The Power of Persuasion in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

From the power of persuasion to the value of honor and beyond, one can witness many facets of human nature played out among the pages of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. No theme of which can be seen more impeccably than the showcase of virtue verses sin. As Gawain is launched into tests of courtesy it is clear that much more is being examined than just his execution of courteous behavior, it is the nature of those around him that is also being taken into account. It is interesting how an author uses the combination of a negatively imbued foe and a positively inspired hero to highlight the traits most desirable for the mere mortals reading such a tale. In “Sir Gawain” the author uses some of the seven deadly sins to poetically draw their reader numerous and highly elaborate verbal pictures. For instance, in the opening passages of “Sir Gawain” the reader is told of rich and sumptuous clothing, decadent banquets hosted by Arthur and the lavish finery in his court. The reader might find that Arthur’s court is gluttonous in these displays of wealth while reading this section. Opulence, however, is laced thoroughly as reoccurring theme through many of the court and hall scenes in this particular romance. Another specific instance of the seven deadly being used is when the reader is shown that courtesy is a “big deal” for Arthur and his court. On display here is pride, chief of the seven deadly sins, which obviously reigns supreme when it comes to the reputation of courtesy in Arthur’s court. It comes into question here if these traits are entirely good or if they have a darker, more sinful nature attached to them. Thus as Gawain was tested for his diligence to courteous behavior, here and thence five of the seven deadly sins that a...

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...s, but it makes him seem marginally lazy. Granted he does get up and going after the Red Lady leaves him for the day he still stays inside his room for the better part of the day chit-chatting or sleeping.

Although, in the tradition of the sin of sloth he isn’t exactly entirely inactive in that he does work his brain in trying to not misstep and offend someone with his speech, so it could be said that the idea that he’s being lazy is a completely ludicrous one. However, as a count to this, one must understand that during this time period it was more favorable for a man to earn his supper than for him to sit around all day, the irony in this remark though it that it’s winter time so there’d be little work to be done.

Works Cited

Norton. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." The Norton Anthology English Literature. New York : W.M. Norton and Company, 2006. 162-213.