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The pressure to act righteously and to succeed socially forces individuals to sacrifice certain standards in order to achieve others. When deciding God and reputation, individuals’ ethics are questioned and sometimes changed. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight exemplifies this idea and the effect Christian and pagan ideals had during medieval times through its poetic language. There are several instances in the poem where Sir Gawain must decide between honor and his faith which unknowingly affects the outcome of his quest. Simon Armitage further denotes these ideals through tonal devices. The honor of being one of King Arthur’s knight and the Christian beliefs during his time form and shape Sir Gawain’s moral standards. His morals are altered …show more content…
as these cultural influences at different parts of his journey affect him and conflict with one another. Sir Gawain quest begins at Camelot where he accepts the Green Knight’s beheading game. Being the youngest and least experienced knight, Gawain considers himself to be the “weakest of your [King Arthur’s] warriors and feeblest of wit (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 1.354). By taking upon the Green Knight’s challenge, Gawain can prove himself to be more than King Arthur’s nephew and worthy of being a fellow knight along his peers. As a knight of Camelot, he must represent the “fortitude and fearlessness” (1.311) and the “breathtaking bravery and the big-mouth bragging” (1.312) the castle is known for. The alliteration of these lines emphasizes the pressure on Gawain to succeed in returning from his quest soundly. If he were to fail in keeping his promise or to die in his challenge, Gawain would bring shame upon himself and Camelot. When Gawain accepts the green girdle later on his journey, “the green sash is to represent Gawain’s attempt to save himself” (Champion 420) as Larry Champion mentions in his criticism. In his perspective at the time, Gawain took the girdle in order to ensure his success in his challenge and to protect his honor. During his journey to find the Green Chapel, Gawain is also influenced by his Christian faith.
While in the wilderness he prays to God to “let Mother Mary guide him towards some house or haven” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 2.738-739). The next day, he prays to God to “let me [Gawain] happen on some house where mass might be heard” (2.755). At this part of his quest, Gawain express his reliance on God and his need for God’s help. Gawain puts faith in God rather than doubting God and trying to find a place to stay on his own. Champion even points out “his utter dependence upon God’s grace for safety and salvation” (424). This repeating idea of prayer and the need for God demonstrates the Christian idea that people need to believe in God and his grace. Trying to act independently during times of need can portray a lack of trust in God. But by maintaining the Christians morals of the time, Gawain can guarantee that “his soul might be saved when he goes to the grave” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 3.1879). These morals correlate to some the virtues expected of him as a knight such as honesty and chastity. The pressure to sustain Christian values and his complete trust in God encourages him continue on his quest even though he is still unaware of where the Green Chapel is. When confronted by Lady Bertilak’s wife during the three seduction scenes of the poem, Gawain manages to overcome the temptations and remain chaste. And as he promised, Gawain does succeed in finding the …show more content…
Green Chapel a year after the deal was made. When presented with the green girdle, Gawain is confronted by a decision that contradict his views on life and as a result he must choose between God and his honor.
By choosing the green girdle, he expresses a doubt that God will save him. Gawain states that “with luck, it might let him escape with his life” (3.1858). But as Phillipa Herdman discusses in his criticism, “…Christians [should] rely not on the object but on God to ward off evil spirits” (Herdman 257). Gawain therefore is trying to save his own life rather than trusting that God will spare him. Gawain has chosen to maintain his reputation and try to protect his life rather than put faith in God. The cut on his neck that Gawain receives from the Green Knight symbolizes his lack of trust in God to save him; the green girdle, which he wears as a sash after the second confrontation with the Green Knight, represents the shame of breaking his promise with Bertilak. By being dishonest in order to succeed in his quest, Gawain feels as if he has brought dishonor to Camelot. Champion explains this by stating “the sash- which originally betokened Gawain’s denial of the need for grace as a result of original sin- has now become a constant reminder of the virulent dangers of Pelagian self-determination” (Champion 424). What is ironic is that when Gawain prays to God to help him find a place to stay, he ask that God “be near me in my need” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 2.762). Immediately after he prays, Gawain finds a
castle to stay at. But since Gawain did not ask for help from God once he arrives at the Green Chapel, it is as if God is no longer with him. Sir Gawain, during his quest, is influenced by culture of his society. The honor he holds as a knight and his Christian ideals affected his ethics. The green girdle represents a conflict between these influences and Gawain’s choice to maintain his reputation over his faith in God to save him. As a result, Gawain returns home with the green sash as a symbol that he needs God. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight therefore can symbolize the conflict of faith in God versus pagan beliefs of fate and magic.
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...
While Gawain fails to accept the truth about his immoral identity, he also fails to maintain a sincere and truthful relationship with God. Camelot believes that Gawain is a perfectly chivalrous and Catholic knight, when in actuality he is an actor with an impure thought. Gawain is driven by selfish motives; he only considers what is best for him and as a result, uses God as a vehicle to get what he wants. Gawain acknowledges God when he desires comfort and “crosses himself, and cries on Christ in his great need,” of a castle (761-761). Likewise, Gawain prays when he wants protecting; his shield, decorated with the highly symbolic Pentangle and Virgin Mary, is the ultimate Holy accessory for his battle. Gawain only regards God when he is either wishing for comfort or for safety. Furthermore, Gawain strays from Catholicism completely by expecting the green sash to save him in the fight. Believing that the magical Pagan article will truly redeem him, demonstrates fear and proves Gawain lacks faith in God. Gawain lacks morals when abandoning Catholicism for a Pagan artifact, and when he does pray to God his spiritual motives are impure and
Of all the themes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the one which stood out the most to me was that of deception. With the Green Knight, the “evil” and Sir Gawain, the “good”, we see both forces partake in deceptive practices to achieve the desired outcome they sought. Throughout the poem, Sir Gawain’s moral compass was constantly being tested with deception being used to gage his level of loyalty, morality, and chivalry. The “game” that the Green Knight was hell bent on playing was not an honest one. He utilized a host of deceptions to gain the results that he sought after—there was little to no room for error with him. First, he presented a challenge in which he alone knew that he would not perish. When he asked for a volunteer to strike him with the ax, the Green Knight
He observes the progress of one’s journey and listens to people’s prayers. Similarly, the Green Knight secretly watches Sir Gawain through a disguise – Lord Bertilak. By disguising himself, the Green Knight could continue to test Sir Gawain’s faith by initiating another agreement. Unaware of the Green Knight’s presence, Sir Gawain is continually examined to discover the truth to his fidelity. Initially, Sir Gawain faces stressful and challenging experiences along his trek to the Green Chapel. Alone and enveloped by harsh winter’s cold, he “prays for God’s grace to save him” (Champion 418). Luckily, Sir Gawain’s prayers are heard when he uncovered Lord Bertilak’s castle amongst the woods. By humbly inviting Sir Gawain into the castle, pleas for safety and shelter from harsh conditions are answered, a depiction of God’s (the Green Knight’s) grace. Nonetheless, Sir Gawain’s hardships do not cease, but in fact, they continue to fall and weigh upon his shoulders. Once again, Sir Gawain partakes in another agreement, involving the exchanging of winnings. Human faith is yet again being tested, and once more fails to succeed. The affection of Lady Bertilak is arranged by the Green Knight himself as another test; however, Sir Gawain “fell short a little . . . and lacked fidelity” (Winny 4.2366). Fear of death encourages Sir Gawain to submit to greed. In order to continue living, he wears the Green Knight’s
The green girdle is more than just a symbol of Gawain’s dishonesty to Bercilak. A. The girdle is also symbolic of Gawain’s faith in a worldly object. B. Gawain fails in this test of his attributes by relying on the girdle to save his life. VI.
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain humbly approaches the King and courageously says, “For I find it not fit… when such a boon is begged… though you be tempted… to take in on yourself while so bold men about upon benches sit” (122-125) “And for that this folly befits a king, and ‘tis I that have asked it, it ought to be mine” (132-133). He, the weakest Knight, sees the injustice of someone challenging the King and instead of acting passively he willingly sacrifices himself for the King’s sake, which shows his loyalty, courage and integrity. However, Sir Gawain becomes a hypocrite even though the Green Knight says, “Friend mine, it seems your word holds good” (333-334) because the Green Knight’s wife “made trial of a man most faultless by far” (452) and he did not remain loyal and honest. The opportunity of remaining secure and safe presents itself and selfishly he chooses this course of action; consequently, he “lacked… a little in loyalty there” (456). In the end, the Green Knight reprimands him for his dishonesty and lack of integrity and in return Sir Gawain, shamefully responds “I confess, knight, in this place, most dire is my misdeed; let me gain back your good grace…” (Line 474-476) so even though he was not noble and loyal throughout the entire course he remains sincere in his apology. His loyalty to the King in the
In the final scenes of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain’s encounter with Sir Bertilak allows Gawain to perceive his own flaws, manifested in his acceptance of the Green Girdle. The court’s reaction to his personal guilt highlights the disconnect between him and the other knights of the Round Table. Gawain’s behavior throughout the poem has been most noteworthy; his understanding of his sin, one that many of us would dismiss since it was propelled by his love of life, enhances his stature as a paragon of chivalry.
Christian Values in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Thesis Statement: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight shows the struggle between a good Christian man against the temptations of this world. I. Taking a Stand A. Worthiness B. Sir Gawain stands C. Trial overcome II.
No matter where we go in the world, we will always be surrounded and tempted by sin. These temptations test our character and morality, and they prove that our human nature inherently causes us to fall to the sins that encompass us. Even though the world is a dark and immoral place to live, we all value our lives and are prepared to do almost anything to protect ourselves from harm’s way. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the green girdle serves as symbol that highlights Gawain’s incessant love for life that tempts him to stray from his knightly code of chivalry.
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...
It does this conceptually, by emphasizing human nature over chivalry, and it does this narratively through Gawain’s failure as a knight, and the Green Knight’s illegitimacy as a true villain. In traditional romance of this time, the protagonist could not have faltered in chivalry; Gawain’s “lapses of courage and honour… are highly untypical of the knightly conduct we find illustrated with such stultifying sameness in medieval story” (Shedd 245). But this occurs because the Green Knight is not the true villain; the real conflict is Gawain’s struggle against his own human nature. While the Green Knight appears to be a classic antagonist in the first part of the poem, he proves himself merciful and forgiving in the final part, stating that he does not blame Gawain because it was only because “[he] loved [his] own life” that he failed the final test (95). Rather than merely taking Sir Gawain’s head, the Green Knight gave him the opportunity to prove himself as “faultless” (95), or above his human nature, to “[purge] the debt” (96). Just as Shedd argues, the shift from external to internal conflict in the poem sets Sir Gawain and the Green Knight apart from other works of medieval romance.
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
The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight revolves around the knights and their chivalry as well as their romance through courtly love. The era in which this story takes place is male-dominated, where the men are supposed to be brave and honorable. On the other hand, the knight is also to court a lady and to follow her commands. Sir Gawain comes to conflict when he finds himself needing to balance the two by being honorable to chivalry as well as respectful to courtly love.
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.
After reading through the piece of literature Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, one will realize there are many elements present throughout that could be analyzed such as humility, chastity, and courage. It could be interpreted that the author meant for the main theme of the writing to be a theme of chastity. Although the element of chastity is present in that Sir Gawain is tested by many sexual temptations, the element of humility is one that is prominent and changing throughout the piece. Humility is apparent throughout the story in the way Sir Gawain displays false humility at the beginning, the way he keeps his humility during his stay at the castle, and the way he is truly learns humility after his challenges with the Green Knight are over.