Power In Sir Gawain And The Loathly Lady
Power can be displayed in various different ways, whether it be physical force, manipulation, coercion or persuasion, it has an inevitable effect on the environment facing it. The nature of power influences people who have too much authority to become overly conceited, resulting in failure driven by manipulation and neglect. This phenomenon is vividly portrayed in Hamlet by William Shakespeare and The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. In both narratives, characters demonstrate an excessive abuse of power, ultimately leading to failure for themselves and those around them. The power they are given is a valid proof of Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “Nearly all men can withstand adversity; but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
Abuse of power is when people who have power use it to their unfair advantage. So in this essay there will be examples and ideas about this story and ways that these three things were used. The first category is abusive power. This category was shown not a lot in the story but had a lot of significant value to the play itself.
Throughout this paper we will examine three ways in which the characters in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight attempt to cover up the underlying theme of violence within the narrative. During Fitt 1 of the poem, we uncover the first method in which the characters attempt to mask the fantasy of violence. In order to ensure their thirst for bloodshed does not spiral out of control, there are certain rules that the court must adhere to. The Court of Camelot places violence in a strict binary with courtesy.
Clear Chivalry: (A Discussion of Chivalry in King Arthur’s Story) In the days of King Arthur, there was something called “Chivalry”. It was something used by Knights to instill discipline and honor. These fearless knights were to follow a strict code of conduct. If they didn’t, they were not a true knight.
Sir Gawain succeeded in upholding his virtues and the Chivalric Code countless times throughout the story. One of the earliest signs of chivalry Sir Gawain shows can be seen at King Arthur’s court, where the Green Knight first appeared before the Knights and challenged them to a game. Sir Gawain shows courage by bravely accepting the challenge, but he also shows humility by praising the other knights and degrading himself by saying, “I am the weakest, I know, and the feeblest of wit, and to tell the truth, there would be the least loss in my life.” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl Poet, pg. 8)
Power, by definition, is one's authority or influence over others. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, follows the town of Salem, Massachusetts as it experiences a witchcraft epidemic in the year of 1693. Salem, a very religious town with Puritan ideals, where the amount of land one owns dictates power within the society. The eldest son of the wealthiest man in Salem, Thomas Putnam, is a sinister, and selfish man who manipulates the townsfolk in his favor. Generally if one has a soiled reputation, they will not have much power in the Puritan society, yet, Thomas Putnam’s wealth overrides this determining factor, granting him power and the ability to beguile others.
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.
In history and literature power can be abused by a strong leader. Power has a negative effect because King Creon abuses abuses his power for his needs and wants and is also unfair with his decisions and his rule. For example, Creon over uses his power to unfairly kill his niece Antigone. This was unfair because he is going to kill her for just wanting to give her brother a proper burial.
As humans, the desire to want control or influence is natural. However, some people may go to greater extremes than others to obtain this power. For instance, in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth was characterized as a good man, well renowned for winning a battle. His wife, on the contrary, Lady Macbeth, has a strong urge to obtain power and she is willing to do anything to acquire it. She implemented the thought of destroying everyone who stood in the way along the path to reach royalty in Macbeth’s mind by making him feel like he as though he is less of a man if he decided not to.
Power and Corruption When in the wrong hands, power can be used as a weapon to exploit and belittle others. If power is misused, it usually leads to dire consequents, like in A Thousand Splendid Suns, where two women fall victim to those who control them. In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini proves that once a person is promoted to a place of authority, he or she will inevitably become corrupted by the power that he or she holds. For power to hold any value, one must be able to generate fear and submission from his victims.
Was King Arthur a favorable leader in his time of ruling? In King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green, Arthur is a strong leader because he shows bravery, loyalty, and chivalry which are all trates an excellent leader should have. King Arthur is a brave king because he was who pulled the Excalibur from its stone, not any other knight nor king. He had to step up and become a leader without any notice and that takes bravery and strength. “(...)Without stopping to read what was written on the stone, Arthur pulled out the sword at a touch(…)” (p.7).
“Then wear that gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she cry “Lover, gold-hatted, high bouncing lover, I must have you” (title page). Throughout the novel, the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald presents Tom Buchanan as a very controlling person who believes he is entitled to many things because of his wealth. Similar to the quote, Tom’s constant need for wealth and power leads to a need and want for everything in sight. If a reader were to read this book through the Marxist lens, they would see an obvious struggle between the powerful and powerless and how that directly coincides with how much money the person with power has. The main character with power and wealth in the novel is Tom Buchanan, and he uses his control to gain power over others.
The ideas of Chivalry was expressed through out all sorts of different literary works, such as songs, poems, and more. The Two stories of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Morte D’Arthur express some of the ideas of Chivalry. The first Chivalry idea that is seen in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the loyalty of Sir Gawain. Gawain on his way to fight the green knight, stays the night with a lord and his lady.
Mihir Sharma Ms. Dornford ENG 3U1-05 10 December 2015 Power and Corruption William Shakespeare in “Macbeth” and F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby, depict how greed for power and social status can make women ruthless and crafty in their aspirations. To achieve their ulterior motives, they can destroy lives through either pretense or manipulation. William Shakespeare depicts women as malicious in their intent who can camouflage their real intent to achieve their ambitions. Lady Macbeth is unable to pursue her dreams due to social constraints.
Shakespeare’s novel “Macbeth” demonstrates the many ways in which love can factor into a play. Through the connections built between characters, and the relationship Macbeth holds with power, the ways in which love are perceived through “Macbeth” are evident. In Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth,” there is a strong relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, the relationship between the two characters is known as the most obvious - yet this relationship challenges traditional perceptions of love. The attitude Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have towards each other constantly changes, thus making it hard to form a clear-cut opinion of their relationship.
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