem to be effecting his actions. Lying is a common action, but generally, it causes us to feel remorseful and guilty over our wrongs. Gawain breaks the code of chivalry that requires a knight to be loyal and honest, but he is not regretful due to his apparent selfish nature (“Code of Chivalry, 2 and 15”). He makes a deal with the king to “[trade] profit for profit,” yet he dishonestly “[hides] [Lady Bertilak’s] love gift” rather than honoring the king’s wishes (1677, 1874). Gawain makes a promise that he fails to fulfill. The girdle drives him to destruction because it pulls him away from what he knows to be good and
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”.