The Story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Maintaining Virtues

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.

Sir Gawain is introduced to us at the beginning of the story when he takes the place of Sir Arthur, in the Green Knight’s challenge. The Green Knight openly challenged all Knights of the Round Table to strike one blow, and in return, the knight must allow the Green Knight to return the blow in exactly one year. Initially, none of the knights step up to the challenge, forcing their leader, Sir Arthur, to accept. Sir Gawain performs the virtuous act of taking on the challenge in Sir Arthur’s place to protect his lord from taking any part of an unusual challenge that might kill a man. In the story Sir Gawain explains his reason for taking his lord’s place, “I hold, none more honest of purpose, no figures fairer on field where fighting is waged. I am the weakest. I am awa...

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...use positive outcomes, and may stop that person from making a wrong decision. The most impactful measure in this story for me is Sir Gawain’s continuous return to virtuous decisions although every decision he made is not virtuous. It helped me to realize that I can return to virtue after any of my failures. Additionally I learned that in sharing the story of my failures, I may prevent others from choosing the wrong path and help them to remain virtuous as well.

Works Cited

Kadir, Djelal, Ursula K. Heise, David Damrosch, Sabry Hafez, and Pauline Yu. The Longman Anthology of World Literature. Second ed. Vol. A-B. New York: Pearson, Longman, 2009. Print.

"Ramelle." Saving Private Ryan:. Saving Private Ryan Online Encyclopedia, 21 Apr. 2009. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.

Steven Spielberg. Dir. Saving Private Ryan. Prod. Steven Spielberg. DreamWorks Pictures, 1998. DVD.