Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Middle English romance poem written by an anonymous West Midlands poet. Sir Gawain, survives two tests: the challenge, to behead the fearsome Green Knight and to let him retaliate a year later at the distant Green Chapel; and the temptation to commit adultery with the wife of Lord Bercilak,whose castle he stays in when headed to the chapel. this story of Sir gawain follows closely with Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. The start of the story takes place in King Arthur’s great hall.
Much of the action in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight revolves around carious kinds of games. In a way, all these games are connected. Chivalry is defined as the medieval system, principles, and customs of knighthood. In the time Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written, chivalry was a major deal. The games may have been somehow connected with chivalry, in that the medieval system included the playing of these games.
The main theme of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the journey to maturity of Gawain, the hero. During the passage, Gawain goes through three tests on his development. First, Gawain shows courage and resourcefulness when he volunteers to take the Green Knight’s challenge instead of Arthur doing so. Second, Gawain shows authority, self-restraint, and integrity when he denies the sexual endeavours of the lady of the house. Lastly, Gawain shows bravery when he faces death by keeping his meeting with the Green
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.
In the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the holly branch, the battle ax, and the green sash are used as symbols to represent life and death. When the Green Knight enters the room he “instead held in one hand a bought of the holly/That grows most green when all groves are bare” (L.27-28). The holly branch is green and it represents peace and the beauty of life and nature. The holly branch also has berries and they are poisonous representing death. On the other hand he “held an ax, immense and unwieldy” (L.29).
.This makes Sir Gawain as a relatable hero, opposed to the heroes that are portrayed as godly and infallible. Sir Gawain was not a military warrior with badges, he did not swing a weapon but one at the Christmas games in the beginning. Sir Gawain is considered a literary hero because he was brave for stepping forward to protect King Arthur, his king and uncle. He had faith that led him through his journey into the enchanted forest and into the castle and he did not abandon it. He was noble in being a guest at Lord Bertilak’s, or the Green Knights, castle by offering his services to Lord Bertilak and, resisting temptations, and not sleeping with Lady Bertilak, Lord Bertilak’s
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight In the Pearl Poet’s Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, an epic story emerges to reveal a man’s journey of honor, honesty, valor, and loyalty. Throughout Gawain’s adventures in the poem, he discovers and demonstrates his own chivalric qualities. Although he makes a few mistakes along the way he strives to be an honorable man.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late fourteenth century Arthurian Romance Poem. During the time of Sir Gawain, society was dominated by males with women receiving little power. Women were treated with chivalry, but not respected as beings of their own rights. Knights were prided in having the code of chivalry yet were under the assumption woman could not attain much for themselves.
The classic tale The Beauty and the Beast conveys an excellent lesson on how one should never judge a book by its cover. In the story the Beast is an outcast who is judged solely on his physical appearance and unjustly declared to be a menacing monster by society. Due to the way he looks, people automatically assume that he is dangerous and a threat to society. Similar to the Beast, the Green Knight from Gawain and the Green Knight by the Pearl Poet is thought to be a dangerous, supernatural being on the basis of his outward appearance and intimidating persona; nonetheless, In spite of his threatening appearance and other seemingly antagonizing characteristics, the Green Knight is a respectable character with a numerous amount of redeeming qualities that are portrayed throughout the story. On the surface, the Green Knight is an ostensibly dangerous being.
Sir Gawain and the Green depicts this importance of faith by testing Gawain’s moral and knightly code. Gawain is the epitome of what a knight ought to be, with a strong moral code and an unquestioning faith, which he proudly displays on his shield with the Virgin Mary painted on the inside and the Pentangle on the outside. This faith is soon meet with a test the castle of the lord and his once strong faith in God falters. While Gawain is able to remain innocent when it comes to the seductive ways of the lord’s wife, he is unable to stop himself from accepting her magical girdle that would protect him against any harm, even though it is in opposition to both his faith and his loyalties. Gawain comprises his morals due to fear about his impending encounter with the Green Knight and he give into his fear and takes the magical protection the girdle offers.
Consider how the theme of courage is treated in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a story that celebrates courage in a positive light in the majority of situations but we see that courage can have a negative impact on some of the characters in the story and it questions knighthood. Courage is an honourable term defined “The ability to do something that frightens one; bravery:” (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/courage) and for Gawain to be called this term defines him as a knight. His actions throughout the story makes it difficult to analyse how courage is treated in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Literary Analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The selection of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight follows the basic format of the adventure. The author emphasizes communion to show the loyalty and community between King Arthur and his knights. The symbolism behind the relationship between Sir Gawain to humans and the Green Knight to the merciful God further shows the relations of this medieval romance to the Bible.
Later in English Literature comes the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Sir Gawain-a chivalrous and truly good man- sticks up for his king and promises to fight the monstrous man on his behalf. Sir Gawain and Beowulf are used as the ultimate heroic characters in their times and symbolize what is to be looked up to and most highly honored. These characters
The role of antagonists in preceding and contemporary literature has always been illustrated as a negative and opposing force in a story. Hence the term “antagonist,” which was derived from the Greek word “antagonistēs” meaning rival or competitor (LiteraryDevices Editors). However, the role of an antagonist is just as essential as the role of the protagonist. The antagonist, who can also be called a “villain,” plays a driving force in a story to persuade the protagonist, also known as the “hero,” to reach the ultimate ending. An ultimate ending can be the “happily ever after” ending in fairytales or fulfilling a mission in tales of quests.
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.
