ipl-logo

Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Monster Analysis

1509 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literary analysis on sir gawain and the green knight

Friedrich Nietzsche, a prominent leader in the existentialist and postmodern movement, once stated, “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.” Stereotypically, monsters are viewed as the foil to humanity, devoid of reason, compassion, and the gentle nature of humans. Contrary, humans are often portrayed as valiant and reasonable beings, who protect kin and society from evils. Nevertheless, there is only a small difference between the two sides, and they are brought into continued interaction with each other. In these interactions, by challenging the physical and psychological processes of human nature, “monsters” are able to test conventional understandings of humans, forcing them to choose between keeping …show more content…

. . ] Gay was this goodly man in guise of all green/ And the hair of his head to his hors suited” (1.150-1.180). By all accounts, the Green Knight appears to be a monster, an implication only furthered by his brazen challenge to Arthur’s court. When his challenge is met with silence, the Green Knight demands, “Whose fame is so fair in far realms and wide? Where is now your arrogance and your awesome deeds, Your valor and your victors and your vaunting words! [. . .] Overwhelmed with a word of one man’s speech” (1.305 - 1.315). Shocked by the physical differences and brash challenges of the Green Knight, Arthur’s court forgets to abide by the chivalric code, which dictated the conventional understanding of human nature in that time period. Perhaps, the Pearl Poet alludes to the fact that under great physical differences, the convention of human nature at that time disintegrates. Furthermore, during his supposed execution at the hand of the “monster”, Gawain shows fear by flinching, an act that conflicted with the chivalric code. The Pearl Poet writes, “As down it[the axe] descended with death-dealing force/ And his shoulders shrank a little from the sharp iron” (4.2265-4.2268). This incident only reinforces that when the physical norm of humans is challenged by monsters, the conventional understanding of human nature falls

Show More
Related
392 Words | 2 Pages

The natural world and mankind are two different concepts, but connections between them can be revealed by mythology. The natural world usually consists of things in nature like plants or animals, whereas mankind refers to the everyday humans. But with mythology the two separate ideas come together. In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by an anonymous poet, mankind meets the natural world when Sir Gawain sets out on a journey through the forest to meet the Green Knight.

Read More
1052 Words | 5 Pages

Deceitful people can be taken as harmful and evil or wise and necessary. Sometimes it takes a little tragedy or harmful situation to make a person realize a change is needed. Deceitful people have reasoning behind their ways, and it is usually so the other person learns something about him or herself they would have never seen without being hurt. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, we see a heavy example of deceit for a reason. Lord Bertilak’s reasons for deceiving Sir Gawain exhibit fruitful ideals distributed throughout the text.

Read More
1719 Words | 7 Pages

Deception is the act of deceiving; or the state of being deceived, which is something of very powerful nature. Deception can cause people to believe things that may or may not be true. Deception in most cases is used when an individual has a certain motive that he or she is trying to achieve. In the play Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, deception is present when Bertilak uses his wife to deceive Sir Gawain, by having her to try to seduce Sir Gawain on three different occasions. Although Sir Gawain remains loyal to Bertilak, Sir Gawain still takes the girdle; therefore, in the end Sir Gawain is left with a sense of failure, proving that Bertilak attained the motive he was seeking.

Read More
276 Words | 2 Pages

The green knights adheres to the code of chivalrous conduct. The Green Knight is a mysterious, supernatural creature. He rides into Arthur’s court on New Year’s Eve almost as if summoned by the king’s request to hear a marvelous story. His supernatural characteristics, such as his ability to survive decapitation and his green complexion, immediately mark him as a foreboding figure. The Green Knight contrasts with Arthur’s court in many ways.

Read More
1114 Words | 5 Pages

He is described as a man, “None had seen...with sight in that hall so grand.” (197) Immediately he asks for the leader of the house to which he extends his request for a contest to King Arthur. The unnamed knight then reveals the rules of the game. Carl Martin, in his essay, The Cipher of Violence, elaborates. “ The Green Knight reveals here that while the typical warrior-noble engineers his aggrandizement through public displays of prowess… he is also bound by a strict code of behavior meant to restrain and refine his aggression.”

Read More
998 Words | 4 Pages

Even though he knows that the consequence of the action is severe, he is ready to face them. The pact that the Green Knight suggested is that whoever cuts his head is going to face the same thing in a year, and most likely encounter his death. Despite this, Sir Gawain moves ahead to demonstrate his commitment through his generous act of saving the King (Beauregard, 146). Friendship is demonstrated in the poem also as Gawain

Read More
1052 Words | 5 Pages

During the Medieval times chivalry was one of the most important characteristics a knight could display. Chivalry was viewed as a moral obligation that involved bravery, honor, respect, and gallantry. Knights were expected to uphold this code or face social consequences for any infractions, with punishments ranging from humiliation to termination of their knighthood. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” presents the struggles knights faced with honoring the chivalrous code at all times. Sir Gawain, while imperfect, exhibits qualities expected of knights and embodies the internal struggle between honoring the chivalrous code and giving into selfish desires.

Read More
887 Words | 4 Pages

In Arthur’s Hall, every time when the Green Knight referred to the chivalry of Arthur’s men, he would say “…are called the best”(259) or “the towering reputation of the Round Table”(313)—all that he and Morgan knew about them was “heard,” they did not actually see the worthiness of those “legendary” knights. When the Green Knight came to Camelot, he asked, “who is the governor of this gaggle?” (224-225) Arthur’s men were only “gaggles” in Green Knight and Morgan’s eyes, even though they absolutely knew Court of Arthur and their high reputation. Only after all tests were over and Gawain was proved to be the “most faultless fellow on earth” (2363), in Green knight’s heart he truly admired him and Gawain became the loved one in Hautdesert.

Read More
573 Words | 3 Pages

The lines 1550-1553 from the Pearl poets epic Sir Gawain and the Green Knight epitomizes two of the most important virtues of a noble knight, and Sir Gawain, the man the story follows, defines what is a true knight. He holds a place next to King Arthur and the queen as well as exemplifying two of a knights most important virtues. The first being chastity and the second being courteousness, both however, are very much entwined in this tale. Throughout this epic and many other Arthurian legends praised these traits in the knight and as we shall see, Sir Gawain although still very much human, is a master of both. The virtue of chastity is extremely important in Arthurian legend and we can see this from examining Gawain’s shield.

Read More
1105 Words | 5 Pages

Essay: Consider how the Theme of courage is treated in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It has to be said that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is arguably one of the greatest middle English poems of the 14th Century. The author of the text, whom, amazingly is still unknown tells the reader, through the medium of poem the courage of the Great Sir Gawain as he bravely challenges the Green Knight. The poem also shows the courage of others. In Medieval times and especially medieval writings, there was a great engrossment with courage.

Read More
1017 Words | 5 Pages

Rhetorical Analysis of “Monsters and the Moral Imagination” Many people believe monsters are imaginary creatures that are seen in movies or even for others, it could be a serial killer that was heard about on the news. Stephen T. Asma wrote “Monsters and the Moral Imagination” which “first appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education in October 2009” (Hoffman 61). Asma, who is a professor of philosophy, examines how different individual’s perceptions of a monster can be different depending on the era or even events happening around them. In “Monsters and the Moral Imagination,” Stephen T. Asma wrote a nonfiction, persuasive article for an educated and possibly specialized audience to examine how the idea of monsters have changed over time, what could be the motivation to create them, or even how life experiences could change an individual’s perceptions.

Read More
605 Words | 3 Pages

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, whose author is unknown, is an Arthurian Romance/Epic that holds a degree of Christian symbolism. These Christian symbols are intermixed with Britannic Pagan traditions and themes in order to appeal more to the common British people at the time of the early Christianization of Britain. This can be supported by the stories of kings being created in the earlier centuries throughout history. In this particular story, this symbolism is important since all the knights of King Arthur’s Court were supposed to follow a certain chivalrous code of conduct, whether present in the courts or away on some other venture. The chivalric code being the embodiment of Christian virtue and valor, which was expected to be personified

Read More
1680 Words | 7 Pages

Analyse the importance of symbolism as a literary device in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This essay aims to discuss the importance of symbolism as a literary device in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Symbolism is a literary device which uses specific items or images to convey abstract concepts (Whitehead 22). In SGGK, the Gawain poet implements symbolism in the narrative through the symbols of the pentangle, the green girdle, Gawain’s armour, the seasons and nature, and the Green Knight.

Read More
675 Words | 3 Pages

Monsters will NEVER ever die: all cultures around the world have them and have had them since people first thought of them. Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Columbia College Chicago, Stephen T. Asma, in his essay, Monsters and the Moral Imagination, describes how we look at and are drawn to monsters. But not just monsters, murderers and psychopaths also. Monsters never age, ranging from the first civilization to now. In Asma's essay he asks, "Why do monsters exist?

Read More
1269 Words | 6 Pages

In the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, we begin in King Arthur’s court at a Christmas feast. A stranger, who calls himself the Green Knight, interrupts the festivities proposing a game. Anyone from King Arthur’s court has the chance to have one swing to chop of the Green Knights head, but in return the brave man who does must find the Green Knight at the Green Chapel in a year’s time, and allow the Green Knight to return the favor. When no knight rushes to take on his challenge, the Green Knight insults the court by calling them cowards. "What, is this Arthur's house...

Read More

More about Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Monster Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document