Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

1714 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literary analysis of sir gawain and the green knight

Take a trip back in time to a place where magic reigned free and was bountiful in daily life, and in fact was the reason the legend began, a place where knights gathered around a round table, where the men honored the men and women and children of their kingdom and served their lords. Not to mention, a king that was chosen by destiny after he pulled the sword Excalibur out of a rock, this was none other than the beginning of Arthurian Legend. The legendary King Arthur and his court in Camelot are the center of Arthurian legend that defined the chivalric code that was followed for centuries in Europe by knights. Arthurian legend through stories such as Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, defined the chivalric code and exemplified its uses throughout its plot. Even before the men in these steel suits knew these characteristics, Arthurian legend was developed in its earliest stages.
While King Arthur’s name doesn’t appear anywhere on a timeline of rulers during the Middle or the Dark ages, according to lordsandladies.org, we do know that his legend had landmark affects on the chivalric code and honor of courtly love. Scholars state to find to locate King Arthur historically they have to go back to the “antique period, and the collapse of Roman Britain” (Goodman). With no accurate recordings of Arthur’s history or reign, the only claim we have is based on books written by clerics of different nations. After years of dedicated research and studying the different time periods mentioned throughout the legends scholars state, “Arthurian legend was developed out of stories from Celtic mythology” (Colombia 1-2). According to lordsandladies.org a Welsh cleric whose name was Geoffrey of Manmouth also greatly contributed to the legend of King A...

... middle of paper ...

... British and American Literature. Boston, Mass.: Twayne Publishers, 1988. Web. 28th November 2013.
Lull, Randal "The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages: Topic 1: Texts and Contexts: The Book of the Order of Chivalry." The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages: Topic 1: Texts and Contexts. W. W. Norton and Company, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Markman, Alan M. "The Meaning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." PMLA 72.4 (Sept. 1957): 574-586. Rpt. in World Literature Criticism, Supplement 1-2: A Selection of Major Authors from Gale's Literary Criticism Series. Ed. Polly Vedder. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.
"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." Masters of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. Vol. A. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 146-202. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:The First Swing

    637 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a stranger rides into King Arthur's court with a challenge. This stranger, green in color from head to toe, proposes to play a game with a member of King Arthur's court. This game will be played by each participant taking a blow from a weapon at the hands of the opponent. The person that dies from the hit is obviously the loser. On top of this, the Green Knight offers to let his opponent take the first swing. This sets up the action in the passage beginning with line 366 and ending with line 443.

    Read More

  • Code Of Chivalry In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    The code of chivalry is a set of rules followed by the knights during the middle ages. The evolution of heroic and chivalry code has changed over time beginning from the Middle ages to now. The three stories Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lanval and Beowulf illustrate what it takes to be considered a chivalrous knight. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain shows qualities

    Read More

  • Code of Chivalry

    538 Words  | 2 Pages

    This code of chivalry all came from King Arthur. It all began with Arthur’s father, Uther. Uther gets a sword from the Lady of the Lake and this sword is named Excalibur. Later on in the battle among England, Merlin (the magician) grants Uther his wish in return for whatever he asked for. As for this wish, Uther slept with Egrain’s wife as he asked and impregnated her with his soon to be son, Arthur. When Arthur was born Merlin came for what he was promised, and took Arthur away with him, raising him. What Merlin did know was that Uther’s son was soon to be the new King of England. This soon to be king, Arthur, must become a knight and granted the right to be king. However; there are three examples of chivalry from the two texts, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "Morte d’Arthur" are courage, honor and to protect the queen and all women.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    476 Words  | 1 Pages

    Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in the fourteenth century by an anonymous poet who was a contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer. The story was originally written in a Northern dialect. It tells the story of Sir Gawain's first adventure as a knight.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a fourteenth-century tale written by an anonymous poet, chronicles how Sir Gawain of King Arthur’s Round Table finds his virtue compromised. A noble and truthful knight, Gawain accepts the Green Knight’s challenge at Arthur’s New Years feast. On his way to the Green Chapel, Gawain takes shelter from the cold winter at Lord Bercilak’s castle. The lord makes an agreement with Gawain to exchange what they have at the end of the day. During the three days that the lord is out hunting, his wife attempts to seduce Gawain.

    Read More

  • Did King Arthur Truly Exist?

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    Who was King Arthur? Most people would tell of a great King; a devoted circle of heroic knights; mighty castles and mightier deeds; a time of chivalry and courtly love; of Lancelot and Guinevere; of triumph and death. Historians and archaeologists, especially Leslie Alcock, point to shadowy evidence of a man who is not a king, but a commander of an army, who lived during the late fifth to early sixth century who may perhaps be the basis for Arthur. By looking at the context in which the stories of King Arthur survived, and the evidence pertaining to his castle Camelot and the Battle of Badon Hill, we can begin to see that Arthur is probably not a king as the legend holds.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight & color

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

    1338 Words  | 3 Pages

    In literature, insights into characters, places, and events are often communicated to the reader through the use of imagery within the text. Thus is the case with "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". The Pearl Poet's use of imagery runs rampant within the work culminating to set forth the theme of mysticism and/or the supernatural. In this Medieval romance, the types of imagery used are that of the season or climate, the colors and textures of fabrics and jewelry, and that of the introduction of the Green Knight himself.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Analysis

    2165 Words  | 5 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • The Story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    1243 Words  | 3 Pages

    In day-to-day life, people face a vast array of decisions. Some of these decisions are transient, such as what clothes to wear. Other decisions we make may have lasting impacts not only to the person making the decision, but others that surround that person. An example would be drinking and driving. Moral code often dictates what you should do in situations, but it is up to each individual to live up to that moral code and choose to make virtuous decisions. As I face the challenge of leading a virtuous life, I am drawn back to the time of Sir Arthur and the Round Table. More specifically, I am intrigued by Sir Gawain. In the story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, I admire how Sir Gawain attempts to be virtuous, yet also empathize when he falls short of maintaining these virtues. Although Sir Gawain fails to maintain his virtues throughout the story, his continuous attempts to return to virtuous decisions makes him a virtuous person.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    500 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the Middle Ages, a time of brave knights and fair maidens, chivalry was alive and well, and honor meant much more than just pride. A man could be expected to be as good as his word, and God was an integral part of his life. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the title character sets off on a month-long quest for the Green Chapel in fulfillment of a promise made a year earlier, knowing full well that it could mean certain death. After the knight's final days at the court of King Arthur are recounted, he sets off in "country wild" where he is "far off from all his friends" (lines 713-14). This lonely road on which he rides reflects the nature of his quest--Gawain's conflict is within himself, and is something which he must deal with on his own.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: the Exploration of a Tragic Hero

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • King Arthur And The Catholic Church

    615 Words  | 2 Pages

    One link between the Legends of Arthur and the Catholic Church was Chivalry (the oaths of a knight). Arthur made all his knights take these oaths, which for the most part had to do with the teachings of the church. They were to remain loyal to the church and always obey its teachings and direction. A knight had a strong belief in Christ and other biblical figures. Some knight were even ordered to do a specific job for the church such as defend the church.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Analysis

    1838 Words  | 4 Pages

    Excellence has always been a virtue revered by society. Writers throughout the ages have tried to capture the essence of excellence in their works, often in the form of a title character, who is the embodiment of perfection, encapsulating all the ideal traits necessary for one to be considered an excellent member of society. However, the standards for excellence are not universally agreed upon. On the contrary, one man's idea of excellence may very well be another's idea of mediocrity. Yet, human nature is constant enough that by analyzing different literary "heroes", one can discover the standards of excellence that are common to different peoples.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; A Romance?

    1094 Words  | 3 Pages

    Closely associated to the romance tradition are two idealized standards of behavior, especially for knights: courage and chivalry. The protagonist within many medieval romances proved their worth by going on quests, as many a knights went in those times, thus returning with great tales of their travels and deeds. Many modern people think of chivalry as referring to a man's gallant treatment of women, and although that sense is derived from the medieval chivalric ideal, chivalry could be seen as more than that. Knights were expected to be brave, loyal, and honorable-sent to protect the weak, be noble to...

    Read More

More about Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

Open Document