Comparing The Ideals Of The Pentangle And The Chivalric Code

The ideals of the Pentangle and the Chivalric Code allow Sir Gawain to be known as the greatest knight by elevating the expectations placed on him. With virtues such as friendship, generosity, chastity, courtesy, and piety from the Pentangle along with a moral code as strong as the Chivalric Code, Gawain is set apart from other knights and tried with higher standards. Many of these ideals would inevitably contradict one another, which makes his efforts to abide by them extremely noble. As difficult as they may be to follow though, without both the Pentangle and the Chivalric Code, Gawain would stand in line with the other knights rather than above. Religion, being represented in both the Pentangle and the Chivalric Code, is a leading virtue

When Gawain was forced to choose between his friendship with Lancelot and honoring King Arthur and the round table, he chose the latter because it helped the most people in the long run. Even though friendship and loyalty to his king were pitted against each other in this case, Gawain was able to remain level headed and rationally choose the best option. In this situation, he thought about others rather than himself. This is not always the case. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is presented with the opportunity to have immortality or to remain true to his morals. He ultimately chooses himself, proving that even he has flaws. While this may not have been the most noble option, it ultimately allowed him to become more humbled. Being aware that God is more powerful than him kept him humble to an extent, but everybody is inferior to God. Without making mistakes, Gawain could obtain a sense of invisibility in comparison to other humans. After Gawain’s inability to avoid contradicting the ideals of the Pentangle and the code, he is left feeling unworthy. The elevated expectations that he places upon himself allow him to create his own checks and balances. When King Arthur and the Green knight forgive Gawain’s mistakes, he continues to recognize his own faults rather than dismissing them like other people had