Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Chivalric Code Essay

The Medieval poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, presents a denunciation of changes to the chivalric code which could lead to its destruction. By comparing Lady Bertilak (the archetype of depravity and lust) to the Virgin Mary (the archetype of chastity and purity), the Gawain poet points out the incompatibility between spiritual love and the courtly love which had undermined the values behind chivalry. In its essential nature, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a warning to its aristocratic readers that fraternizing with women must be forbidden so as to avert destruction of their way of life. At first, the force which bound chivalry together was love, also called “caritas” or “charity.”1 All of scripture taught the importance of love in

When he takes the girdle, he breaks his oath to Lord Bertilak. He prioritizes his wishes over the Lord's. Here, the Gawain poet makes his strongest point – romantic love will unwind the bonds which hold the chivalric code together. Only the religious values from which chivalry arose can provide an adequate support. Caritas and amor are antagonists. The tension between courtly love and spiritual love is emphasized during the final encounter between Gawain and the Green Knight. The reader sees that Gawain's fate rested on his loyalty to Lord Bertilak. After Bertilak reveals the meaning of the test, he tells Gawain: “Your conduct and your kissings are completely known to me.” He also reveals that he had instructed Lady Bertilak to try him. This is not the end of the message. While Gawain has learned about the drawbacks of courtly love, the other knights of the Round Table have not. They “laugh loudly” and embrace the girdle, concluding that “each brave man . . . should wear a baldric.” Since Arthur and his knights have not learned about the dangers of courtly love, they will be defeated. The tale becomes a caution, not for Gawain or for Arthur's court, but for the reader, who knows what will befall Arthur's court. By the time Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written, the fall of Camelot was a popular part of the