Comparing Gawain's Epilogue To Oedipus The King

Throughout this story, Sir Gawain has shown his great personality, and his commitment to being a true knight. He proved that he was humble, self-disciplined, truthful, and had integrity. Gawain woke up one morning to find that the host's wife had crept in the room, and sat on his bed. She jokes that she had snuck in and captured him. Gawain plays along, until the wife tries to talk him into engaging sexually. Gawain continuously denies her requests politely. The Wife says that she would have married him instead if she could have. Sir Gawain was humble and expresses that her husband is a better man. she finally gives up, but requests a kiss. She continues this for the next two days, yet Gawain contains himself, and keeps his mind and body pure,

On the first day the host sets forth to hunt deer with his knights and Gawain stays in to rest. As Gawain laid resting on the bed the host’s wife walks in and he pretends to be asleep as she tries to talk to him. She

Gawain is willing to put his welfare on the line to save his king and friend. He says that he would be a coward and without honor if he lets King Arthur die knowing that all he must do to save him is to marry a woman, although she is quite disgusting.

Sir Gawain has played a significant role in Arthurian legends since the Middle Ages. His first major appearance in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight depicts Gawain as a warrior rather than a womanizing knight like others from King Arthur's court. Even in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain focuses on his battle with the green knight rather than the advances of Bercilak's wife. During Gawain's visit to Bercilak's castle, his wife makes three specific advances to entice Gawain into an adulteress relationship. Although Gawain faces certain death with the Green Knight, he declines any sexual involvement with Bercilak's wife. Gawain's character remains faithful to his

Although everyone knew of Gawain’s unhappy ending, Gawain persevered through the wedding ceremony being as calm as he could as she stumbled through the great hall on the arm of Gawain’s ignoring the hideousness of his bride. Sir Gawain exhibits his calmness and enduring pain as “Gawain moved as though in a trance, and not all the jewels nor the fine velvet robe given her by the Queen could disguise the hideousness of the bride as she stumbled through the great hall on the arm of her husband” (Hastings 3). Gawain knew that he would have to spend the rest of his life with this woman so there would be no point hurting her even more than she is already by others. Instead, in respect for the Loathly Lady as well as his king, Gawain politely took his newly weeded wife to dance not minding her disgusting figure. Although no one had the heart to dance, Sir Gawain still kindly directed the Loathly Lady as it states “Then Gawain seemed to shake himself awake, and gently leading his wife into the centre of the hall, he guided her through the slow steps of a courtly measure” (Hastings 3). Sir Gawain is enduring as he requests to dance with her to be well-mannered. To be enduring and experience such an unpleasant commotion only for his king’s honour demonstrates how great of a noble knight

Sir Gawain is a knight at the court of king Arthur, and since Arthur himself had no children; Gawain is therefore his heir; that?s why he had the strongest claim to the throne. In this poem, Gawain portrays himself very humbly. He is at the court of king Arthur when suddenly on Christmas day, while sitting down to a big feast, and into the court bashes a magical entirely huge green man, dressed in extremely rich upper class clothing and holding a big axe in his hand. He offered a deal or a game referred to in this literature as the beheading game i.e. exchanging swinging of each other?s heads. It was a kind of challenge to King?s Arthur honor and courage. Should the king be brave enough to accept and take up the challenge whatever the trick is in the

King Arthur is not the only kingly figure that Gawain respects, though. After Gawain sets out on his journey he swiftly encounters a castle. He speaks to a porter, who leads Gawain to the lord of the giant castle. The lord is more than happy to welcome Gawain as he says, "of all men on middle-earth [Gawain] was most admired...God has given us of His goodness His grace now indeed, who such a guest as Gawain has granted us to have!" (Tolkien 58). As the lord of the castle

Since Gawain is a noble knight, he of course keeps his promise although it’s seemingly terrifying to him. As the theme of the poem continues to develop, it is hinted that Gawain is not looking forward to searching out the Green Chapel where the Green Knight resides. This is revealed by his procrastination to leave Camelot and search for a place he has never seen or heard of before the Green Knight told him of it. This is foreshadowing, telling us that although Gawain is an honorable knight, he is still human and wants to

Gawain however will not coward out and will remain loyal to the agreement and shrugs off the warning. He eventually runs into the Green Chapel and calls out for the Green Knight. The Green Knight takes three swings at Gawain purposefully missing the first two, and then nipping the neck of Gawain on the third blow. Gawain, not harmed, arose and requested to fight the Green Knight drawing his sword. The Green Knight says he didn’t want to fight only because Gawain has fulfilled the agreement already. He explains that he spared Gawain the first two times for receiving the kisses back from him but the third blow was for not returning the Green Girdle he received. Gawain was thankful and explained that women were the reason for men’s downfall giving examples. The Green Knight introduces himself as Lord Bertilak and explained the Old lady whose face was covered was his Aunt Morgan Le Fay, Merlin’s apprentice, and that he had a spell cast on him. He says the main reason he came to King Arthur’s court was Morgan Le Fay’s plan to scare Queen Guinevere to death. He asked Gawain to come and stay at his castle because he is loved there but he declines and rides back to Camelot with The Girdle under his left arm to show that he committed fault to enemies back along the way as well as the

Tricked by the Green Knight and Morgan le Faye, Gawain, driven by his sense of duty and honor, must sacrifice his own life for those ideals. I believe that though Gawain is a bit foolish in his quest to lose his head, he did make the correct decision in protecting Arthur. Like King Beowulf, the loss of Arthur would have been very detrimental to the society at the time. Gawain sacrifices himself in order to preserve Order.

Sir Gawain also received three kisses from the host’s wife and happily accepted them. One main reason Sir Gawain did not sleep with the host’s wife was because he was a guest.

The poem unceasingly forced Gawain to face difficult decisions. Gawain could simply have left Camelot and not complete his mission of finding the Green Knight. He knew his head was going to be hacked off when he arrived, but as a man of his word, he went. When arriving at the mysterious castle, he was tested three more times by the queen. Though he did fail the last test by keeping the green girdle, who wouldn't have.

Sir Gawain passes by this castle and decides to enter. Once he arrives, there is a king and his wife living there. The king acts gratifying toward Sir Gawain welcomes him with open arms then makes a deal with him. The deal is that the king will go and hunt during the day and at the end of the day, Sir Gawain must give him whatever he has received during the day. The first day, the wife tries to seduce Sir Gawain and give him a golden ring but, he denies her so therefore, at the end of the day Sir Gawain’s gift is a kiss. The second day, the wife offers Sir Gawain a sash that will protect his life, so he decides to accept it to protect him from getting beheaded as well. That night, Sir Gawain deceived the king and gave him a kiss for his earnings from that

King Arthur decided to go back in England with his men and Sir Gawain and when into battle with Mordred and his men causing Sir Gawain’s live. Before Sir Gawain’s death, he was able to write a letter for Sir Launcelot, as he knew this one will come, to explore him to go back in England and help King Arthur. Sir Gawain showed true honor and loyalty to his king and stand what he believed in. During the battle, King Arthur also manifest how he believe and not giving up on his

“– to maintain the peace, protect the realm, and uphold the laws of Camelot. I wasn't knighted yesterday, you know!” Gawain dropped his spoon and stood. “Are you coming, or no?”