Gawain's Armour Meaning

Meaning of Sir Gawain’s Armour
A knight was known by his shield and armor; the knight must act a certain way when the armor is worn. The pentangle (five-pointed star) on Gawain’s shield, The Virgin Mary and the Armor itself all has a special meaning to it; the ideals of Christian morality and knightly chivalry are brought together in Gawain’s symbolic armor, painting of Virgin Mary and the pentangle. In the context of St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, he speaks about the armor of God. The Armors, weapons and the clothes that a soldier wears during war, to the soldier it is more than just weapons. Their spirits are attached to the different symbols appears on the armor and shield.
The Pentangle has a very special meaning, it represents

the five virtues of knights: friendship, generosity, chastity, courtesy, and piety. The pentangle is an appropriate representation of these five areas of virtue because each of the five sides of the pentangle transitions seamlessly into the next, each area is connected and supporting the other.

This means a knight must obtain all the qualities to be a perfect knight and a knight with all of the qualities is unbeatable. Gawain’s determination to stick to these virtues was tested throughout the poem, but the poem examines more than Gawain’s personal virtue, 1) he is perfect in the five senses; 2) his five fingers are unfailing; 3) his faith is fixed firmly on the five wounds which Christ received on the cross; 4) he draws his strength from the five joys Mary had through Jesus; and 5) he embodies, better than any other living man, the five virtues. Essentially, the Pentangle is meant to signify Truth. Sir Gawain was morally tested by the host of the castle where he attended a Christmas mass, He was treated very well by the host. All he had to do was eat and rest, his five sense were becoming dull. Later the host offered to play a game with Gawain, they are to exchange gifts they have obtained each day. "So good a knight as Gawain as 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."(1296 - 1301) The lady’s implication here is that Gawain would be breaking the knightly rules of courtesy if he does not to accept the kiss from a lady who has asked for it. Gawain realized he is in a real dilemma, because if he rejects the lady’s kiss he would certainly break the rules of courtesy, but to become romantically involved with her, would be to betray Lord Bertilak and break the code of knightly conduct. Gawain accepts the kisses but later returns them to the Lord, meaning he did not betray the lord trust and also kept to his knightly matter. But later he received a green garnet from the lady said it would save his life in a case of an emergency, Gawain decides to keep to garnet; he has broken the promise he had with the Lord.
The painting of the Virgin Mary on the back of shield also have a special meaning.

Throughout the poem numerous trials testing his religious faith and his devotion to Christianity. Virgin Mary as one of the most important symbol of Christianity was painted on every shield so when the knight encounter an enemy too power, he will not lose faith because he knows that Virgin Mary is watching him. Gawain has a painting of Virgin Mary as well, Mary inspires Gawain to be a good Christian. The reason that Virgin Mary is on the inside of the shield is because it is close to his heart, symbolizing his belief in God and trust in Him. This relationship with God is the source of his inner strength. “That [Gawain's] prowess all depended on the five pure Joys that the holy Queen of Heaven had of her child. Accordingly the courteous Knight had that Queen's image etched on the inside of his armored shield, So that when he beheld her, his heart did not fail.” The image of Mary inside this shield also conveys that Gawain never loses heart. The painting made the shield provided not just physical protections, it also provided Sir Gawain with mental protections as well, knowing that his got god watching and protecting him again whomever he may encounter on the battle fields. One of Gawain main duties as a knight is to defend against not only aggression in battle, but to fight against the evil that might tempt him to turn his back on his honor as a knight and particularly the Virgin Mary, so

having Virgin Mary on the back of the shield will constantly remind him not to fall to the hands of the evil and remain loyal to the ones he serve.
The symbolism of the girdle in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight changes and grows as the poem progresses, adding Gawain's honor and sin. The Green Girdle eventually became part of Sir Gawain’s looks, but is it more than just a physical object, it is a symbol of shame to Gawain. When Lady Bertilak presses Gawain to accept it, she presents it as something to remember her by, but on purpose or not she happens to mention that it will make the owner invincible. For Gawain, the green girdle represents his survival; to keep the girdle to himself he must break the promise he made with the lord of the castle. Gawain is desperate to wanting to survive that eventually costs of his code of honor. Gawain says he will forever wear the green girdle as a sign of his failure, "a man may hide his misdeed, but never erase it." Only after Gawain fails the Green Knight’s test does this meaning become clear to him. He will forever remember this as a symbol of failure and how he betrayed his honors as a knight. The girdle a symbol of “complex moral truth” that the other Knights of the Round Table fail to learn from, as Sir Gawain does. The girdle is a representation of Sir Gawain's sins. It became representative of his personal badge of dishonor that will constantly remind him of his mistakes and past sins he has committed. Upon his return to Arthur's castle, King Arthur enforced a new law where all the Knights that are under his control would have to wear a belt that is green that symbolizes Gawain's honor. This gave the girdle a new meaning, it became a symbol of honor.
In conclusion, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Every part of a Knight’s armour have a special meaning, it is more than just a shell to keep the knight safe physically. There are a more special meaning to each part, the pentangle and Virgin Mary are there to remind the Knight of his roots and not to be dragged in to the world of evil. The Green Girdle has something more special meaning to it, it reminds Gawain of his past mistakes and will never do it again; it helps him to be a better knight.