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Humanity In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

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Today in society, people are often caught in between what they actually are and what they ought to be. Everyone wants to be better than what they actually are. But only a handful of everyone is going to realize what they actually should be and do something about it. I feel as if the world thinks and revolves around the idea that being what we ought to be is something that is too good to be true. I beg to differ. The knowledge that I have gained from our readings this year in world literature could definitely help out with this argument in today’s society. In my opinion, the human population as a whole is recognized as doing just enough. We do what we think is right and hope to maybe become remembered. What we ought to be is a different story. …show more content…

At the first of the story, the Green Knight challenges all of the knights of King Arthur’s Round table to a game. “This ax, that is heavy enough, to handle as he likes, And I shall bide the first blow, as bare as I sit….In twelvemonth and a day He shall have of me the same….Who dares take up the game…If he astonished them at first, stiller were then All that household in hall, the high and the low” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, lines 289-302). Once again the human race is embarrassed by being proven what we truly are. The Knights of the Round Table that are supposed to be brave and prideful in fighting act cowardly. They hope that someone will rise and take on this challenge. The don’t want the burden to be on them. They would rather someone else accept the challenge that way they will not have to go down and remembered as a fool. We are often caught up in this idea in today’s world. We worry more about what the next person is going to do. We hope that someone else rather than ourselves will take the lead role while we stand in the back and follow at a safe distance. We are all so scared to achieve something that is above the average. We are scared of what others will think or even worse what others may do to us because of actions in taking a step forward. This is foolish and human race is

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Sir Gawain's five virtues are generosity,fellowship,chastity, courtesy and charity. It's not that we should follow Sir Gawain’s five virtues it's that a person should have their own virtues to follow. I think it's important for a person to include generosity and charity because the past 10-15 years people in big cities have forgot what it feels like to be human and to care for others and most importantly people in need. It is possible to follow Sir Gawain's Virtues if you have the funds and are willing.

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In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is described as a perfect embodiment of Solomon’s Pentangle. Before Sir Gawain rides off to receive the Green Knight’s blow, he has the Pentangle painted onto his shield. All five points of the pentangle on Sir GAwain’s shield symbolize a virtue of a perfect knight. They are the Five sense/ witts, the five fingers, the five wounds of Christ, the five joys of Mary, and the 5 virtues. The five virtues are generosity, sociability, courtesy, compassion/piety and purity.

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Fault and redemption. What do these two words really do in our lives? Do they give us another chance or are they just concepts that we want to follow? In the world we live in, one fault can often make or break something in our lives, but when granted with redemption, we don’t always take it as seriously as needed and soon our fault becomes someone else’s pride. Sir Gawain’s faults can be a constant reminder of the mistakes we all make as humans along with the quote, “It is clear then that there can be no redemption without fault, just as one is unable to return from exile without first being sent into one.

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(312) So too, the knights of the round table and the entire court of Camelot are bound to the same laws of courtesy. They can not demand bloodshed, however, in the guise of a game, it can be desired, even more so, required, for the sake of entertainment. After a few moments, Gawain accepts the challenge in the King’s stead, takes the ax and, “Brought it down deftly upon the bare neck.” (420)

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NAME INSTRUCTOR COURSE DATE The Five Knightly Virtues of Sir Gawain Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is the most known 14th century poem that depicts the Arthurian legend. It has been translated from a Middle English dialect by Simon Armitage; unfortunately, very little is known about the original author. Sir Gawain is the protagonist as he is the major source of conflict when he struggles to decide whether his “knightly virtues” are more important than his own life.

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Courtesy is displayed by Arthur waiting to eat after the rest of his knights do at the very beginning and after the Green Knight shows up, Arthur welcomes him into the castle, despite the oddity of it all. After this beheading game is proposed by the Green Knight, Gawain steps up and steps in place of King Arthur. Gawain says, “’I beseche now with sawes sene / This melly mot be myne.’” claiming the battle as his own (lines 341-342) and the noble court decides in agreement, “To ryd the king wyth croun, / And gif Gawan the game” (lines 364-365). Gawain taking place of the king and offering up his life is one of the most courteous actions that could be taken.

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The Green Knight picks up his head from the ground, turns it towards the crowd, and repeats the rules of the “game”. A great example of magic and the supernatural. “First I threatened you playfully with a pretence, And avoided giving you a gash, doing so rightly Because of the agreement we made on the first night, When you faithfully and truly kept you pledged word, Gave me all your winnings, as an honest man should. That other feint, sir, I gave you

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