Sir Gawain is the main character of the story “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” He is considered one of the greatest knights and supposedly shows a humble attitude. Sir Gawain is not perfect, he is human and makes very human mistakes. He is not the worst knight of the round table but he also cannot be described as the best knight there. Ultimately, Sir Gawain is very worthy of his seat at the round table. Furthermore, in the story of the Green Knight, the Green Knight proposes a game to test the knights’ courageousness. The game is that one of the knights has to cut the Green Knight’s head off with an axe if, in return he can also cut off their head in exactly a year and a day. Since no one steps up to take the challenge Arthur himself decides to do it. Seeing this Sir Gawain takes decides to play the game saving Arthur’s life. This shows that Gawain is loyal to his king and he would give his life in order to save Arthur’s.
Later in the story of the Green Knight when it comes time for Gawain to pay the prices of playing the game he
…show more content…
He proves more than once that he has earned his spot at the Round Table. He always admits to his mistakes and has openly repented for what few and understandable mistakes he has made. In his case all the good he has done outweighs the bad. Gawain, ultimately is worthy of his seat.
Works Cited
Shmoop Editorial Team. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Summary.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/sir-gawain-green-knight/summary.html.
Parfitt, Georgina. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Lines 1-490." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 3 Sep 2013. Web. 3 Jan 2018.
“Sir Gawaine.” King Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table, www.kingarthursknights.com/knights/gawaine.asp.
Joe, Jimmy. “Timeless Myths- Sir Gawain.” Sir Gawain, 16 Dec. 2001, www.timelessmyths.com/arthurian/gawain.html.
“Gawain Legendary Knight.” Encyclopaedia Britannica,
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...
8[8] Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Marie Borroff. Norton Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1, New York: WW Norton, 1993.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight takes its protagonist, the noble Gawain, through
Barron, W.R.J., trans. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.. New York: Manchester University Press, 1974.
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.
Sir Gawain is, undoubtably, the most varied of the Arthurian characters: from his first minor appearance as Gwalchmei in the Welsh tales to his usually side-line participation in the modern retelling of the tales, no other character has gone from such exalted heights (being regarded as a paragon of virtue) to such dismal depths (being reduced to a borderline rapist, murderer, and uncouth bore), as he. This degree of metamorphosis in character, however, has allowed for a staggering number of different approaches and studies in Gawain.
Sir Gawain stands up for he believes that his uncle should not take on the Green Knight while so many others, as mentioned earlier, are able. Gawain is successful by not only standing for what he believes in but also in defeating the Green Knight. The Green Knight plays the role of the tempter in this scene. He first tempts the court, but is defeated. Sir Gawain overcomes his first
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Sixth Edition, Volume One. General Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: Norton, 1993.
Sir Gawain was heroic in seeking out the Green Knight to finish the challenge that was brought to King Arthur’s men. “Said Gawain, ‘Strike once more; /I shall neither flinch nor flee; /But if my head falls to the floor /There is no mending me!’” (lns. 2280-2283) There was no physical power that forced Sir Gawain to keep true to his word. Gawain sought out the Green Knight, just as he had promised, and was now about to receive the blow that would send him to his death. This quote shows that Sir Gawain was ready to be dealt his fate, and that he knew there was no way for him to survive as the Green Knight had done earlier in the poem. This shows a very human side to Sir Gawain as he appears somewhat afraid of death, but ready to face it nonetheless. It is this willingness and readiness to accept death at the hand of the Green Knight that makes Sir Gawain a...
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Brian Stone. The Middle Ages, Volume 1A. Eds. Christopher Baswell and Anne Howland Schotter. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Fourth ed. Gen.eds David Damrosch, and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. New York: Pearson-Longman, 2010. 222-77. Print.
Markman, Alan M. "The Meaning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." Modern Language Association 72.4 (1957): 574-86. JSTOR. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
In the Authorain legend, Sir Gawain has great nobility, honesty, loyalty and chivalry. Sir Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur and a member of the king's elite Round Table. In the texts of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and "The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell," Gawain is portrayed as a hero who exemplifies the characteristics of an honorable knight. He is viewed by many in King Arthur's court as a noble man who is loyal to the king, and who will sacrifice his own life to protect his lord. Sir Gawain represents an ideal knight of the fourteenth century.
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight has prompted scholars to examine and diversely interpret the medieval narrative. One of the underlying questions that has been proposed embodies the analysis of the relationship between Christian and Pagan ideals and how knightly chivalry is influenced by religion during the Arthurian Romance period. It is no mistake that the two varied religious ideals are intertwined throughout the poem due to the nature of classical antiquity. Amidst the overlap between superstitious rituals and Orthodox- Christian beliefs it is clear that Sir Gawain has a sense of personal integrity guided by a moral compass.
King Arthur is originally the first person to take the Green Knight’s offer. As soon as he steps up to bat, Sir Gawain jumps in and says he will take the offer. All the people from the kingdom gave him their upmost respect because he was the only knight from the round table willing to jump in and save King Arthur’s life while risking his own. Sir Gawain was a hero in this moment. Later on in the story, Sir Gawain still adheres to the deal and goes to find the Green Knight to be struck by him.
As many brave men and women stand up and fight for our country, not to benefit themselves, but just to help fight for our freedom. An act of too courageous for many living within the United States of America, but to American soldiers it is just another day fighting and protecting the people of America. Even though it is common for the military to protect civilians, there is a similar character who has the same mindset as they do. Sir Gawain, the youngest Knight of the Round Table, took up the Green Knight on his dare on New Years Eve in Camelot which is King Arthur's court. In the unidentified but has been called Sir Gawain and the Green Knight poem, this man of the round table is brave enough to take the dare of the Green Knight.