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Sir gawain character analysis
Sir gawain and the green knight part one characterization
Sir gawain and the green knight part one characterization
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Texts such as Sir Gawain and the Carl of Carlisle helped transform knights from a brutal killing squad to more of what we envision knights to be today. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, knights more closely resembled a medieval mafia. They were not men in shining armor that rode a white horse and killed a dragon to save the princess. Knights started as Comitatus, a brotherhood based around battling and killing for good stuff. This brotherhood did not have a defined enemy and killed anyone who different from them. As time progressed and the idea of feudalism came into action, Comitatus developed into a lord and vassal relationship. While Comitatus had one head warrior that divided the good stuff they earned, vassals had lords that would …show more content…
provide protection and distribute land to his vassals. In return, the vassals were harmless, safe, honorable, useful, easy, and possible. These traits continued to be used to describe what knights should be. Although, there was more structure, knights still killed anyone and everyone they could. Knighthood began to change over the course of the High Middle Ages because there was less need for a brutal killing squad and more need for an army. As the Crusades began, there became a need for a christian knighthood known as God's holy army. Instead of killing anyone they wanted, the knights were needed to demolish the non-Christians. In return, they would be sent straight to Heaven and exempt from taxes. Another reason why knighthood changed can be accredited to charismatic kingship. The success of kings were based on their followers, so they needed their vassals to be loyal. Knights also changed as kingship changed. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, kings started to become rulers of defined areas rather than kings of people. Knights killing anyone would have destroyed a society. They needed to form an army to battle foreign enemies. Literature and storytelling were one of the greatest catalysts in developing knights. One of the best examples of these stories is Sir Gawain and the Carl of Carlisle. Sir Gawain and the Carl of Carlisle features two knights, Sir Gawain and Sir Kay. The two characters have two different personalities and styles of knighthood. Sir Gawain represents what a good knight of the God's army should be while Sir Kay shows the traits and actions of a bad knight. The text starts out of listing the traits of a good knight that Sir Gawain possessed. “Listen, lords a little while/Of one that was sure and true/And brave in all his deeds./He was as humble as a maid in her chamber/And in addition unyielding in every battle”(Gawain, 1). Gawain was true, humble, brave, and unyielding. This is contrasted by Sir Kay who believes no one should refuse him what he wants. The first scene that shows this contrast is when Sir Gawain and Sir Kaye are deciding where to stay. Sir Kay says, “Before we go far we shall find lodging./I dare anyone to refuse it to me”(Gawain, 4). Sir Kay is ready to challenge and kill anyone who will refuse him service. Gawain on the other hand is humble about find a place to stay for the night. Gawain's responses is, “I would not stay against his wish”(Gawain, 4). The theme of Sir Gawain representing a good knight, and Sir Kay representing what a knight not should be continues throughout the story.
Another example is how they treat the Carl's foul in the story. Kay believes the foul should not feed with his horse because it is not good enough. He kicks it out of the barn and strikes it. The Carl punishes him by knocking him out. On the other hand, Gawain brings the foul back into the stable and allows it to eat alongside his horse, the Carl rewards Gawain for respecting his foul. In the end, Gawain followed all the Carl's wishes and was rewarded with the most beautiful girl, the amie. This showed knights the benefits of leaving behind their old ways to become a soldier of Christ. Sir Kay is not the only example of what a good knight should not be. The Carl of Carlisle is also a representation of how knights should not act. The Carl is the opposite of chivalric and uncivilized. In the text, the Carl is described as a large and scary man. “Nine tailor's yards he was high/with long and powerful legs”(Gawain,8 ). The Carl also is surrounded by a zoo of animals. There was lion, a bear, a lethal boar, and a wild bull; all obeyed and feared the Carl. This shows how barbarian and dangerous the Carl can …show more content…
be. Finally, the Carl warns Sir Gawain that he is a churl. “Cease to kneel, gentle knight;/You stay with a churl tonight,/I swear by Saint John./For here no courtesy will you have,/except careless/churlish courtesy, so God save me”(Gawain, 8). Also Carl comes from the word, “cerol” which means a peasant who cannot behave. Sir Gawain and the Carl of Carlisle also demonstrates how chivalry is instructed in Andreas Capellanus' Art of Courtly Love. Number 23 on Capellanus' list is “He whom the thought of love vexes, eats and sleeps very little”(Capellanus). Gawain is unable to eat dinner in front of the Carl's wife because she is so beautiful. “So much was his love fixed on her/That all supper he couldn't/Drink not eat”(Gawain, 10). Gawain is also able to love because he has good character and worked hard to be able to marry the Carl's daughter.
Number 18 of the Art of Courtly Love is, “Good character alone makes any man worthy of love”(Capellanus). Number 14 says, “The easy attainment of love makes it of little value; difficulty of attainment makes it prized”(Capellanus). As mentioned earlier, Sir Gawain represents how the government wants knights to act. He possesses the character traits of a good knight such as obedience, loyalty, honor, and being humble. Gawain also worked hard to be rewarded his the Carl's daughter. He treats the Carl and his porter with courtesy and treats the Carl's foul kindly as if it were his own. Finally, Gawain follows the Carl's orders to throw a spear at this Carl's face before sitting for dinner and to kiss the Carl's
wife. The first knights could better be described as a medieval mafia. Sir Gawain and the Carl of Carlisle was needed to help transform the knights of the Middle Ages. There were several reasons for the change of knighthood over the course of the High Middle Ages. The first reason was the crusades. Additionally, kings needed loyalty from their vassals. Through literature, knights learned how to chivalrous. The word “chivalric” means men who ride on horses.. This might be where we get the idea that today's knights ride white horses. Also, today's belief that knights set out to kill a beast and save the princess could come from the idea in the Art of Courtly Love that a knight must work to be able to love. If a knight kills the dragon, he deserves to love the princess just like how Sir Gawain faced the Carl to marry his beautiful daughter. In conclusion, knighthood has come a long way due to the impact of literature. Stories like Sir Gawain and the Carl of Carlisle inspired knights to be chivalrous. This led to the transformation of a brutal killing squad to what we envision a knight to be today.
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”.
In the middle ages, knights were viewed as those who would represent the greatest level of chivalry, considering it was part of their code. King Arthur talked to a peasant in the beginning of the film who expressed her said unhappiness about the government and her views did not align with King Arthur so he disapproved. The peasant described medieval Europe as a horrid place to live. There was also a lack of education among the peasants because in the British empire at that time, there were many small kingdoms owned by lords, under one king. All the peasants really knew was their own kingdom and their king, they were not really educated on the number or where other kingdoms were. During this time period, the peasants were viewed as the bottom of the food chain, and in the feudal system they were actually at the bottom. This meant that they had no real say in the government or how it was ruled, so this interaction did not seem accurate for the time period nor did it cause any impact because those who were high in the feudal system liked the strong divide between classes. The way of life during the middle ages was strongly influenced by past traditions and morals that had been passed down from generation to generation. One of these old traditions included
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
Knights were an integral part of medieval society. They originally began with primitive warriors such as the Mongols who fought on horseback for added speed and power, but quickly advanced to chivalrous gentleman such as the Normans. Much has been written about medieval knights with the most famous being a series of legends about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Arthur and his knights were the ultimate example of what a perfect knight should have been. They were brave and skilful in battle, but merciful to their enemies once vanquished. They were courteous to ladies, and never ate or drank to excess.
Sir Gawain is King Arthur’s nephew and one of his most faithful knights. Although Gawain modestly refutes it, he has a reputation of being an honorable knight and courtly man. He prides himself on his adherence of the five parts of chivalry and is a pinnacle display of humility, piety, integrity, loyalty, and honesty that all other knights strive for. Though Gawain sits at the high table during the New Year’s celebration at Arthur’s court, he defines himself as the least of King Arthur’s knights in terms of both physical ability and mental aptitude. Gawain continually seeks to better improve his inner self throughout the story. His only known flaw proves to be his love to preserve his own life, so much that he will sacrifice his honor in order to save himself.
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. The perfect, archetypal knight, one who seamlessly, simultaneously embodies all of the qualities so harmoniously unified on Gawain 's shield, cannot exist, as the five points of Gawain 's pentangle cannot fully be kept
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).
During the Medieval Times, knights hold high status and are seen as sovereign, yet their actions are contradicting. Knights stand for loyalty, justice, and chivalry; however, most are liars, cheaters, and foolish. Throughout medieval literature, authors create characters that contain both attributes and utilize literary elements to highlight this medieval crisis. Many Knights maintain a loyal and noble character because chivalry outlasts hypocrisy.
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.
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.
Sir Gawain’s wrongdoing for taking the girdle from the Lady does not bear a consequence from the Green Knight, for he forgives Sir Gawain, as it was his human instinct to protect himself to take the item. In the short poem, the Green Knight is known to say, “I declare you purged, as polished and as pure as the day you were born, without blemish or blame” (Artimage 181). The diction in the phrase allows the reader to envision purity in the form of a human, resembling Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain is astonished, almost not believing the knight, and thanks him for the gift that led to his failing, saying, “God bless you for this gift. Not for all its ore will I own it with honor” (Artimage 183). From the tone of these sentences, the audience is receiving the vibe of happiness and overjoyment. This might be to cheer up the readers, for the main character almost died. Redemption is not worth much unless the fault is taught upon, so others will not make the same error as Sir Gawain. This conception is fulfilled when King Arthur hears of Sir Gawain’s adventure, honoring and showering his court with cheerfulness for the Green Knight’s redemption as pictured in the passage, “...and each knight who held it was honored forever,” and “...every knight in the brotherhood - should bear such a belt, a bright green belt worn obliquely to the body, crosswise, like a sash, for the sake of
...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.
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
...ves him self to be the least worthy of life and praise. He tells King Arthur, “Think of your bold knights, bursting to fight, as ready and willing as men can be…And I am the slightest, the dullest of them all; My life the least, my death no loss,” (Raffel 58). Sir Gawain is very humble before his King. He offers his life in place of King Arthur’s.
In the early fourteenth century, knighthood represented respect and success for brave young men, and chivalry’s codes were necessary for those young men to uphold. In the book Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the author constructs the young Sir Gawain by testing his character. These trials, given by the Green Knight, challenge Sir Gawain 's loyalty and bravery to people’s astonishment Sir Gawain 's achievement is muddled. During the test he breaks his promise and takes away the green girdle that he supposes to exchange with Bertilak just likes his bargain.