“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is a tale of a Knight that must go on a journey after accepting a challenge that he did not know the outcome of. This tale was written by an unknown author in the 14th century and is part of the tales of King Arthur. Though the meaning or the significance of the story has been debated for years. Of those that interpret the tale three stood out, they were Alan M. Markman, who said the tale was to tell of a hero and the significance of that hero, Michael G. Cornelius that stated that it is about a man going on an unfulfilled journey and lastly, Elisa Narin van Court who says that it is a story that brings out moral issues and flaws with in a human man. Though these are very different points of views they had …show more content…
ideas that were common to all of them.
For instance the fact that it was a Romance, the idea of there being test and trials in order to teach Sir Gawain a lesson, and the fact that after reading one was left with unanswered questions about the tale. Even Though the meaning of the tale may be debated, all the theories still have points that they all share in common.
Alan M. Markman tells us in his article “The Meaning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” that the tale is told to show us that Sir Gawain is a human romance hero and that the events that happened were because of the magic of Morgan le Fey. Throughout the article Markman goes over the difference in heroes and the aspects in which the heroes are to be considered. In it he states the way that Sir Gawain is a prime example of a human romance hero both physically and mentally. In the tale Sir Gawain is a real man that is shows no signs of any supernatural or superhuman abilities. However, he does show that he is a hero. This is by how physically he is strong enough that he can even hold the Green Knight’s ax and by his endurance while
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going on his journey. If he was less of a man he would have been killed either at the beginning of the tale or on his journey. Then there are the nonphysical aspects in which Sir Gawain shows of being a true romance hero. In the tale Sir Gawain presents that he possesses courage, humility, courtesy and loyalty (Markman). This is shown in particular when Sir Gawain is being conflicted with the Lady of the Castle and the fact that he declined any form of glory when he returned to the Court. Markman points out that all of the events that take place are in effect by the influence of Morgan le Fay’s magic. He goes on to even say that, “everything in the romance which is either strange or untoward, or which cannot be explained rationally, and which I call ‘the marvelous’ is accounted for by the direct manifestation of Morgan le Fay's magical power” (Markman). Markman points out that even the Green Knight is not a superhuman or a Supernatural being for he was an ordinary person until he was transformed by Morgan le Fay. It is by this that Markman said the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was meant for. In the article “Sir Gawain's Unfulfilled/Unfulfilling Quest” by Michael G. Cornelius, Cornelius tells of how “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is a tale that is like the title suggests, an unfulfilling journey or quest by a young knight. In his article he says that unlike most medieval epic romances “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” has a quest in which the society and Gawain himself did not benefit nor decline because of the quest he took. In the article it says that, “The quest was designed by Morgan le Fay to demonstrate the inherent shortcomings of the chivalric code: in short, the unfeasibility of living by a code that demands its practitioners to act in ways that are generally beyond the desires and capabilities of mere mortal humans” (Cornelius). A hero is searching for higher spiritual values, this is through many tests and trials of physical, psychological, and moral nature. It is by these test and trials that the hero should find fulfillment. However because of the quest Morgan le Fay created and the fear that every knight knows in turn secured a failure in the quest causing unfulfillment both internally and externally. By the end of the tale, Sir Gawain realizes that his chivalric code is nearly impossible to live by. Only by his own society, will the failure of his quest be turned into a success. Cornelius ends his article saying that even though the tale was of an unfulfilled quest it still gave a chance for Sir Gawain to learn from his failures. Elisa Narin van Court writes in her article, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” about how “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is a tale that is unique in comparison to other poems of its age. Van Court calls it a masterpiece of the alliterative revival, for it shows romance within moral issues and the flaws of man. The tale is unique in how it combines three folklore motifs in one story: the exchange of blows, the exchange of winnings, and sexual tension of the knight (van Court). As the tale goes on one can see a change in Sir Gawain as he faces challenges throughout his quest. Sir Gawain has to decide what he will do and accept the consequences that comes with his decisions. For example, when he doesn’t tell the host about the green belt that the Lady of the Castle gave to him, in return not having an equal exchange of winnings, Sir Gawain got nicked on his neck by the Green Knight (Damrosch and Pike 852-853). Because there wasn’t an equal exchange of blows Sir Gawain was forced to go back to the court failing his quest. For van Court this tale was to show how it was not about the exchanging of blows or even the sexual tension of Sir Gawain and the Lady of the Castle, but more so about the exchange in winnings. This is used as a message to show that to get back one must give back the equal amount (van Court). Van Court shows that it is because of these three folklore motifs that are shown in the tale that makes the work unique to those of its age. In each Article there were many ideas that popped up that were similar in each one. The first was the reoccurrence of it being a Romance tale. In each article they either start off by saying that it is a romance or they say it in the first paragraph. A romance does not mean that it is a love story but a tale that is a narrative with a hero who goes on a mysterious and exotic quest or journey. As one can tell “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” fits this description very well for there is a hero (Sir Gawain) who goes on a quest to respect the oath he gave to the Green Knight. Now the tale is not just a romance but as all three put it is an Arthurian Romance. Which is a narrative that is written with adventures, courtly love, and chivalry in the days of King Arthur. Because King Arthur is seen in the first part of the tale, it fits the criteria to be an Arthurian Romance. To all three of the articles it is obvious that this tale is without a doubt an Arthurian Romance. The second idea that all three articles shared was that there were test and trials that he had to go to in order to learn a lesson. All mention the fact that Sir Gawain had to throughout his journey face test that would change the outcome of the story. Sir Gawain was tested when the Lady of the Castle would flirt with him in her lord’s absence. There was another test in the host castle when he was given the exchange of winnings. However because he chose not to exchange equally he learned the actions of his missed way would cause him to fail in his quest. When it comes to the trials of the tale all three agree that they were put there to test what Sir Gawain would do and by his decisions determine how the tale would proceed. Lastly at the end of each article the author felt that the reader, after reading “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” was left with unanswered questions at the end of the tale. For one what was Gawain’s motivation for taking the challenge in place of King Arthur or what was the significance of the Green Knight being green? Many of the authors say they were left to question even the significance of Sir Gawain going on this journey. The reoccurrence of this skepticism leaves one to wonder if that was on purpose or if it was just what happened. In the end, after reading “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” more questions came to mind then were answered in the tale. In conclusion, Alan M.
Markman brought us a theory for the significance of the hero, Michael G. Cornelius showed that even though Sir Gawain went on this journey it was an unfulfilled one, and Elisa Narin van Court told on how that moral issues and flaws with in a human man can be shown in this story. Though all agreed that “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is about an Arthurian Romance tale where Sir Gawain goes on a journey with test and trials to learn a lesson and that after reading, the reader is left with unanswered questions. The meaning of the tale may be debated but with sharing ideas it shows that the tale will be read and interpreted for much longer for there is always a different view and always ways to connect them
together.
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain shows qualities of a chivalrous knight. He demonstrates that by showing generosity, courtesy, and loyalty during his travels. A mysterious knight shows up at the king’s castle and calls himself the Green Knight. The Green Knight then challenges one to play a game which he challenges the king to strike him with his axe if he will take a return hit in a year and a day. Sir Gawain steps forward to accept the challenge for his uncle King Arthur when nobody else in the castle would. He took the King’s role in the game to protect him from the Green Knight. He must learn to accept his responsibility as a knight, in accepting his fate.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 cho...
He had a different dynamic for each character, used various settings changing the mood and tone of the story, repeated the idea of chivalry, highlighted symbols such as the green knight holding a holly branch and contrasted few values. It was a perfectly well-rounded story. 5. At the end of the unit, it is stated that: “Through writing, your voice, yes, yours, will resonate through into the larger world and possibly change the existing reality, as a result. That, my friend, is a powerful gift and one that deserves the utmost respect and concentration.”
8[8] Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Marie Borroff. Norton Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1, New York: WW Norton, 1993.
In other words the challenges were to test Gawain and see how powerful, noble, and how tamed can he be. All in all he faced all the challenges gracefully. His integrity is what got him to the battle with the knight. The three tests were all to better Sir Gawain as a warrior. This story showed how a Gawain had tremendous strength but also great
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight takes its protagonist, the noble Gawain, through
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.
Though often extensive detail may be condemned as mere flowery language, in understanding Sir Gawain and the Green Knight one must make special emphasis on it. In color and imagery itself, the unknown author paints the very fibers of this work, allowing Sir Gawain to discern the nuances of ritualistic chivalry and truth. His quest after the Green Knight is as simple as ones quest toward himself. Through acute awareness of the physical world he encounters Gawain comes to an understanding of the world beyond chivalry, a connection to G-d, the source of truth. He learns, chivalry, like a machine, will always function properly, but in order to derive meaning from its product he must allow nature to affect him.
Individuals in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Sir Gawain is, undoubtably, the most varied of the Arthurian characters: from his first minor appearance as Gwalchmei in the Welsh tales to his usually side-line participation in the modern retelling of the tales, no other character has gone from such exalted heights (being regarded as a paragon of virtue) to such dismal depths (being reduced to a borderline rapist, murderer, and uncouth bore), as he. This degree of metamorphosis in character, however, has allowed for a staggering number of different approaches and studies in Gawain. The greatest part of these studies have involved the middle-English text Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Thesis Statement: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight shows the struggle between a good Christian man against the temptations of this world.
“Culture does not make people. People make culture” said Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer and educator, in a presentation on feminism in a TedTalk. The culture in which Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written was misogynistic and it shows in the writing of the poem. Medieval cultural misogyny manifests itself in multiple ways in SGGK. This paper will examine the negative relationships between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and gender by discussing: the representation of female characters, gendered violence, and Christianity in the Middle Ages.
Web. 30 Sept. 2009. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume A. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt.
According to Shedd’s “Knight in Tarnished Armour: The Meaning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, Sir Gawain’s conflict is with the duality of human nature, not the Green Knight. His idea that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight breaks the traditions of medieval romance is especially
Tragic and hero may not be words that easily reveal a relationship, but throughout literature the two have been linked to create an enthralling read. The emergence of the tragic hero seemed to take shape in ancient Greece where such works as Oedipus and Antigone were popular among all classes of people. Aristotle defined a tragedy as "the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself. It incorporates incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish the catharsis of such emotions." Though Greece may be credited with the creation of tragic heroes, the theme is seen in literary works across many different cultures, including England. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one such English work where the development of the main character, Gawain, follows the pattern of the classical tragic hero. In this paper, we will explore the characteristics of the tragic hero and show how these traits are demonstrated in Gawain.
The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight revolves around the knights and their chivalry as well as their romance through courtly love. The era in which this story takes place is male-dominated, where the men are supposed to be brave and honorable. On the other hand, the knight is also to court a lady and to follow her commands. Sir Gawain comes to conflict when he finds himself needing to balance the two by being honorable to chivalry as well as respectful to courtly love.
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.