Analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

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Analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, after Gawain ventures “into a forest fastness, fearsome and wild” (Norton, 311), he prays that he will be able to find “harborage” on Christmas Eve (Norton, 312). It is the middle of winter, and Gawain has been traveling in search of the Green Knight whose head he has cut off. After he prays and signs himself three times, Gawain finds a magical castle in the midst of a winter forest. He rides to the castle and is granted permission to enter by the lord. Gawain is attended to in a fashion befitting kings, and he meets the lord who tells his identity to all in the court. There are many significant implications and foreshadowings which occur during Gawain’s stay at the castle. Many references to the pentangle and Jesus Christ are found in this passage of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The castle which appears after Sir Gawain prays has many odd characteristics, and its inhabitants seem to know who Gawain is before he tells them. They seem to be waiting for the arrival of the young Gawain, who is venturing in search of the Green Knight.

Gawain is a dynamic, evolving character. As the story progresses, he matures and gains experience from his journey. It is evident that Gawain is a loyal, religious, and honorable knight. He is naïve and young, but he has the makings of an ideal knight. Gawain shows honor and courage by honoring the agreement he makes with the Green Knight. He ventures from Arthur’s court in search of the Green Knight and arrives in a forest where he prays for a place to stay so that he can hear mass on Christmas Eve: “No sooner had Sir Gawain signed himself thrice than he was ware, in the wood, of a wondrous dwelling” (Norton, 312)...

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...red is he. Each said solemnly aside to his brother, ‘Now displays of deportment shall dazzle our eyes and the polished pearls of impeccable speech; The high art of eloquence is ours to pursue since the father of fine manners is found in our midst (Norton, 315).

These lines show that the people of the castle have heard of Gawain before he arrives at the court. They speak of things before Gawain mentions anything about his knowledge of the green knight. The people are planning to be dazzled by displays of deportment, and this is strange because these people should not know anything about Gawain.

The castle in which Sir Gawain seeks refuge for the Christmas season is full of mysterious implications and references. Many of the occurrences in the castle seem out of the ordinary, but Gawain’s arrival in the castle is essential to his growth as a person and knight.

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