Archetypal Characters In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain’s dealings with the Green knight. The Green Knight is an extraordinary man who challenges arthur, and Gawain steps up to play the Green Knights game. One year later, he travels to find the Green Knight and stops in a castle along the way where he and the lord trade all gifts that they receive each day. After three days, Sir Gawain leaves and meets the Green Knight where only nicks sir Gawain’s neck with the axe and reveals that he is the lord of the castle where Gawain stayed and the cut was for not giving up all of his gifts. This Arthurian romance has no known author but the popularity of the story has kept it alive. In this story, Gawain sacrificed his own life to defend the honor of his King Arthur. He shows that he is an honorable knight person by defending the honor of his king, keeping the agreement he made with the Green Knight and acknowledging his own sin. Gawain also comes the realization that he cannot be completely without sin and has to live with that knowledge. Honor is an important theme throughout the book and is what drives Gawain to go on this journey. The story of Sir Gawain stresses the importance of honor and chivalry in all parts of life by showing what being good did for him.

An archetype, which can also refer to as a universal symbol, can not only limit it to theme, setting, and symbol but can also refer to as a character. A type of archetype can not only represent one character, it can represent many different types of characters. Depending on the story that the author wants to try and portray. In the medieval romance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight dramatically demonstrates how a single character can play many archetypal roles. This story possesses many different types of characters that can all have more than one archetype. Having characters that more than one archetype in this story helps build Sir Gawain’s character and helps guide him through his initial quest and trails that he encounters to face in order to face the Green Knight. There are several different characters in the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight that aid in the troubles that Sir Gawain faces throughout the story.

A number of several different archetypes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are what makes the hero’s journey so successful in many ways. The journey sends the Hero in search of some truth that will help save his kingdom. Sir Gawain goes on a journey to find the Green Knight as per his request. This journey ultimately leads to the knowledge that he seems truly chivalrous. As Sir Gawain approaches the castle, the men of the castle were begging him to cross the bridge. The bridge

In many works of literature, many archetypes (or symbols) are used to help the reader understand the story of a hero’s quest. In the Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the hero has to go on a fatal journey to uphold the reputation of Camelot. While enduring that journey, Gawain has to conquer many trails. Gawain’s succession of trials leaves the hero, like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, a “sadder but wiser man.” With all the trials that Gawins intakes, many archetypal characters contribute to the theme of the story.

The characteristics of heroism, magical elements, and the supernatural, just to name a few, are all shown in the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. First, we see the supernatural when the Green Knight speaks even though he has been beheaded. Next, we see magic and larger than life characters when the Green Knight reveals he is both Lord Bertilak and the giant knight. Lastly, heroism is shown when Sir Gawain stands up for his King and takes his place in battle. It is these characteristics that place Sir Gawain and the Green Knight into the genre of medieval

With every corner we turn in today’s culture, we become more and more aware of the archetypes that surround us. Archetypes are the works of a typical character, situation, setting, or symbol that can be found in fantasy and reality. An example would be the renowned medieval story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Pearl Poet. The author permeates the story with situational, symbolic, and character archetypes that illustrate the profound life of Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain was apprehensive of his journey at first, but as time passes, he began to make choices that unveils to the audience the true flawed knight that he was.

What is the most representative element to the stories of King Arthur and his knights of rounds? Most of people may say that courtly love and chivalry of the knights. The story of Sir Gawain and the green knight may not be different with other stories. The reason can be the story also ended with praising the chivalry of Gawain. The heroic protagonist face with the antic villain with magic and finally, he survive from that trouble. It can be just read into the typical heroic story. However, when looking in deeply, there are some vague points that this story theme can be just chivalry of the knights. Though the pride of Gawain was broken so much, the story just ended with praise the

o illustrate most periods in history, the era of knights evolved gradually. These guys have been knighted by the monarchy, but not as a part of an order of chivalry in particular the order of the chivalry the order of the British Empire. They can call himself “Sir”. In this case Gawain is the protagonist within the narrative poem “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” a pinnacle of humility, piety, integrity, loyalty and honesty. He defends more than his own reputation, he was one of the bravest. In continuation we are going to see more of this amazing character that in my opinion shows to us the importance of family and overcoming one's fears.

Even in the middle ages of literature, a story such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight had many aspects of Joseph Campbell’s view of the hero’s journey. In the story of our character Sir Gawain accepts a “Call to adventure” (Campbell 45) and goes on a quest that will go through many of the archetypes. Likewise, there lies one character, The Green Knight, that can be many of the archetypal characters in the cycle of the hero’s journey. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight dramatically demonstrates how a single character can play many archetypal roles.

Sir Gawain battles the urge to keep knightly virtues while he is also trying to reach the Green Chapel. The character archetype in this section of the story is The Temptress, the character development from this character alone is very crucial to the upcoming of the climax. The temptress in this story temps Gawain 3 times and the 3rd time she manages to get him to take a green belt to protect himself. While almost costing his life, the mythical weapon received from The Temptress is a crucial part of his journey, while all of this is connecting towards the development of the character. Upon arrival of Sir Gawain, The Green Knight takes 3 swings on Sir gawain, the first hit Sir Gawain flinches, the second hit test Sir Gawain’s courage and he doesn’t flinch, the final hit causes no harm to Gawain but a slight cut on his neck, Gawain leaps away, draws his sword.

Archetypes (or recurring symbols) hold a key role in the development of the tale, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Throughout the story we get the opportunity to see the development of Gawain’s character, and how much his journey to the center of the abyss had an affect on him. Gawain must travel across the land to defend his king’s territory’s honour, making him an archetypal hero in the process. On his journey Gawain faces many archetypal characters, like a devil figure and creatures of nightmare, which further aid in the development of his character. Gawain’s integrity dissipates, however, when he meets up with a temptress and she threatens his noble personality, and deters the young knight from completing his quest.

An archetype would be known as a universal symbol, may be a character, a theme or even a setting. In the story Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the knights of Camelot get confronted by a mysterious figure known as the Green Knight. The Green Knight proposes a challenge on a New Year’s Eve feast for Camelot’s leader or bravest man. Gawain accepts this challenge in which he has to complete to obtain Camelot’s honor. The Green Knight presents himself as a threat to Camelot because of the way he presents himself and his request. Throughout the poem of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the reader can conclude how a single character can play many archetypal roles.

The first character stands to call himself the Green Knight, who in fact fits many archetypal roles, but persists to act most crucial as the “Trickster” (Campbell 230). In this poem, the Green Knight does not reveal himself to fulfill the role of the trickster until Gawain receives the cut on his neck, “But thou didst lack a little, Sir Knight, and wast wanting in loyalty, yet that was for no evil work, nor for wooing neither, but because thou lovedst thy life- therefore I blame thee the less,” (Weston 40). As the Green Knight continues to speak on this subject, he reveals that the host of the castle was no one but himself. With this information, Gawain now realizes that Bernlak de Hautdesert (The Green Knight’s real name) acted this way simply to test how honorable Gawain is at heart. This would ultimately make Gawain appreciate the test as he would learn to put honor above all else. Ironically, once home, the people of Camelot would view Gawain as a hero and the Green Girdle (the item in which he had shown selfishness) as a symbol of honor, although it represents nothing of the sort, “... this is the bond of the blame I bear in my neck, this is the harm and the loss I have suffered, the cowardice and covetousness in which I was caught, the token of the covenant in which I was taken,” (Weston 42).

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a tale of chivalry, faith, and self-respect. In this “short tale,” Sir Gawain is faced with a decision to take the place of his king, King Arthur and uncle, against a challenge presented to them by the Green Knight. The Green Knight is a very mysterious character, literally a green being. He comes to Camelot, during Christmastime, because he has heard great things about the knights there and their heroic deeds. Upon accepting the challenge, which is to behead the green knight in one strike and to then travel to the Green Chapel to receive the same punishing blow, Sir Gawain must travel far in order to uphold his end of their deal.

A particular archetypal character in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight who plays a central role in creating the conflicts that help to develop Gawain’s character and the ultimate theme of the work is the Green Knight. The Green Knight deals with different archetypes, the evil figure… ultimately good, the trickster, and can also be considered as the mentor. In the story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, at the end once Sir Gawain finds the green chapel the green knight brings about not necessarily to trick Sir Gawain he