A Close Reading Of The Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by the Gawain Poet is a poem of Gawain’s epic tale of chivalry and courage after a large, mysterious, green man, known as the Green Knight, disrupts Arthur's Christmas party. The author uses literary devices such as imagery, diction, and alliteration to create the characteristics of Gawain and the Green Knight, to emphasize tone and to show medieval values such as courage, modesty, and chivalry.

There are many parallels that can be drawn from the three temptations and hunting scenes and the three blows exchanged by the Green Knight. All of these scenes are interlocked together in the way that Gawain's quest is told and his trails he endures leading up to his meeting with the Green Knight to fulfill his promise made the year before.

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, after Gawain ventures “into a forest fastness, fearsome and wild” (Norton, 311), he prays that he will be able to find “harborage” on Christmas Eve (Norton, 312). It is the middle of winter, and Gawain has been traveling in search of the Green Knight whose head he has cut off. After he prays and signs himself three times, Gawain finds a magical castle in the midst of a winter forest. He rides to the castle and is granted permission to enter by the lord. Gawain is attended to in a fashion befitting kings, and he meets the lord who tells his identity to all in the court. There are many significant implications and foreshadowings which occur during Gawain’s

     Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a great epic written in fourteenth century Europe by the Pearl poet, emphasizes the opposition of Christian love to Courtly love in the 13th century through the dilemma of Sir Gawain, one of the great knights of the Arthurian round table. By examining the women in the poem, Gawain's dilemma becomes a metaphor for the contrast of these two distinct types of love. The poem looks upon the Virgin Mary as the representative of spiritual love, obedience, chastity, and life (Warner 9). In contrast, Morgan le Fay and Bertilak's wife appear to be representing courtly love, disobedience, lust and death. This

Heroes, whether fictional or not, are usually admired and respected for their righteousness and good actions. In today’s society, when one thinks of a hero, one thinks of someone who has supernatural abilities, defeats powerful villains, or even someone who has the capability to lead and make a positive impact in people’s lives. However, by today’s standards, Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight would not be considered a hero as he did not save people’s lives or perform a deed for the greater good. During Sir Gawain’s time, a Christian hero is someone who was just a human being, but was faithful to his or her God, and King, and had a sense of chivalry and courteousness. Sir Gawain is depicted as a true Christian hero because he possessed qualities of selflessness, courage and bravery, courteous, chivalry and devotion to his word and honor, and humility. Throughout the book, Sir Gawain’s heroic actions demonstrate qualities and principles that represent the true meaning of a Christian hero of the Arthurian times.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an anonymous fourteenth-century poet in Northern dialect, combines two plots: "the beheading contest, in which two parties agree to an exchange of the blows with a sword or ax, and the temptation, an attempted seduction of the hero by a lady" (Norton p.200). The Green Knight, depicted as a green giant with supernatural powers, disrespectfully rides into King Arthur's court and challenges the king to a Christmas game -- a beheading contest. Sir Gawain, a young, brave and loyal knight of the Round Table, acting according to the chivalric code, takes over the challenge his lord has accepted. The contest states that Sir Gawain

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an anonymous author some time during the fourteenth century, reflects many of the religious, political and social aspects illustrated in other literary works of the time. The author, a contemporary of Chaucer, lived during a time when gallantry, loyalty and honor defined a true man. During this period, Christianity was prevalent, and inherent human weakness was commonly accepted.

Sir Gawain proves to be a hero and role model. Perhaps if Sir Gawain were living among us today, he would have his own line of action figures, comic books, and of course a line of chic evening wear! In lines 712 -762 in the Norton Anthology, we see that through dangerous foes and perilous weather, Sir Gawain leans on the strength of God to get him through his journey. Though he meets many dangers in the forest, he defeats them all, using skill and bravery. Traveling through horrid weather conditions, he keeps forging ahead, remaining true to his vow. And instead of blaming God, Sir Gawain leans on the solid foundation of his Christian beliefs.

While the Lord is off hunting, his wife, “attempts his [Gawain’s] chastity” (Stone 11). However, the wife can do no more than kiss Gawain, for he would not allow it. The wife of the Lord tries one more time to seduce the noble knight in his bed. This time she is dressed much more provocatively. Gawain, amazed at her appearance, says: “God love you gracious lady” (Norton 234). Further, he is happy that a very beautiful woman like the Lord’s wife spends time talking with him: “it is a pleasure surpassing… it comforts my hurt”

Part of the essence of drama is conflict. A man cannot be considered a hero unless he has overcome some form of opposition. In many cases, this opposition comes in the form of another character. Typically, the conflict is simplified as a malignant character with wicked intentions committing acts which would be characterized as evil; the protagonist opposes this villain and usually overcomes that character, winning the day and the admiration of all. Sometimes, the main character becomes a hero by overcoming some force within his or her own self. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, this is ultimately what Gawain must do in order to be considered a hero.

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the poet depicts an entertaining story of adventure and intrigue. However, the poem is more than a grand adventure. It is an attempt to explore the moral ideals of Sir Gawain. Gawain's standards are represented by the pentangle on his shield. The depiction of the pentangle occurs when Sir Gawain is preparing to gear up for his quest for the Green Chapel. Gawain's outfit is described in great detail, including its color, makings, and apparel. His armor is meant to serve as a means of protecting his physical being. This shield has great spiritual values in the five-points of the pentangle. Representing the knight's physical being, the shield serves as a form of

In The Dream of the Rood and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, both by anonymous writers, touch on Christian faith and believing in a higher power. These two literary texts show how one’s beliefs can be tested when put in an unfortunate situation. In The Dream of the Rood, the breakdown of the crucifixion of Christ told by the Rood about all the hardships it had to endure prompt the dreamer or the first speaker to look at Christ differently, the first speaker humbles himself more after hearing the life story of the Rood. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Christianity and chivalry sometimes go hand in hand. When Gawain makes the decision to be a part the Green Knight’s game, taking that treacherous journey from home and out of his comfort, he had to depend on his faith to get him through. These stories show how a courtly heroic code of

	Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a great epic written in fourteenth century Europe by the Pearl poet, emphasizes the opposition of Christian love to Courtly love in the 13th century through the dilemma of Sir Gawain, one of the great knights of the Arthurian round table. By examining the women in the poem, Gawain's dilemma becomes a metaphor for the contrast of these two distinct types of love. The poem looks upon the Virgin Mary as the representative of spiritual love, obedience, chastity, and life (Warner 9). In contrast, Morgan le Fay and Bertilak's wife appear to be representing courtly love, disobedience, lust and death. This conflict between

He finally makes it to the Green Knight's lair and awaits his faith. The Green Knight tests Gawain's chivalry by testing him when he swings at him with his axe. After three swings Gawain tells him to stop, because he has given a single stroke and stood still for it as part of the challenge.The Green Knight then tells him, “For I planned it all, to test you…..” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 201-204). Sir Gawain is ashamed and disappointed in himself for his failure to follow by the rules and keep his complete word as a knight. Sir Gawain’s believes, he is a failure and a knight who has sinned. Also Gawain failed to tell the Green Knight about the green belt given to him by the Green Knight’s wife. The Green Knight forgives him by saying,

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a turning point for female characters in literature; written at the end of the 14th century it begins to empower women by holding authority throughout the story. The authority perhaps doesn’t occur in an obvious way where women would become rulers yet they still managed to persuade the men into acting how they desired. Despite the protagonist of the story being male, it is the women who shape the plot of the story and meanwhile defy the conventional gender roles from that time. As Geraldine Heng said, it is the women who change the course of the story; an action is started by one, performed by another and finalized by a third. Each of them have a specific function and it is as if they work together without