Chivalric heroes, unlike the epic heroes in stories such as Beowulf, do more than fight to protect their people; they go out of their way in order to look for a test to prove their strength, to fight for their morals and ideals, and to keep their word to prove their loyalty and honor. Gawain, from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, embodies all of the traits that qualify him to be a chivalric hero. According to the website Luminarium, “the virtues of a chivalric hero are similar to those of his epic counterpart—valor, generosity, loyalty, honor, and skill in battle—however, the sense given to 'loiautee,' loyalty, at this period is more intricate and more significant”, and we see the depth of Gawain’s loyalty and courage early on in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Jokinen). While the Green Knight challenges a room full of Knights, Gawain is the only one to come forth and put his life on the life, for no reason other than to prove his worth, to take responsibility for his duty, and to spare his King. Gawain states that “I am the weakest of warriors and feeblest of wit; / loss of my life would be least lamented”, when in fact, he becomes the only true knight in the story (“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” 193). During the Middle Ages, the Knights seated around the table should have been falling over themselves to stand up and protect their King and to prove their worth and yet Gawain was the only one who took the challenge, regardless of what it would cost him in the end. There is nothing more courageous than offering one’s own life to spare someone else’s, and nothing less should have been expected from a Knight. A major factor in being considered a chivalric hero is honor. Gawain proves to honor his word in searching for the ... ... middle of paper ... ..., for which my neck bears the scar; / a sign of my fault and offence and failure, / of the cowardice and covetousness I came to commit” (“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” 237). This is a lesson that Gawain learned throughout his journey, and because of this and his humility, he was able to come out of his adventure with a newfound appreciation for his actions and their consequences; something that any hero must be able to do. Works Cited Abels, Dr. Richard. “Medieval Chivalry.” The United States Naval Academy. n.d. Web. 19 February 2014. Jokinen, Anniina. "Heroes of the Middle Ages." Luminarium. 23 February 1998. Web. 18 February 2014. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume 1. 9th ed. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 186-238. Print.
Phillipa, Hardman. "Gawain's Practice of Piety in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight." EBSCO host Academic Search Premier.
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.
...or a chivalric Knight embodies the battle of the righteous self against corruption. Gawain’s strength comes from his discovery of his own flaws. Beowulf’s ideals concerning honor and nobility exist only within the context of his society. Remove him from other people, and his life would be meaningless. This is the true flaw of Beowulf, which the character of Gawain, by the end of his story, comes to realize. The notion of "winning" can be applied at all times to the personality of the chivalric Knight. The battleground becomes the mind, which is separate from the realm of reality. Beowulf does not have the capability to win, without the recognition of his fellow warriors. Within the mind, all sorts of battles are waged. The true winner is the person who can learn from that struggle, and who is able to apply that knowledge within both solitary and societal venues.
Gawain Shows three traits throughout this story that make him a hero. Braveness, Strength, and Chivalrousness. Gawain shows braveness in lines 139-142. It says “Then Gawain and Guinevers’s side bowed and spoke his design: “Before all, king, confide this fight to me. May it be mine.”” This shows Gawain being brave because he steps up and asks the king to let him do the fight instead of the king. He is risking his life so that he king doesn't have to. And thats brave. Gawain also shows his strength in this story in lines 197-204. It says “Gawain
Gawain’s behaviour is not looked upon as modest by others in the court, but rather disreputable. The D...
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 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.
In Chrétien de Troyes’ Yvain, Calogrenant relates his ‘adventure’ in Broceliande. He meets a monstrous herdsman in a forest, who asks who Calogrenant is:
Beowulf and Sir Gawain have many aspects, such as their motives, good deeds, and correcting of wrongs, in common. Many, however, seem to differ because of the type of person they are, want to be, and their drive in life. Beowulf is more self-centered yet helps those who support him while Sir Gawain protects others while having to fix the wrongs in himself. Throughout history and literature, whether ancient, classic, or modern, the idea of a perfect hero is so remote, due to their individualities as a person.
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, / ...
In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Poet Pearl, Sir Gawain, knight of the Round Table, acts chivalrously, yet his intents are insincere and selfish. It is the advent season in Middle Age Camelot, ruled by King Arthur when Poet Pearl begins the story. In this era citizens valued morals and expected them to be demonstrated, especially by the highly respected Knights of the Round Table. As one of Arthur’s knights, Sir Gawain commits to behaving perfectly chivalrous; however, Gawain falls short of this promise. Yes, he acts properly, but he is not genuine. The way one behaves is not enough to categorize him as moral; one must also be sincere in thought. Gawain desires to be valued as
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, it is revealed just how many actions and qualities can be presented for a person to be considered a hero. Unlike Beowulf, Sir Gawain was not born into aristocracy, and is instead a mere knight at the round table of King Arthur. Sir Gawain is certainly quite humble toward himself and his achievements as shown in the quote “I am the weakest, I know, and the dullest-minded, So my death would be the least loss” (Shmoop Editorial Team), which contrasts much to Beowulf’s arrogance. The reason Gawain accepted the Green Knight’s challenge was for the sake of his king’s life. Sir Gawain showed bravery and valor in his decision to accept his fate that the Green Knight had forced upon him. On his journey to find the Green Knight and have his blow returned to himself, Gawain shows his perseverance as well as his undying faith to his Christian saints. Once Gawain finds sanctuary in Bertilak’s Castle, he was faced with the temptation to lie to his savior, a temptation he fell into just before he went to face his demise. When Sir Gawain faces his king he is humiliated at his failure, however, King Arthur is also disappointed in himself for allowing a knight of his table to face such a challenge alone. Sir Gawain shows many different attributes than Beowulf but he is still considered a hero for his humbleness and
The tales of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Lanval offer their readers insight into a common knightly quandary. Gawain and Lanval are both faced with challenges that threaten their ability to protect, uphold, and affirm their very knightliness. The two knights repeatedly see several knightly traits--- each invaluable to the essence of a knight--- brought into conflict. While the knights are glorified in their respective texts, they are faced with impossible dilemmas; in each story, both reader and knight are confronted with the reality that knightly perfection is unattainable: concessions must be made--- bits and pieces of their honor must be sacrificed.
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”.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight fit in with the concept of a romance; it has all the elements that would make one consider the text as so. The tale holds adventure, magic, a quest and an unexpected reality check that even those who are considered “perfect” are also just humans. The author used this story as a way of revealing faults in some of the aspects of knighthood through the use of intertwining chivalric duty with natural human acts; thus showing to be perfectly chivalrous would be inhuman.