Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Figures Of Speech Analysis

It is within a human’s nature to commit mistakes. Even the noblest men must have committed mistakes. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, written by the Gawain poet, depicts the main character as a loyal knight; however, he ended up sinking as a prey to the flawed nature of humans. The Gawain poet successfully uses figures of speech, symbolism, and sound devices to support the idea that people should admit and accept their flawed character.

The Gawain poet embellished his poem with numerous figures of speech. One of which is: “And tough devils to toy with in tournament games.” (Line 43) This metaphor really helps us understand the setting. It makes it clear that individuals are ready to fight for honor, and would never want to break the codes of chivalry. Another example states: “From which flew splendid beams like the light of the sun.” (Line 192) The simile demonstrates a fair price for the ring, however Gawain did not accept it as he was impotent to pay the lady back. This once again displays how chivalrous the people were/are, yet Gawain still ended up lying about the sash.

Symbolism is present in a couple of places in the poem.

Some objects or colors have far more meaning than just what meets the eye in the context. For example, the color of the Green Knight symbolizes a man’s connection to nature. We can also find symbolism in the following lines: “I consider you polished… were born” (Lines 370,371). These lines indicate Gawain’s clarity and dignity. Sir Gawain did lie to the Green Knight, but he forgave him since he is well conscious that Gawain is a chivalrous

knight.

The sound devices used make the poem more pleasant to the reader. Example: “And that binding bit bites…” (Line 290). The previous line adds an enjoyable effect to the ears. Another example of alliteration is shown in the subsequent line: “Than to nick the nape of his neck…” (line 292). The repetition of the same letter makes the sentence way more exciting, which will help in the understanding of the line.

The Gawain poet has actually made it clear that all humans make errors. He proved his opinion using different types of literary devices. I believe that Gawain’s view of mankind is absolutely accurate, and that we must make good use of such information. We should no longer regret the past, instead we need to look forward to not fall for similar mistakes again.