The Power of Three in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
A recurrent theme in almost all Old English writings involves the number three. Beowulf fought the dragon in three rounds. In Morte Darthur, King Arthur sent Sir Bedivere to throw Excalibur into the lake three times. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the number three has a triple importance. In this story there were three different events that each happened in three stages: The three hunts of the Lord, the three seductions by the Lady, and the three swings of the ax that the Green Knight took; all three relate to each other.
The hunting and the seductions are both closely related to each other, but there is a little twist involved with the characters of these situations. The role of the game that the Lord is hunting is also the role of the Lady, but in the seduction scenes, it is the hunter being hunted by the prey. In the first hunt, the Lords prey is a deer. The deer was skittish and not much of a challenge; the first time the Lady seduced Sir Gawain she was a little skittish and not much of a challenge. Also, the Lord, "Let the bucks go by, with their broad antlers, for it was counted a crime, in the close season, if a man of that demesne should molest the male deer" (lines 1154-6). Just as it was a crime to hunt bucks at that time, it was also a crime for the Lady to "molest the male deer." But, she was only following the will of her Lord, something that Sir Gawain did not know at the time. The Lady’s seduction intimidated Sir Gawain, and this is where we can relate the first swing of the Green Knight’s ax. The Green Knight stopped his swing the first time because Sir Gawain flinched as the ax was coming. This fear of his death can be related to his fear of the seduction of the Lady. For both situations he had his life to fear (adultery is punishable by death), and at both situations he showed his fear. In the end, Sir Gawain exchanged the one kiss he received from the Lady for the deer that the Lord killed, as in their agreement of whatever was won would be exchanged at the end of the day.
Deception is one of mankind’s most versatile and powerful tools and is used nearly every day for both evil and good. Whether it be deceiving an army in battle or using exaggerations and myths to teach a child right from wrong, deceit allows one to advance his selfish or selfless intentions by providing them a source of influence on others. Such deception is evident throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight—the host’s wife’s dishonesty in particular—as it helps to spur the plot of the poem. Lady Bertilak’s purposeful deception of Gawain has questionable motives that highlight the theme of human imperfection and susceptibility to temptation.
Both characters had to live with the shame and guilt, but how they dealt with it during their lives was different. The two both had a physical symbol on them that they had to live with for their whole lives. Unlike Hester, Dimmesdale’s mark was branded on his chest where no one could see it. The community was clueless to what Dimmesdale had done. He concealed his transgression from the town, causing his guilt to build up inside of him. In contrast, everyone knew that Hester had committed adultery. She was forced to stand on a scaffold and be publicly humiliated in front of everyone. The scarlet letter “A” was displayed on her clothes for everyone to see. Instead of Hester being ashamed and living in guilt her whole life, like Dimmesdale did, she used her transgression as a form of strength. Even though Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale committed the same sin, the path in which they took to cope with that sin set them apart as
"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is a poem written by a poet (name unknown) approximately 6000 years ago in the late 1300's in the medieval times. This story was originally written in medieval literature with a real unique rhyme scheme, but was translated later in time to regular English for high school students and researchers to study and read.
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 this passage taken from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Lines 1623-1718, the reader sees how Sir Gawain is the hero of the poem, through the tests of the host. Sir Gawain is speaking to the host of the castle where he is staying for a few days before journeying on to the Green Chapel. The host has just returned from hunting and killing some boar. While the host is out hunting for the boar, we learn that Sir Gawain is developing a love interest in a special lady friend, the wife of the host, who makes several attempts to seduce him. Before this hunt, Gawain and the host make a promise to each other that they will exchange whatever they may win that day for the other's winnings. The host gives Sir Gawain the boar in exchange for two kisses. Then the host says to Sir Gawain "Now we are even" (Norton, 236, line 1641.) There is a vivid description of the meal that follows, as well as the singing of Christmas songs. Then Gawain tells the host that he should be on his way to the Green Chapel to face the Green Knight. The host comments on the fact that he has tested Gawain twice and is quite impressed with his performance. The host then tells Gawain about the third test. In the test, the winner will take all, and the loser takes nothing. Gawain thinks this is all just a game and doesn't realize that it is actually a test. Sir Gawain later decides that he will stay, after learning from the host that the Green Chapel is not too far away from the castle. He has some more drinks with the host. After this, he goes to bed and gets the best night's rest, and is up early the next morning. That morning, the host hunts for some fox as Gawain lies in bed. The passage ends with a description of how the host an...
Christian Values in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Thesis Statement: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight shows the struggle between a good Christian man against the temptations of this world. I. Taking a Stand A. Worthiness B. Sir Gawain stands C. Trial overcome II.
“Culture does not make people. People make culture” said Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer and educator, in a presentation on feminism in a TedTalk. The culture in which Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written was misogynistic and it shows in the writing of the poem. Medieval cultural misogyny manifests itself in multiple ways in SGGK. This paper will examine the negative relationships between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and gender by discussing: the representation of female characters, gendered violence, and Christianity in the Middle Ages.
In The Scarlet Letter, the sin of adultery had two major effects on its sinners. For Hester Prynne, the sin made her a stronger, more independent woman in society. She was able to overcome her punishment of wearing the letter and the guilt she was reminded of everyday. Hester believed that she committed a sin of passion, not principle, while Dimmesdale disagreed. He physically harmed himself to make up for the guilt he felt about Hester having to bear the burden put on her by society from their shared crime. He was also stuck in a rut between both the “sinner” and the “minister” that were fostered within him. While Hester lives a productive and moral life, Dimmesdale finally reveals the truth to the community. Tragically, he falls dead from all the anguish he had put himself through.
The resources I am referring to here are those that are needed for a person to escape poverty and earn a higher income. This includes merit and public goods that individuals with higher incomes can afford and indulge themselves in while people with lower incomes or suffering from poverty depend on some endowment from the state, such as healthcare, education, and access to employment opportunities and professional networks. It is important to a society that we take care of these market failures to not only help decrease income inequality...
While alleged sex addictions have existed for many years, they have only recently been accepted as valid excuses for sexual deviancy. Attitudes toward sex addiction in the past offer a stark contrast to how it is viewed today, as the constantly medicalizing society insists on putting everything under the technical microscope. Sex addiction is commonly associated with a person’s inability to control his sexual behavior, implying an abnormally high sex drive and obsession with sex which have negative effects on his personal life (MedicineNet 2007, 1). Rather than breaking down the science behind the disorder, a customary practice in today’s medicalized society, older attitudes towards sex addiction placed it under the same light as alcoholism, where a lack of control and unwillin...
Masturbation is such a simple concept, yet the controversy over the topic is discussed freely amongst many philosophers. Although the word itself has many definitions Alan Soble, Alan Goldman, Robert Solomon, and Thomas Nagel all have their own takes of the matter. Finally, in this essay, I will highlight the philosophical opinion of masturbation and the negative connotation it also possesses.
Hester and Dimmesdale both bear a scarlet letter but the way they handle it is different. Hester’s scarlet letter is a piece of clothing, the “SCARLET LETTER, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom” (Hawthorn 51). Dimmesdale on the other hand, has a scarlet letter carved in his chest. This is revealed when Dimmesdale was giving his revelation, in which “he tore away the ministerial band from before his breast. It was revealed!” (Hawthorn 232). Since the Scarlet Letter on Hester is visible to the public, she was criticized and looked down on. “This women has brought same upon us all, and ought to die” (Hawthorn 49) is said by a female in the market place talking about Hester. She becomes a stronger person through living this hard life. Dimmesdale instead has to live “a life of cowardly and selfish meanness, that added tenfold disgrace and ignominy to his original crime” (Loring 185). He becomes weaker and weaker by time, “neither growing wiser nor stronger, but, day after day, paler and paler, more and more abject” (Loring 186). Their courage is also weak.
Society has a problem with the distribution of wealth and income. Traditionally philosophers agree that the distribution of wealth within a limited society is considered a problem of distributive justice. Over time there has been a collection of solutions recommended about how much income and wealth people deserve or have a right to possess. Distributive justice has appealed to political ideals as well as the ideas of socialists, libertarians and welfare liberals.
Similar to Beowulf, in the way that it contains religious aspects, specifically Christian aspects, which tell readers a lot about the practices and current beliefs of the English during the 14th century. During this time in history religion influenced almost every aspect of people’s lives. In this piece of literature unlike Beowulf, the author makes direct and unmistakable connections to Christianity. Specifically Sir Gawain’s faith in the Virgin Mary and need to worship, “Father, hear me,/and Lady Mary, our mother most mild,/let me happen on some house where mass might be heard”( Sir Gawain And The Green Knight 753-755). Sir Gawain’s encounter with the Green Knight and his wife is a test of his faith and morals. The three mornings the Lord’s wife tried to seduce and tempt Gawain are equivalent to the three times Jesus was tempted by the devil in the Bible. As Gawain is tempted and seduced however as long as he trusted in God and his faith remained strong he was safe. It wasn’t until his faith in God waivered and he took the Girdle from the lord’s wife, trusting mystical powers to save him did Gawain suffer. This biblical like parable, was meant as a teaching tool to show people of that time that turning to old pagan habits (like trusting in anything or one other than God) would end in pain. However the story also opens up the Christian belief in forgiveness. Like when Gawain repents for his sins and returns to God in the end, he still suffered but he wasn’t
rest mass is Me <approximately equal> 9.1 x 10 -28 g, about 1/1836 of the mass