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Sir gawain and the green knight the importance of obligation
Sir gawain and the green knight the importance of obligation
Analysis of sir Gawain and the green knight
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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
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).
After that Sir Gawain who is nephew of King Arthur and the hero of the poem asks to take the challenge himself. He takes hold of the axe and, cuts off the knight’s head. Before going away, the Green Knight reminds Sir Gawain to seek him a year later at the Green Chapel. One year later, on Christmas Day, Sir Gawain begins to seek the Green Chapel and the Green Knight. The chivalric quest begins.
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.
Gawain takes King Arthur’s place in the competition with the green knight, chivalry dictates this as the right course of action, a knight must protect and serve the king. Gawain then delivers the blow to the green knight, who then picks up his own head, and remains alive. Gawain fails to kill the green knight and now must face his own death next year. Later, Gawain makes his way to the green chapel to face the green knight. When he visits the Lord Bertilak on his own, Gawain struggles with the Lady and what to do when she invites him to kiss her.
In the lines above it is seen that the Green Knight’s head had completely been severed yet he remains unshaved, it is clear now that Gawain has been deceived. Gawain continues to keep his word even though his journey is lonely and dangerous. “ […] Sir Gawain, Gods servant, on his grim quest, passing long dark nights unloved and alone […] With no friends
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 knight obviously chose the green girdle, to wear in his encounter with the Green Knight at the end of his journey. Sir Gawain is so dissatisfied with himself when he says, “The first words that the knight uttered there Were, " A curse upon cowardice and covetousness! You breed boorishness and vice that ruin virtue. [. . . ] For fear of your blow taught me cowardice, To give way to covetousness, be false to my nature, The generosity and fidelity expected of knights.
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.
The Themes of “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight.” Introtoliterature [Licensed for Non-Commercial Use Only] / Literature and Culture Courses, http://introtoliterature.pbworks.com/w/page/30100516/Literature%20and%20Culture%20Courses. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval epic poem that was written in the late 14th century. The story is centered on Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table, and his encounter with a mysterious figure known as the Green Knight.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, composed by an unknown artist, is a medieval story that follows the tale of a knight who embarks on a journey after being issued a challenge from a mysterious green stranger. During his quest, Sir Gawain, the knight, stays at a castle in the wilderness and is housed by Lord and Lady Bertilak, both of whom test his chivalric code and his Christian ideals. Lady Bertilak is a seductress and tempts Sir Gawain, though he refuses all her advances, with the exception of her kisses. Lord Bertilak is the mysterious green stranger, known as the Green Knight. Once Sir Gawain completed his task, he discovers that Morgan le Faye, a witch scorned by King Arthur, orchestrated the entire challenge in the hopes of causing King
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
One need to have clear that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is not an epic story. This poem is a romance, a different type of romance, a chivalric romance. Chivalric romance or medieval romance “is a type of narrative that… is distinguished from the epic in that it does not represent a heroic age of tribal wars, but a courtly and chivalric age” (McDonie, 2). But, like Dr. McDonie tell us, Gawain thinks “that he is living in a world of epic,” when in reality “he is a romance character who thinks he is living in an epic world” (McDonie, video). Because of the mentality that Gawain has a constant shift of perspective is viewed throughout the poem.
However, few quests delve as deeply into psychology and internal struggles as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Right from the beginning, Sir Gawain’s character is drawn into question. He tells the court that he is the “’weakest of [King Arthur’s] warriors and feeblest of wit’” (354). His rationale for stepping in and taking King Arthur’s place, is that he recognizes his supposed worthlessness and believes his importance is only familial, as King Arthur’s nephew. His loyalty to his King, his uncle, is his call to action, prompting him to step forward and incur the risk.
How and Why Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Medieval Romance Medieval romances are dramatic theatrical narratives that usually include heroes, adventures, and of course the excitement of love. These stories have been around since the 12th century with first appearing in France and then later seen in England. The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight shows us the all the main traits and characteristics of a medieval romance. The Supernatural, Magical elements, and hidden and mistaken identity are some great components of a fine Medieval Romance.
