Examples Of Integrity In Sir Gawain

Integrity is a word that many people strive for in their lifetime, and while few people achieves integrity others never accomplish this. So what is integrity? Integrity is having the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. While numerous people have come close to conquering integrity, Sir Gawain should still be an example to all pursuing integrity in their everyday lives. Even though Sir Gawain did make some mistakes throughout the story, his overall integrity never truly fluctuated. His few mistakes should not define his character because in the end he still did the honorable deed. Gawain’s clear sense of integrity gleams while he faces many challenges such as sacrifice and many tests of his honor throughout the story. Initially Gawain sacrifices himself, taking the place of King Arthur. He does this because he feels that he is the weakest of the king’s knights, and that he would be less valuable than the other knights would. Gawain knew he was a part of the king’s court because of his relation to King Arthur, and not because he deserved it. Therefore, when The Green Knight asks for volunteers and no one stood, he decided to sacrifice himself instead of allowing his king to fight the battle that might cost him is life. This is a prime example of honor; he sacrificed himself for the greater good of the

The Green Knight creates a deal with Gawain that leaves him at home with the knight’s wife accumulating goods from her, while The Green Knight compiles hunting meat. When the Green Knight returned, they would complete a fair exchange. Throughout this deal The Green Knight’s Wife, attempts to seduce Gawain at the request of her husband, only to find that he would only accept kisses that he would return to The Green Knight. It was on the third night that Gawain was convinced to take the sash and though his integrity faltered, he only did it in the extreme case of saving his