Life’s a game, why not play?
Games are a nice way to spark ones interest. It is an out of the ordinary, fun way to do something different. Knight Gawain was well aware of this when he accepted to take part in a certain game, his life. An axe would determine his fate, or better yet the swing of the stunning green knight. The first swing was a swerve. The next one a miss. On the third attempt he did manage to break through some skin. Dialectics is mainly represented in this brief, yet appalling story.
Expecting to get hurt just causes us to cringe even more at the thought. This is exactly what happened when the knight saw the axe about to slice him. “But glimpsing the axe at the edge of his eye bringing death earthwards as it arced through the air and sensing its sharpness, Gawain shrank at the shoulders.” (Authors name, Page 232). He was afraid of what was about to
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It is easy to understand this when analyzing the situation in this story. On the third, and last day, Gawain did not play by the rules. “He granted her wish, and she gave with good grace, though went on to beg him not to whisper a word of this gift to her husband, and Gawain agreed.” (Authors name, page 224) According to the pact that was made, they must exchange all gains and the last gain he received he agreed not to speak of. Therefore that is the turning point for the knight, in regards to Gaiwans loyalty. There was no fooling Bertilak though. He was already aware of what had happened. “The third time, though, you strayed, and felt my blade therefore.” “Because the belt you are bound with belongs to me.” (Authors name, page 234) Bertilak and his wife were in agreement for her to tempt Gawain each day. Knowing his situation, the temptation was exactly what the knight needed and therefore he caved in when accepting the present and keeping it a secret. This demonstrates how life spirals because although mistakes were made, sir Gawain’s life was still
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a stranger rides into King Arthur's court with a challenge. This stranger, green in color from head to toe, proposes to play a game with a member of King Arthur's court. This game will be played by each participant taking a blow from a weapon at the hands of the opponent. The person that dies from the hit is obviously the loser. On top of this, the Green Knight offers to let his opponent take the first swing. This sets up the action in the passage beginning with line 366 and ending with line 443.
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...
He is not brave, selfless, chivalrous, or noble; with an immoral thought he only performs great acts in front of an audience. Knights are supposed to be fearless warriors, Gawain contradicts that stereotype. Once Gawain ventures towards the green chapel, he is overcome by fear. However, fear of death is not of the essence. When his escort offers to help him avoid the fight, Gawain had already obtained the green sash; he fights knowing he will not die. Gawain fears his kingdom will recognize his lack of pure motive and moral courage if he abandons the game, concerned that if he “forsook this place for fear, and fled,” Camelot will find out he is “a caitiff coward” who “could not be excused” for his lack of inner-chivalry (2130-2131). He does not go to the fight to prove he is chivalrous; his impure motive is to hide his immoral nature from
Despite being a knight, Sir Gawain sinned. He was greedy. He accepted a woman’s girdle because it would literally save his neck in the covenant he had with the Green Giant. The woman’s girdle was magical and saved people from every thrust or strike they would endure. Sir Gawain learned his lesson through all the guilt he feels when he was caught. Moreover, when Sir Gawain says, “Dread of the death blow and cowardly doubts meant I gave into greed, and in doing so forgot the freedom and fidelity every knight knows to follow,” (“Sir Gawain” 235). Even though Sir Gawain was a noble knight he still sinned against the knightly code and also against the Ten Commandments.
He could have figured out a way to prepare for what was to come, rather he took the path of deception when he decided not to be honest with his host, who as far as he knew was genuinely being a friend to him. In keeping the girdle to save himself from what he thought was certain death, Sir Gawain decided to deceive his host and not keep to the deal they had made. I believe that after Sir Gawain deceived his host, even if he felt a twinge of guilt, that … made it easier to deceive the Green Knight. He entered the Green Knight’s chapel, prepared to take his blow knowing that he was not forthcoming about having protection against said blow. While Sir Gawain kept his word and showed up to face the Green Knight, the choices he made along the way presented him in a less than honorable light. Although he told the truth to the Green Knight and then again to his court, accepting responsibility for his shortcomings, this did not absolve him of wrong doing nor does it erase the stain of deception that he would now wear for the rest of his days. So, with that, long live Sir
Lady Bertilak enters into his room as he is changing and she attempt to seduce him. Not only does this test his courtly love and respect for woman, but also loyalty to the chivalric code in a whole. He is frightened first, but then approaches her with more confidence. He eventually says that he cannot do much of anything with her, "So good a knight as Gawain as 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" (1296 - 1301). Gawain would be breaking the chivalric code of courtesy, showing his change in loyalty. After their talk, she presents him with a green scarf and says that it embodies powers and could save him. This is where Gawain’s perception on his life is truly changed. He accepts the article of clothing, and wears it. She states that it will protect him, and he wishes to accept that it will change his fate. The scarf of “gay green silk, with gold overwrought” (1833) would give him fortune in his conflict with the Green Knight, but he would not remain loyal and honest to the chivalric code. His new personality of greed was broken as the girdle was hit through with the axe at the last swing. His dishonesty did not allow him to win, and he will eventually wear the girdle as a sign of sin. Due
To begin with, the Green Knight, similar to God, bestows a trial to Sir Gawain in order to test his faith and loyalty to his promise. The beheading agreement made between these characters is organized to assess the truth to Sir Gawain’s knightly
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
As a result, he learns an essential, inescapable fact about himself and human nature - there is no shame in being imperfect. The true test of Gawain's bravery was to bare his neck to the Green Knight and finish their trading of blows. Even with his 'magic' girdle, Gawain flinched the first time. The second and third times he was able to hold steady and accept fate. After the ordeal the Green Knight ridiculed him for his weakness and fear.
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.
He stumbles upon a castle and meets The Red Lord, whose name is later revealed to be Bertilak, who invites him to stay for three days as part of a deal they make together. It is one that involves exchange, as The Red Lord will go out and hunt each day while Gawain stays at the castle and, at the end of each day, they are to trade what they have acquired. Although it is unclear to Gawain at the time, Bertilak and The Green Knight are the same person, and the game is intended to prove just how honorable the knight, who has built a reputation for himself off of this, actually is. He proudly accepts the pact, surely thinking that it’ll be an easy feat to
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
Beowulf is an epic poem that describes the heroics of a man with superhuman strength and bravery to go with it. The poem starts with a journey across the sea to defeat an enemy that has plagued the land of Herot for twelve years. The poem ends with Beowulf’s final deed of defeating a dragon that was plaguing his own land, but with the defeat of the dragon also comes the death of Beowulf. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem of bravery by one of King Arthur’s knights. Sir Gawain takes up the deed of playing a Christmas game with the challenging Green Knight. The Green Knight takes a blow from an ax at the hand of Sir Gawain, and in one year and one day, the Green Knight is to reciprocate the action to Sir Gawain. While Sir Gawain was heroic in his deed, Beowulf shows a certain selflessness in his bouts makes him a better hero than Sir Gawain.
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
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval poem by an unknown author, written in Middle English in the 14th century. This poem is uncanny to most poems about heroism and knightly quests as it doesn’t follow the complete circle seen in other heroism tales. This poem is different to all the rest as it shows human weaknesses as well as strengths which disturbs the myth of the perfect knight, or the faultless hero. The author uses symbolism as a literary device in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to give the plot a deeper and more significant meaning. Symbolism is used to emphasise the difference of this heroism story against others and therefore symbolism is of great importance in this poem. The importance of the following symbols will be discussed in this paper; the pentangle, the colour green, the Green Knight, the exchange of winnings game, the axe and the scar. This paper argues the significance of the use of symbolism as a literary device in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.