Chivalry Depicted in 'The Green Knight'

Chivalry in, “Green Knight”

(An Understanding of Chivalry in, “The Green Knight”)

Many tales of knights and kings have been told through the years, and most have a certain value and theme to portray. The main theme that is discussed in the medieval poem, is chivalry. More importantly, how chivalry may be tested and even valued by others. Chivalry, is a combination of many ideals and values within the time period, such: as loyalty to the king; courage in the face of destiny; and strength of character. It also interprets many values that are seen as customary to the culture we live in today, like courtesy, respect, the keeping of the honor of women, and to fight for the welfare of the people. As depicted by Horatio Alger, in his essay for the Pictorial National Library, “The institution of chivalry forms one of the most remarkable features in the history of the Middle Ages.” The Middle Ages created many forms of idealistic values which are continually used still to this day. The first form of chivalry seen within the medieval poem, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” is when Gawain offers himself to take the place of king Arthur for the knight’s game. Secondly, Gawain shows chivalry when he fulfills his promises to the Green Knight. Lastly, chivalry is shown when

Gawain is at the Green Knight’s chapel to receive his portion of the ax. Within, “The Green Knight,” there are three major scenes of chivalry shown.
Firstly, chivalry is shown within the story, “The Green Knight,” when Gawain asks the queen if he may stand in the place of his lord, King Arthur, swinging the ax of the Green Knight. Protecting the king is the highest priority being a knight, and Gawain stood firm in the tradition as he asked the king and queen if he may stand in Arthur’s place. Even though this was not meant to be an act of boastfulness, he made himself humbled before the king in saying, “Though you be tempted thereto, to take it on yourself while so bold men about upon benches sit, that no host under heaven is hardier of will, nor better brothers-in-arms where battle is joined; I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest; and the loss of my life would be least of any; that I have you for an uncle is my only praise.” (Lines 124-130) The fact that this man depicted himself as less than his worth so that his king may live, shows an in depth look of chivalry. Also, this act of protection shows the amount of love and respect that knights had for their kings at the time. Chivalry is noted as being a lost art, or as stated in the song by Trevor Wesley, “Chivalry is Dead,” but it seems that there are still areas of chivalry that are not “Dead.”
Secondly, Gawain shows chivalry in the story, “The Green Knight,” by fulfilling his promise of tracking down the Green Knight so he may receive his blow from the ax. Within the story, the Green Knight challenges the knights of king Arthur to trade blows of an ax with him. When no one accepted the knight’s game, Arthur himself accepted. As explicated above, Gawain was chivalrous enough to take the ax from Arthur and strike the Green Knight, while he knew, in return, that the knight would also get to bid him the same strike. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the Green Knight picked his head up off of the ground and rode out of the hall. Gawain shows his second act of chivalry by living up to his word, and finding the Green Knight the following year. As the Green Knight himself states, as he finished giving Gawain a light cut on the neck, “First I flourished with a feint, in frolicsome mood, and left your hide unhurt and here I did well by the fair terms we fixed on the first night; and fully and faithfully you followed accord.” (Lines 436-439) This excerpt shows why the knight spared the life of Gawain. The Green knight explicates that since Gawain held his promise, he was a genuine knight. Being true to your word gives a person credibility and trust, and it helps show others that they can rely on a person when they give their promises. As Abraham Lincoln once stated in a speech, which was delivered before the first Republican state convention of Illinois, “We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot.” Lincoln was explicating that if one cannot perform the act, one must not promise to perform it. Whether or not Gawain was able to perform the act wasn’t a matter for question, he was the only one who was both able and willing to promise this act, and that in itself is an act of chivalry.
Finally, Gawain shows his last bit of chivalry in “The Green Knight,” by his actions during his time at the Green Chapel. While he walked into the chapel, he saw the green knight sharpening a scythe, symbolizing death. As the green knight drops the ax to Gawain’s bare neck, he stopped the stroke of the ax because Gawain flinched. Upon the sight of movement, the knight raised his voice and taunted at Gawain for being cowardly, for he did not move a muscle when the blade chopped off his head the year before. After the taunting, Gawain spat to the Green Knight, “Strike once more; I shall neither flinch nor flee; but if my head falls to the floor there is no mending me!” Again, the knight raised his ax, except this time he dropped it hard, only nicking the neck of Gawain, drawing blood. When the knight finally explicated who he was, and his reasons for not killing him, Gawain realized his misdeeds and he apologized quickly for all of them. Before arriving to the Green Chapel, he stayed three nights with a lord, who happened to be the Green Knight, and his lady. The Green Knight had his wife try to seduce Gawain, to see if he would take advantage, and he did not. Also, they agreed to exchange what they had through the three days, and the one fault that Gawain had, was that he did not give the knight the green girdle that the knight’s wife had given him the night before. Which was why the knight nicked the skin of Gawain’s neck. As stated by Homer, in his book, The Iliad, “It is not possible to fight beyond your strength, even if you strive.” This quotation explicates how no matter what the desire to win, there is a limit to the strength you can fight with. Gawain only had strength to fight for his life until he had none left, he did not fight because that wasn’t a part of the pact the two had made. However, Gawain still only had so much fight left in him to wait for the Green Knight to finish the swing of his ax, and in turn, the knight showed favor and spared him for his chivalry.
There are three main parts where chivalry was shown, in the medieval poem, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Firstly, Gawain shows his first symbol of chivalry, by stepping in place of king Arthur for the Green Knight’s game of strike-for-strike with the enormous ax.

Also, Sir Gawain exemplified chivalry during his trek to the Green Chapel in search of the Green Knight, as he gave his word to do. Lastly, the way that Gawain changed his attitude at the Green Chapel, towards certain death, from frightfulness, to prideful anger showed that he understood his consequence. Overall, the ability to maintain the composure of Gawain, knowing he would most certainly die, is an immense showing of chivalry and

courage.