According to Pedro Calderon de la Barca Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises. Not only is the green a color but, it is a symbol for humanity. The color green has an impact on the poem because the knight that challenges Sir Gawain is green. In the poem green represents nature, throughout the poem the color green is brought up to signifi the importance of how nature affects us. Arguably, Sir Gawain, as a result of his journey, is the most chivalrous knight in Camelot and the round table because he chooses the right things to do.
In Part one of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is characterized as a very good knight. The traits he shows are that he is unconfident, honorable, and ambitious,
…show more content…
all traits of a knight that honors chivalry. First, Sir Gawain proves he has low self-esteem when he volunteers for the Green Knight’s challenge and explains, “I am the weakest, well I know and of wit feeblest; And the loss of my life would be least of any” (Borroff l. 128-9) Also, Sir Gawain says “That I have you for uncle is my only praise” (Borroff l. 130). Here Gawain is saying that people only know him because of his Uncle. Secondly, Sir Gawain is honorable because he volunteers himself for the challenge the Green Knight proposes to Camelot. The poems says, “Gawain grips to his ax and gathers it aloft- the left foot on the floor before him he set- brought it down deftly upon the bare neck” (Borroff l. 193-5) proving that Gawain is honorable because he follows through with the challenge. Also, the story shows that Gawain is ambitious. Gawain volunteers himself for the challenge so he must be ambitious and he must prove to the court that he is worthy, brave and honorable knight. The story says “He rose up readily, and reached him with speed, bows low to his lord” (Borroff l. 140) showing he is ambitious and wants to prove to the court he is a good knight. The first part of this poem shows that Gawain is a great knight and has many traits that make him unique. In Part II, Sir Gawain sets off to keep his promise with the Green Knight during this adventure Gawain encounters many obstacles and shows his true character.
During the time at the castle and his journey to the green knight, Gawain shows that he is driven, impressive, and has strong morals. First, Gawain is impressive because the lady of the castle wants to be with him even though he has only been there for a day. Also, when Gawain sets off for the Green Knight, the story says, “After journeying through grom landscapes and fighting dragons, ogres, and wild beasts, Gawain arrives.” (Gardner 66) This shows that Gawain is impressive because not many people can go through this many hardships and stay alive. Secondly, he is very driven to be great knight. To be a great knight you mustn’t be a coward which Gawain tries so hard not to be. We know this because Gawain has traveled all this way to complete this promise and challenge which is not being a coward. Gawain also shows that he has great morals because of the exchange of gifts. When the lord of the castle sets off for a fox hunt and leaves Gawain with the lady of the castle, and gives Gawain two kisses in two days. So Gawain returns the kisses to the Lord. But, on the third day, Gawain the lady of the castle “held out to him a rich ring of the red gold with a bright jewel blazing on it that flashed as bright as the sunrays. It was worth a king’s ransom, but Gawain refused it” (Gardner 67). This shows that Gawain has strong …show more content…
morals because he refused the ring and returned all of the gifts besides the girdle the lady of the castle gives him. In Part three of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain arrives at the Green Chapel, and not face the end of the challenge.
In this part Sir Gawain is portrayed as poised, fearless, and selfish. First, Sir Gawain is portrayed as poised because when he arrives at the Green Chapel it looks like the devil lives there. When Gawain sees the Green Chapel he heard “On the hill, behind a hard rock, Beyond the brook, from the bank, a most barbarous din” ( Borroff l. 297-8). This shows that Gawain is poised because he see that the castle is scary and hears a very frightening sound yet the sound doesn’t faze him, keeps his poise, and continues on. Secondly, Gawain is fearless because he followed through with the challenge and let fate control him. Gawin says “Let God work! Ah me! All hope of help has fled Forfeit my life may be But noise I do not dread.” (Borroff l. 440) This shows that Gawain is fearless and will accept his fate. Lastly, Gawain is portrayed as selfish, according to the Green knight.. The Green Knight says “But that you loved your own life; the less than, to blame.” This quote shows that Gawain is selfish because he took the girdle besides obeying what Lord Bertilak says they will do. Overall in the last part of the poem Sir Gawain shows his true traits which are that he is poised, fearless, and
selfish. Obviously, Sir Gawain is arguably the most chivalrous at the round table. The Green Knight and Sir Gawain are similar, they both are motivated and courageous. As we see at the end of the poem these traits shape each character into who they are. They might look very different but they are actually very alike. The comparison between the two shows that Sir Gawain is a better knight than he thinks he is. After reading the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the reader should feel that every day they should ask themselves “Is this the right thing to do?”
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 choice and choose me a husband for the noble I know….would I elect before you”.
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
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
Over the course of the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain faced situations that influenced his character which can be taken and analyzed for a teenager today. A teenager typically faces the issue of blending in and accepting who they are in high school, and by viewing Gawain’s experiences and changes, we can use it to adapt along with our peers in school. Initially, he is seen as a humble and unpopular knight amongst every other at the round table in Camelot. However this changes after engaging in a violent game with the Green Knight. Gawain gained fame over the course of a year, and as a result it had changed his initial outlook on his loyalty to the chivalric code, as well as his values on life.
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
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight – A Test of Chivalry Essay with Outline: Loyalty, courage, honor, purity, and courtesy are all attributes of a knight that displays chivalry. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is truly a story of the test of these attributes. In order to have a true test of these attributes, there must first be a knight worthy of being tested, meaning that the knight must possess chivalric attributes to begin with. Sir Gawain is admittedly not the best knight around. He says "I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest; / and the loss of my life [will] be the least of any" (Sir Gawain, l. 354-355).
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.
When Gawain shows up at the Green Knight’s chapel, his mere presence provides comfort to his host, who greets him: “Sir so sweet, you honour the trysts you owe.” Perhaps the green gallant had been expecting Gawain, as representative of the crumbling House of Arthur, to be derelict in his duties. Gawain lives up to his good name. Similarly, he resisted the unbearable temptations of Lady Bertilak on numerous occasions, providing a mere kiss, in accordance with the code of chivalry.
Symbolism is used throughout literature to give deeper meaning to a variety of literary works. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight symbolism is seen through the actions of Sir Gawain against the trials he faces. The poem is first set during Christmas time at Camelot, showing that they were Christian for they were celebrating Christmas. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight shows the struggle between a good Christian man against the temptations of this world. Symbolically, one can see Sir Gawain holding true to Christian values: first, by standing up for what he believes in; second, by staying true to a future mate; and thirdly by repenting from sins due to a broken promise.
Initially, Gawain’s strongest trait is humility, Beowulf’s is pride. In the beginning of Gawain and the Green Knight, a mysterious warrior enters King Arthur’s court to extend a challenge. Although he knows others in the court would handle the challenge better than him, out of respect, when King Arthur attempts to accept the challenge Gawain comes forth and suggests he takes his place. Gawain presents himself as “the weakest of them, I know, and the dullest-minded/ so my death would be least loss, if truth should be told/ only because you are my uncle am I to be praised/ no virtue I know in myself but your blood” (Broadview Analogy 269). Instead of bragging about his bravery, Gawain acts modestly and states that his death would be of little loss during this challenge. He is not self-absorbed and gives off the impression that the only reason he is a knight is because of his relation with King Arthur. By stating this, he gives off the impression that his self confidence is quite weak; this is astonishing for a character of this era. Although King Arthur has at least one of his knights to be proud of, it seems as though
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...
The fact that he is willing to hold to his stated word is evidence enough that he has good ethics. After Gawain accepts the challenge of the Green Knight he promises to let the Knight perform the challenge to himself. Gawain also has respect for women and their wishes. Gawain’s respect is indicated by the immediate response of Gawain to kiss the lady of the castle after she comes in to greet Gawain for the first time. Gawain’s action stems from the lady’s statement, "So true a knight as Gawain is holden, and one so perfect in courtesy, would never have tarried so long with a lady but he would of his courtesy have craved a kiss at parting." The meaning of this quotation is if this man in the bed were truly the noble knight Sir Gawain, he would not have taken as long as he did to kiss the master of the castle’s wife. A few other examples from the ethics of Sir Gawain are the three promises or instances of gift exchanges with the lord of the castle. For the most part, Gawain holds to his word and gives to the castle lord that which he, Gawain, had received each day. The one instance that he breaks his code of ethics occurs when he exchanges the third gift of three kisses with the host, when in all actuality he had been given a girdle by the lady of the castle to aid him in his encounter with the Green
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.
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.
Gawain's actions reflect the social mores of 14th century England, where a good knight was expected to adhere firmly to the code of chivalry. Gawain is the model knight, gallant and valorous, not to mention a devout Christian. Gawain's superb character traits are bolstered by his status as a member of King Arthur's court. The Gawain poet writes of Camelot: "With all delights on earth they housed there together, / ...