Character Analysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

While courage is an undeniable characteristic of a hero, Sir Gawain’s ability to be courteous and chivalrous throughout the tale makes him that much more entitled to be recognized as a hero. While at Sir Bertilak’s castle, Sir Gawain is let to stay at the castle as a noble guest. As for Sir Bertilak, he ventures out to hunt for prizes as a challenge with Sir Gawain, in which at the end of each day they trade prizes earned. As Sir Gawain encounters the lady peeping through the curtain, he “welcomes her politely at once,” in which at the end of the engagement he receives a kiss (Gawain, line 1477). The gentle lady says that, “someone as young and valiant as yourself, so courteous and chivalrous as you are known far and wide” is truly respected as a knight (Gawain, lines 1510-1511). Thus, portraying why Sir Gawain is seen as a hero in this tale, because he is not

When talking about a morally ambiguous character, many ideas may float to mind. Perhaps a Dr. Jekyll type of person will pop up in your mind, or maybe just simply a person who doesn’t let morality get in the way of their ambitions. For a character to have a sense of evil present in them, it is not necessary for them to walk around with an ominous laugh, or anything comical in those lines. Similarly, for a character to have a sense of good, it does not mean they have to be perfectly correct either. In order to put the morally ambiguity into perspective, it is necessary to analyze the presence of both good and evil into a real character, and how it affects the story as a whole. From the Pearl Poet’s chivalric romance, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, Sir Gawain is an excellent example of a morally ambiguous character. In the poem, Gawain’s purely good image was shattered when he cut off the Green Knight’s head, since he took the game as a challenge. That event could be considered as the event that set the plot into action, as the following events are all resulting from Gawain’s action. However, Gawain symbolizes good by initially embracing the knight's moral code in accepting the challenge and then, agreeing to the terms of the Green Knight. Gawain still symbolizes goodness by demonstrating proper knightly actions at times. The Pearl Poet uses Gawain as a morally ambiguous character to set up the plot. He firstly sets up Gawain as a good character, then uses a series of

Sir Gawain is quickly established in the poem as a man with a great sense of honor and devotion to his ideals, which are firmly established on his shield. The shield bears a pentangle, and each of the five points of that shape represent some aspect or ideal of Gawain. The five points represent: his five fingers, the five joyful mysteries, the five wounds of Christ, the five knightly virtues, and the five senses (Gawain 640-653). On the interior of his shield is simply a picture of the Blessed Mother of God. The combination of all of these ideals and attributes which Gawain holds dearly illustrate just how noble he perceived himself, and was perceived, to be. However, when the Green Knight approaches the Knights of King Arthur with a challenge to the beheading game, Gawain’s nobility and courteousness are put to the test.

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by an unknown author referred to as the “Pearl Poet,” we are introduced to Sir Gawain. Gawain is a knight of the Round Table and he is also the nephew of King Arthur. As a knight, Gawain is expected to possess and abide by many chivalrous facets. Throughout the poem he portrays many of the qualities a knight should possess, such as bravery, courtesy, and honor among others. Because of his ability to possess these virtues even when tempted to stray away from them, Sir Gawain is a true knight.

This approval that Green Knight expresses towards Gawain’s person only furthers the reflection of Gawain likeability, for even his potential adversary possesses a certain amount of praise for him due to his acceptance of a challenge only the king would undertake. Through his display of courage in sacrificing himself for his king, in the eyes of all, he is deemed a worthy and honorable knight. Moreover, Gawain’s charming first impression is yet again seen when the lord of the castle he finds when searching for the Green Chapel welcomes and greets him saying, “For I know well, my knight, that your name is Sir Gawain, / Whom all the world worships, wherever he ride…” (Fit III, 68). In this declaration, the lord emphasizes Gawain’s overall popularity amongst the people of the land who have heard of his greatness and highlights the charismatic qualities Gawain possesses when he responds in kind replying, “In good truth… that is a gain indeed / Though I am hardly the hero of whom you speak / To be held in such honour… I am altogether unworthy (Fit III, 68). This response, in which Gawain humbly accepts the praise given to him, his likeability is brought to a forefront, emphasizing the charm of a self-deprecating response instead of one that basks in praise—overall a true lesson in knightly morality

Gawain, a knight of the famed King Arthur, is depicted as the most noble of knights in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Nonetheless, he is not without fault or punishment, and is certainly susceptible to conflict. Gawain, bound to chivalry, is torn between his knightly edicts, his courtly obligations, and his mortal thoughts of self-preservation. This conflict is most evident in his failure of the tests presented to him. With devious tests of temptation and courage, Morgan le Fay is able to create a mockery of Gawain’s courtly and knightly ideals. Through the knight Gawain, the poem is able to reveal that even knights are human too with less than romantic traits.

With any story, characters are an essential part of understanding the growth and development of a hero while also allowing the reader to better understand the overall message of a piece of literature. That being said, the poem entitled Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is no different as the knight, Sir Gawain, serves as its hero while other characters help fulfill the various archetypes within “the idea of the monomyth that Campbell defines”. (Campbell lviii) Throughout the poem, Gawain finds himself interacting with the aforementioned archetypal characters and becoming a more honorable knight in the process. Two characters in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight play key archetypal roles in the perfecting of the hero’s moral development.

Even though Gawain was a knight in one of the most prestigious courts in old or middle English’s history, readers of the tale could find something to empathize with. As Victoria Weiss once again writes:

Themes allow the author to write a story that conveys a positive message to the reader. Generally speaking, a story has multiple themes and there are many ways that the author uses to present the theme to the reader. And Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is not an exception to the rule. The poem uses imagery, juxtaposition of scenes, and the action of the characters to present the numerous themes to the reader and the presentation is done throughout the work. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the idea that in the world, there are man-made and natural rules that one must follow but in times, the two rules come in conflict with each other. By analyzing the two games played by Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the theme will be better understood.

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain, like many other heroes of communities that are at risk, face conflicts that allow for his character to continue its growth as the progresses throughout the story. As Gawain undertakes the task to find the Green Knight and save Camelot’s honor, the last piece of dialog between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight reveals the theme. Gawain’s apotheosis reflects the wisdom gained from some of life’s more brutal initiations. The trials that lead up to the meeting with the Green Knight represent the conflicts that Sir Gawain must overcome in order to put Camelot’s honor over his own life.

Everyone desires something in life. The protagonists in fantasy will go on quests one of the reasons are his or her desires that convinces his or her to leave but these desires can evolve in time. Often revealing what the main character wants from life by the end of their quest. After examining Artmiage’s text I believe that Gawain’s original desire was to get the approval of King Arthur and to prove that he is a great knight. Gawain states “I am weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit; loss of my life would be grieved the least. Were I not your nephew my life would be nothing; to be born of your blood is my body’s only claim” (Artmiage, 20). This shows he is being self-critical believing any honour he has is a result of Arthur. Generally

Thesis: In Marie Borroff’s translation of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, a happy ending is achieved through the spiritual and moral reconciliation of Sir Gawain which humbles him and exposes his struggle to be the model of Christian knights. (chivalry and christianity, the ideal christian knight).

Upon first Reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, I noticed that it comes off as a romantic normative poem about chivalric ideals and traditions of the ruling class with covertly Christian Images. The protagonist character Sir Gawain stands out as the role model of the chivalric ideals of the 14th century while displaying Christian images on his armor. The combination of Gawain’s armor and actions throughout the poem exemplify his characteristics of Christian perfection and chivalric ideals. The very first scene with Bertilak of Hautdesert known as the Green Knight begins to mold your perception of how chivalrous Sir Gawain is by portraying him as valiant, humble, and virtuous knight to Arthur. I felt that the interruption of Arthur

In 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight', the narrator, who is also the character Morgan Le Fay, discovers what truly makes a man throughout the course of a quest that she devises. Sir Gawain, a seemingly perfect knight, answers her questions by showing how imperfect he actually is.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is viewed as a Medieval Romance through various characteristics.