Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Temptation Essay

The hunt by Sir Gawain's host and the Seduction of Gawain by the lady are closely related to each other, but with a twist, in the seduction scenes it is the hunter being hunted by the prey. During the first hunt, the Lords prey is a deer. The deer is skittish and an easy catch, in the seduction scene Sir Gawain is able to easily escape the trap from the lady. The Lord let the buck pass by as it was counted a crime to "molest the male deer" (Poet 1154-6). As it was a crime to molest a male deer, it was also a crime for the lady to "molest the male deer." The Lady intimidated Sir Gawain, and this is where the first swing of the Green Knights axe relates. The Green Knight stops the first swing just as Sir Gawain stopped the first seduction. His fear of death causes him to

Gawain, additional, is quick and must stay alert like the deer while avoiding the lady's advances. Both the first hunt and temptation have a light almost playful tone; however, in the second hunt for a boar, and the parallel temptation, there is a more aggressive mood.

The nature of the hunt that the host undertakes each day of the three parallels his wife's attempts to seduce Gawain, as well, although on both of the first two days there is an inversion. (Hunting is also a recreational activity comparable to a game.) On the first day, the host hunts and slays a doe, an act which, to medieval readers, would have been symbolic of a man's sexual conquest of a woman. The inversion here comes from the fact that Bercilak's wife fails to seduce Gawain -- Bercilak kills his doe, but his wife is unsuccessful in her attempted seduction -- and from the fact that the woman is here portrayed as the hunter. On the second day, Bercilak hunts a boar -- symbol of the carnal nature -- which, in Christian terms, is symbolic of the overcoming of the passions. The inversion here comes again from the fact that the female is portrayed as the hunter and, as before, from the fact that Gawain is forced to play a role seen as female: He must fend off the advances of his host. Several times throughout his attempted

The second temptation of Gawain is easier for him to defend against. This temptation corresponds with the hunt scene involving a boar. Boars are not so much hunted for food as they are for sport. Boar’s are very aggressive animals and will attack any

In the chivalric romance poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the use of paradox is an important device utilized by the Gawain poet. The use of paradox challenges the readers’ preconceived semiotic expectations by making two apparently contradictory qualities unified revealing an underlying truth. The use of paradox challenges the readers to make sense of the paradox until they arrive at a deeper understanding of the meanings of the work.

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

Gawain knows that he has become unloyal and never wants to forget to be unloyal ever again. This shows that Gawain's

This points out a serious conflict; in the game of courtly love, a man is forced outside of the traditional male hierarchies, placed on equal footing with a woman, and not subject to the feudal loyalty system. Above all, unlike the other contests established by men where the rules are clearly defined, the Lady's game is ambiguous. <br><br>It is meaningful that the bedroom scenes are juxtaposed with scenes from Bertilak's hunts. It seems as if this is what the Gawain poet intended to suggest when he positioned the bedroom scenes within the hunt scenes. The hunt scenes show an unambiguous world of men and an appropriate venue for male chivalric action. The men are outside, in vigorous, heroic, manly pursuit, training for what is really the purpose of chivalry--the defense of the land and the service of the Church. Clear hierarchies and rules are meticoulously explained; the lord is in the lead, the boldest and most active, and detail is spent in each hunting scene describing the rules of carving and distributing the days spoils. While the hunt is going on Gawain is lying in bed, and this is mentioned in each hunting scene to emphasize the contrast. In contrast to the hunt scenes, Gawain's situation seems too pleasurable, bordering on the sin of luxury and representing a private world outside of the traditional hierarchies, rules and

The tale of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is a well-known piece of literature spawning from the middle Ages. It’s believed to be dated around the year 1400 and it currently survives on a single manuscript in the British Library shared by three other poems. Pearl, is one of the middle-aged poems on the manuscript, the other two are named: “Patience” and “Cleanliness,” and are considered Bible Stories to Historians. These Other Poems however haven’t shown promise of survival in British Literature and Chivalry courses as much as Sir Gawain and The Green Knight has. Not having a known Author also makes this story all the more interesting considering the nature behind the story as well as the mysticism involved in the text. In this essay, a broad

What I noticed at first while reading the story is that, the story is focused mainly only on Gawain’s point of view. Another thing that comes out of the story is that there is some sort of conflict between a civilized world and a natural world. The civilized world is the one ruled by codes of love. On the other side, the natural world is a more chaotic one, where the “animal instinct” dominates. The major conflict that we see, besides the one between Gawain and The Green Knight, is the one that Gawain has with itself, which is the struggle to decide whether his virtues are more important than his life. We also see, another huge theme treated in the story, which is the one that talks about “reputation”; reputation has a big impact in Gawain

You really have to look back to grasp what exactly Gawain was putting at risk when he stood up to the challenge to save King Arthur. Not only was his pride and reputation at stake here, but his life as well. And he was the only one of Arthur's court who stood up. He could have just as easily been content to let Arthur have his go, but he showed such vidality and courage by coming forward. ( King Arthur had to since he was the King and had to stand up for his court or be put to shame.)

By portraying Gawain as noble and honorable, the poet is able to shock the reader with actions that are uncharacteristic of a chivalrous knight. The first of these conflicting actions is obvious in the temptation of Gawain by his host's lady. This lady, the huntress, seeks to pursue Gawain in order to fool him into actions that contrast the knightly ideal. She will do anything to accomplish these actions in him, even through sexual temptations. With another man's wife pursuing him, Gawain must be courtly to the lady, but at the same time must deny her advances. This unavoidable conflict creates a fear within Gawain. Upon discovering that the lovely lady was approaching him in bed, Gawain lays a sleep, in order to &quot;try her intent&quot; (1199). This action reveals Gawain's fear that his host's lady is pursuing him. This unavoidable fear causes his failure of courtliness, for Gawain would have claimed a kiss from the lady, but did not. The lady ridicules him for this, even though, the situation was unavoidable. Gawain must abide by his morals and abstain from immoral thoughts, while at the same time being a courteous guest. Moreover, Gawain is forced to make a choice between courtesy and adultery, either of which would result in the dishonor of the lady ,his host, or Gawain himself. By choosing to return each of the following kisses received, Gawain is able

Humans are not perfect! Sir Gawain the great knight had flaws and showed many human qualities. Even King Arthur had his flaws and made bad decisions. Guinevere is also not perfect as she gets tempted by Lancelot. Humans also love, hate, and can be evil or good.

As Sir Gawain presses on in his search for the Green Chapel, he faces numerous physical challenges. Yet he overcomes them all to the point that "to tell but the tenth part would tax my wits" (1719) as he has countless battles with serpents, wolves, and the like. The true challenges come after he arrives at Bercilak's castle. There, he is tempted three times by Lady Bercilak's advances--yet he does not give in to her advances, nor spurn her completely in an uncourtly manner. Further, he does not accept her gift of the ring which she offers as a remembrance. However, when she offers her green girdle, proclaiming its properties of protection:

The first temptation of Gawain is perhaps the most difficult for him to defend. This temptation corresponds with the hunt scene involving a deer, In terms of the hunt, the deer is hunted because it is a staple of the diet, or it is something that satisfies a person. In the same manner, the Lord's wife viewed Gawain as art animal that she was hunting. She was pursued him on the sole basis of her carnal desire. This, her first temptation, is totally sexual. She says "Do with me as you will: that well pleases Inc.,/ For I Surrender speedily and sue for grace Which, to my mind, since I must, is much the best Course" (1215-1217-) She is viewing Gawain much as a hunter would view a deer. She has no interest in any kind of relationship, and she is not extensively flirting with him as she does in the next two temptations; she simply wants sex from him, plain and simple. She is, in a sense, "hunting" Gawain; hunting in that she is pursuing Gawain for the sole purpose of making him her trophy. If he falls prey to this temptation, then she has slain him. In his reaction to the lady, Gawain acts much