What Is The Dichotomy Between Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Supernatural

One of the most intriguing aspects of the fourteenth century chivalric romance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is the presence of the supernatural. Its presence is integral to the poem’s inciting incident and progression. Without it, there is no call for Gawain to leave Arthur’s court, no adventure, and no moment where Gawain can reflect on his dishonourable actions. The poem contains several magical events, characters, animals, and objects that challenge the dichotomy between the good human and evil supernatural worlds. Through its use of language, the morality associated with certain objects, the espousal of Christian values, the treatment of animals, and the varied characterisation of the Green Knight, the poem raises questions about human

The inscription of Solomon’s symbol further signifies Gawain’s moral superiority (625), whereby his exceptional compassion and piety are declared (654). But due to its textual proximity to the Green Knight’s beheading, the Symbol’s intended purpose is juxtaposed with Gawain’s callous attempted murder of an unarmed man. The superficial evidence the pentangle provides to substantiate Gawain’s superiority is then further challenged by Solomon’s reputation as a symbol for folly and weakness in Medieval literature (Hardman, “Practice of Piety” 251). By the late Medieval Age, the pentangle’s negative connotation was linked to magical practices, resulting in the Church’s condemnation of it (247). Instead of solidifying Gawain’s superiority, the pentangle introduces the dissonance between Gawain’s description versus his

In Arthur’s court, women are valued for their beauty and the status that beauty brings (52). They are reduced to secondary roles, wherein even the Virgin Mary is described as the “mild Queen of Heaven” (647). Despite regularly calling upon her for moral protection, her defining attributes are her placidity and her status. The diminishment of women’s influence is evident in Guenevere, the only named woman in Arthur’s court, who is reduced to her unmatched beauty (83-4). By using language associated with nature to describe women, Gawain further reduces their role in society based on their age: a woman is either “withered” or “fresh” (951). Due to the negative relationship to nature and the supernatural in Arthur’s court, this description implies that women are similarly beholden to the perception and whims of men. Moreover, Gawain’s final diatribe – in which he attributes male moral failings to women – insinuates that empowered women are to be feared. The fact that this diatribe does not result in Gawain’s realisation that his role as Morgan le Fay’s pawn has relegated him to a feminised secondary role (Heng, “Feminine Knots” 501), further emphasises the Medieval idea of women being innately