Gawain's Armour Meaning

Meaning of Sir Gawain’s Armour
A knight was known by his shield and armor; the knight must act a certain way when the armor is worn. The pentangle (five-pointed star) on Gawain’s shield, The Virgin Mary and the Armor itself all has a special meaning to it; the ideals of Christian morality and knightly chivalry are brought together in Gawain’s symbolic armor, painting of Virgin Mary and the pentangle. In the context of St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, he speaks about the armor of God. The Armors, weapons and the clothes that a soldier wears during war, to the soldier it is more than just weapons. Their spirits are attached to the different symbols appears on the armor and shield. The Pentangle has a very special meaning, it represents

This means a knight must obtain all the qualities to be a perfect knight and a knight with all of the qualities is unbeatable. Gawain’s determination to stick to these virtues was tested throughout the poem, but the poem examines more than Gawain’s personal virtue, 1) he is perfect in the five senses; 2) his five fingers are unfailing; 3) his faith is fixed firmly on the five wounds which Christ received on the cross; 4) he draws his strength from the five joys Mary had through Jesus; and 5) he embodies, better than any other living man, the five virtues. Essentially, the Pentangle is meant to signify Truth. Sir Gawain was morally tested by the host of the castle where he attended a Christmas mass, He was treated very well by the host. All he had to do was eat and rest, his five sense were becoming dull. Later the host offered to play a game with Gawain, they are to exchange gifts they have obtained each day. "So good a knight as Gawain as rightly reputed, In whom courtesy is so completely embodied, Could not easily

Throughout the poem numerous trials testing his religious faith and his devotion to Christianity. Virgin Mary as one of the most important symbol of Christianity was painted on every shield so when the knight encounter an enemy too power, he will not lose faith because he knows that Virgin Mary is watching him. Gawain has a painting of Virgin Mary as well, Mary inspires Gawain to be a good Christian. The reason that Virgin Mary is on the inside of the shield is because it is close to his heart, symbolizing his belief in God and trust in Him. This relationship with God is the source of his inner strength. “That [Gawain's] prowess all depended on the five pure Joys that the holy Queen of Heaven had of her child. Accordingly the courteous Knight had that Queen's image etched on the inside of his armored shield, So that when he beheld her, his heart did not fail.” The image of Mary inside this shield also conveys that Gawain never loses heart. The painting made the shield provided not just physical protections, it also provided Sir Gawain with mental protections as well, knowing that his got god watching and protecting him again whomever he may encounter on the battle fields. One of Gawain main duties as a knight is to defend against not only aggression in battle, but to fight against the evil that might tempt him to turn his back on his honor as a knight and particularly the Virgin Mary, so