Purpose Of Life In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

An individual’s meaning or purpose in life cannot truly be realized unless they are faced with a situation in which their course of action directly affects their future. In most cases, humankind is forced to face an extreme circumstance when something comes to an end, whether it be positive or negative, for that ending means that change is inevitable and approaching. Thus, life becomes more meaningful as something ends, for people are forced to realize what is truly important to them as well as the idea that nothing lasts forever. Individuals must choose which of the aspects and goals of their lives are the most significant and should be focused on as they approach a resolution, as can be seen in the Gawain Poet’s Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Therefore, due to the finality of an ending and the uncertainty of the following events, humankind can reveal what they believe are the

most important parts of their life as they approach a terminus; from this culmination, individuals can find out and make an effort towards achieving what their true, while also self-imposed, purposes are in life.

With the concept of one’s own death approaching, the terminus of life can result in an introspective analysis of what is most significant in the remainder of their days. In doing so, the individual creates a situation in which they realize that their morals and way of living must be maintained, as it remains the most important part of their life up until their death. The individual thus has found their purpose to be based on maintaining this code; therefore, the meaning of life lies within themselves to complete, while remaining independent from others. The Gawain Poet displays this through the protagonist of his poem, Sir Gawain, who is presented with the imminence of his own death by the Green Knight with his beheading game. Despite knowing that “the respite [will] be [in] twelve months and a day” and he will get his head chopped off, Gawain maintains his moral code for that year, as a knight and a member of the Round Table has to uphold

“[his] chivalry... and [his] greatness-of-heart” (Gawain Poet 2-3). In doing so, Gawain looks into the future, and upon seeing his own death, recognizes that what matters most to him is maintaining his moral code. For him, this can be achieved by following through with the deal he made with the Green Knight and participating in the game. There was no outside force that made Gawain keep his word, he could have seen his future death and simply not have sought out the Green Chapel; however, the “intricate synthesis of knightly virtues” that he follows means that his word is a promise, and that a promise must be upheld, “in conforming to chivalric ideals” (Clein 20). By completing the quest despite the imminence of his beheading, Gawain has upheld the most important quality of his life: his code. Thus, the knight exemplifies the concept of finding the most significant meaning of one’s life in the face of an ending, with his maintenance of his code throughout a time in which his death is upcoming. The end of one’s own life causes an introspective search, one that results in the achievement of a meaning of life for that individual.
While end of life for an individual can cause an introspective course of action for the rest of their life, it can also cause them to look outwardly to find and fulfill their purpose. Despite the inner knowledge of what they want to achieve, it cannot be fulfilled by simply their own actions; they have to face others, utilizing them to truly achieve their purpose in their final moments. Shakespeare explicates this through Hamlet’s reaction to his own death at the end of the play, in which he is made aware of the poison. His immediate reaction is to finally enact the revenge his father’s ghost trusted him to complete: killing Claudius by stabbing him then making him “drink off the [poison]” (Shakespeare V.ii.357). Then, in his final moments, Hamlet instructs Horatio “to tell [his] story” and spread the truth to the people (Shakespeare V.ii.384). For throughout the play, Hamlet’s main objective has been to “avenge his father’s death”, but there have been various obstacles that prevent him from doing so; however, at the end of his life, he realizes that the most important thing is to ensure Claudius’s death and “animate his own revenge”, no matter the circumstance (Kastan 8). Furthermore, Hamlet recognizes how important it is to him that the truth reaches the people of Denmark through Horatio, his entrusted companion. His own death made Hamlet realize the imperative nature of his mission, that he must accomplish both of these things, with the help of Claudius and Horatio: Claudius by dying and Horatio by telling the story. These were the most important things that Hamlet saw to be in his life as he approached his own end, for his imminent death made him realize that they were too important to let go. As an individual sees their own death approaching, their search for purpose can be found to involve others, using them as a means to reach an end.
The termination of another’s life also has a severe effect on an individual, even if it is simply the idea of it happening. It can incur an individual’s sense of loyalty and cause them to jump into action, as the thought of another’s potential death is unbearable and must be stopped from occurring. In this, the person makes their purpose to protect the other, even if it means endangering themselves in the process. The Gawain Poet illustrates this through Gawain’s reaction to the threat against King Arthur’s life with the Green Knight’s challenge. When the concept of Arthur’s death comes into possibility, Gawain reacts quickly, knowing that he cannot let his King and uncle die in a game, instead demanding to “let [the] game be [his]” (The Gawain Poet 3). He recognizes his purpose in that moment to be protecting Arthur from danger, even though the only way to successfully do so would be to put himself in harm’s way. Thus, he cleverly takes Arthur’s place in the beheading game and becomes a “loyal vassal who fights on behalf of his lord” (Prior 42). In Gawain’s actions in the beginning of the play, he is faced with Arthur’s death, essentially a culmination of his life, Gawain recognizes what is truly important to him: ensuring that Arthur continues to live and rule as the brave leader of the Round Table. The termination of one life acted as a catalyst for Gawain to realize that his purpose was to protect another, namely Arthur and the rest of the Round Table. With the concept of another’s potential death in mind, an individual finds their purpose to lie in the protection of the other person, no matter what it means for themselves.
However, the possible end of another’s life is not the only motivating factor towards discovering purpose, as it can also come in the aftermath of a death. As the reality of another’s death truly resonates with a person, it causes them to realize truths of their own life and what they hold dear. Thus, their purpose in life becomes clear to them as they pass through the five stages of grief. Often, purpose comes from the second stage, anger, in which they dedicate themselves to the revenge of their lost loved one. Shakespeare emphasizes this through how Hamlet reacts to his father’s death and the presence of his ghost. The termination of King Hamlet’s life and the ghost’s reminder of his continuous suffering are therefore the end of his happiness, which he experienced in his life previously. With the reminder of the “tormenting flames” plaguing his father in the afterlife, Hamlet is from then on dedicated to “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (Shakespeare I.v.6, 31). The protagonist knows that with the end of his father’s life and joy, he is faced with the aftermath of the situation in terms of his own conscious and how he will deal with the knowledge of his father’s suffering after death. He therefore decides that the best course of action is to dedicate his life and make it his mission to “[pursue] retribution for past wrongs” that plagues the royal family of Denmark (Zott 2). With the end of his father’s life and happiness, Hamlet is shown his purpose through the desire to enact revenge for King Hamlet’s untimely death. As another’s life comes to an end and thus undergoes a terminus, an individual is faced with a reality that pushes them towards the achievement of their purpose.
Thus, when humanity is faced with the expiration of anything in their lives, the finality becomes clear to them and causes them to come to a conclusion involving the purpose of their life and whether or not there is meaning to it. In doing so, individuals have the opportunity to realize what aspects of their lives are truly the most important and worth fighting to maintain or achieve in the long run. As they make the effort to achieve their goals and aspirations, individuals make their life purposeful, instead of living a stagnant life. Even though something comes to an end, it serves as a means of making actions matter overall. The culmination of anything is frightening, as the future lies outside humanity’s knowledge, but allows for people to pursue what they hold to be significant enough and find meaning in their life.