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Is Sir Gawain Responsible For His Own Fate

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Sir Gawain was certainly responsible for his own fate. Written by an author known as The Pearl Poet, the poem “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” tells the tale of a knight who is to face certain doom but against all odds, survives by showing great courage and honor. The tale starts with an altercation at a Christmas feast when a Green Knight interrupts the festivities by issuing a challenge to king Arthur. Bravely, Sir Gawain volunteers to take up the challenge instead of letting king Arthur possibly fall in harms way. Gawain lives up to the first part of the challenge and decapitates the green knight with his hatchet. Shockingly, the head started to speak and made certain Sir Gawain would stay true to this challenge “Look that you go, Sir …show more content…

180-182). Gawain is surely responsible for this challenge and now, upon his honor, must uphold it. While the Green Knight is responsible for the future of Gawain, Gawain himself is certainly in control of his destiny at this point in time. After traveling to the Green Knight’s Chapel, Gawain is repeatedly seduced by the Knight’s wife. However, time and time again he resists her seduction. Although the Knight’s wife possibly could’ve jeopardized Gawain’s future, Gawain’s will was to strong and he was not seduced. However, on the final day, the Green Knight’s wife offers a sash to Gawain promising to him that it offer divine protection “For the man who goes to battle in this green lace . . . no man under Heaven can hurt him, whoever may try,” (l. 223 – 225). This is a pivotal part of the story because Gawain’s next decision could have a major impact on his future. After much though, Gawain decides to take the sash. Gawain, however, is not to blame, as he is only human and naturally would accept a chance to possibly save his life. Gawain has stayed true to his word, and after decapitating the Green Knight and resisting the seduction of his wife, he readies himself for the final challenge. Finally, through great courage and the

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After Gawain comes clean and acknowledges his sin, the Green Knight praises him for being an honorable and chivalrous knight. He then invites Gawain to a great feast, but Gawain humbly states that he must return to his duties and continue to defend and protect King Arthur and his subjects. Sir Gawain even thanks the Green Knight and wishes him well after this frightening test of honor. He says, "I've reveled too well already; but fortune be with you; May He who gives all honors honor you well," (401-402).

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Any other knight in the period would take advantage of that situation, but Sir Gawain does not. Additionally, he goes and confesses his sins in the chapel that day, which tells us that he is a responsible

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Sir Gawain shows loyalty and humility when he makes the decision of honoring the promise he made with the Green Knight. This humility drives him to set off to pursue the Green Knight to honor the pact they agreed on. On his arrival at the Green chapel, he calls the Green Knight who emerges to greet him and to fulfill the terms of the contract (Cathell). Sir Gawain presents his neck voluntarily to the Green Knight who feigns two blows (Cooke 4). This is a commitment and a sign of piety that Gawain manifests.

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She constantly attempts to seduce Gawain and “never ceased to remind him of his reputation” making her seem like she cares about preserving his upstanding reputation (Engelhardt 221). When she later tells Gawain about her green belt that could save his life, he believes her lie, accepting and keeping the belt even though it would not actually make him invincible. At the end of the story, the Green Knight, the lord, reveals that he “sent her to test [Gawain]” to see if he was truly noble (Winny 2362). Gawain thought that the “gift of her body which the lady pressed upon Gawain” initially was her honest affection towards him, but her affection towards him was not real (Engelhardt 221). Her dishonesty in her affection caused Gawain to commit a sin which was against his reputation.

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Throughout his entire journey, Gawain tried to remain courageous and brave. In fact, Gawain demonstrated his bravery when he accepted the challenge that no one else dared to do. Following that he then showed his braveness by cutting off the Green Knights head and keeping his word to return in one year and one day. He even had enough courage to go on a journey by himself rather than having the other knights go along. Although Gawain is seen to be fearful of death because instead of giving away the girdle he kept it in secret so its magical powers would protect him from the Green Knight.

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Corey, I found your response to make some strong points. You said that Sir Gawain considers himself a failure. I agree with this for several reasons. First, Sir Gawain didn’t receive a blow from the Green Knight that was equal to the one that he delivered. The Green Knight spares his life instead and gives him a small cut on the back of his neck.

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Early on in the tale, Sir Gawain shows courage when he steps up and accepts the Green Man's challenge well knowing of the chance of Death. By doing so Sir Gawain surpassed his fear of death by stepping up to do a mission none of the other knights at the round table wished to do. His reasoning for this was to take the place of his uncle, King Arthur who was originally the chosen participant after none of the other present knights volunteered. After chopping off the head of the Green Man, Sir Gawain is told that he must go to the green chapel in one year and one day to meet the Green Man. Sir Gawain fearful of death debates whether or not he will set journey to the green chapel at that time yet his courageous characteristics force him to go.

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After the Green Knight exposes himself to Gawain as Lord Bertilak, he explains how he sent his wife to go into Gawain’s room while he was out and seduce and try to sleep with him. Gawain, after learning about all of this, begins to go into a type of “anti-female” speech with an expression of anger. Here Gawain

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Which led to the Green Knight explaining to Gawain that he is actually the same lord of the castle where Gawain spent his holidays. The first two blows, he claims, were in return for the way Gawain returned the kisses of his wife, following the rules of their game as an honest man should. The third blow, he says, was for Gawain’s failure to return the green girdle to him on the last day. But because Gawain’s failing was only because he wanted to save his life, and not because he's just dishonorable, the Green Knight forgives him. He leaves Gawain with only a scar and a girdle as a reminder of his very human sin.

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Gawain cannot redeem himself by blaming others, but does it anyways. He was supposed to be the epitome of chivalry and purity, but blames a single woman, the lady of the manor, on everything that he started. Gawain was the one to agree to the Green Knight’s challenge, not a woman who told him to. He took on the lord’s bets, without the ladies saying anything to him. Gawain’s pride and misogyny showed that he could not complete, or even start a path to redemption.

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Sir Gawain states this because once the green knight revels himself as the king to Sir Gawain he feels ashamed that he took the green sash but indicates that it’s the king’s wife’s fault because she kept insisting that he take it. Although this is indeed true it was because the king put his wife to it to test Sir Gawain’s loyally and honesty but he still puts all the blame on the king’s wife. To summarize anyone who makes mistakes should not put the blame on someone else put rather themselves and learn from the

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While resting at the castle, he encounters the Lady of the Castle. Over time, she attempts to seduce him and he does his best to repel her efforts. “And so she tested him, pushed and probed, trying to tempt him, pretending love, and Gawain was so gracefully evasive that he seemed always polite, and nothing happened…”(page 104). Regrettably, while he was valiant in not letting her seduce him, he accepts the belt from her and keeps it from the king, whom he had a bargain with to give him whatever he had gotten from the day. Gawain later redeemed himself, when he and his guide were searching for the green knights home.

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The Green Knight was still alive and now in a years time, the same thing would happen to Sir Gawain. The importance of this is that one should not take advantage of others and should not try to get one over and someone. People nowadays do it all the time. Kids do this to their parents and what happens usually? They get caught and get in trouble.

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval romance written in the late fourteenth century by an unknown author. It is part of the Arthurian legend and takes place in England during the winter. The knights of the Round Table have virtues tested when a mysterious Green Knight appears with a suspicious challenge, that leads Sir Gawain on an epic journey of self-discovery. Even though Sir Gawain is considered to be the perfect knight, his character is put to the test through a series of unbeknownst challenges that ultimately prove his true colors.

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