Faerie Queene Quotes

Sir Gawain is known for his knightly integrity, but by failing to uphold his agreement with Lord Bertilak, he is demonstrating that human perfection is impossible to maintain. By failing to give the girdle to Lord Bertilak-when he returns from his hunting trip, Sir Gawain is not abiding by

you returned the three kisses, but the girdle you kept” (Thompson, 14). This example reveals Sir Gawain's own dishonesty and how he lied to the Green Knight out of his own desperation to survive despite the Knight's Code of Chivalry. Although Sir Gawain did go against the Code of Chivalry, he owned up to his untruthfulness and rightfully took the blow of the ax. When admitting to this he is coincidently following vow six of the Knight's Code of Chivalry “ to live by honor and for glory” because to have honor is to be regarded with respect and taking responsibility for your actions is a noble

​In the beginning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is introduced as a courtly knight with a sense of perfection. The author does this to compare it to his failures, which are later displayed through Gawain’s acts at Morgan le Fay’s castle. Gawain is portrayed to be a chivalrous knight with honor and courage. Gawain is presented with a challenge: accept the game to cut off the Green Knight’s head, and in a test of courage and honor, set out to allow the Green Knight to return the favor to him in a year and a day. This initially shows the knightly characteristics of Gawain which presents him as noble and honorable, which allows the author to shock the audience when Gawain falls under pressure to actions that contradict the chivalrous code. The first of these actions taken by Gawain in opposition to his morals is the temptation

In this story, Sir Gawain is a very respected knight of King Arthur’s and volunteers to take the Green Knight's challenge in King Arthur’s place. The Green Knight's challenge was for anyone to come forward and cut his head off with his own ax. In one year and one day the Green Knight would return the favor. Already Sir Gawain is showing to be a respected and noble knight who follows the code well. It is getting close to the time when Sir Gawain needs to meet up with the Green Knight to honor his challenge. Then, Sir Gawain stumbles upon a castle, and the lord there lets him stay for a couple of nights. The lord of the manor goes hunting every day and at the end of the day, him and Sir Gawain will trade what they have won. The lady of the manor tries to get into bed with Sir Gawain every morning, but he resists because he knows it's wrong and dishonest. Then she offers him a gold ring, which he also doesn't take. “I cannot accept these gifts, for I have nothing to give in return” (Sir Gawain 204). The queen is tempting Sir Gawain to take these gifts and he follows the code and rejects them respectfully, as a knight should. The queen gives him a kiss, and that is what he shares with the king at the end of every day, as he was instructed and promised to do. Next, Sir Gawain gets offered a green sash that is given to him by the queen that

“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is the classic tale of a knight of the round table who takes up the challenge of the mysterious Green Knight. The poem begins with the Green Knight’s sudden arrival and his declaration of his proposition: a knight may strike him, and then a year and one day from then he will return the blow. This tale is most well-known for dealing with the themes of a knight’s code of chivalry, loyalty, resisting temptation, and keeping one’s word. While the whole poem is full of great lines that beautifully deliver the message, one of the best passages come at the end of the poem after Sir Gawain has managed to survive his second encounter with the Green Knight. This passage perfectly encompasses the various themes of the poem, as it deals with all of the trials Gawain has faced up until that point and also explains how he deals with the shame he feels for surviving the game in the way he did.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a classic example of the behaviors of a medieval knight and how the code of chivalry works within the courts and towards women. When Sir Gawain visits Bertiak’s castle, he respectfully treats the elderly woman and Bertiak’s beautiful young wife with the same level of dignity. “To the elder in homage he humbly bows; the lovelier he salutes with a light embrace. They welcome him warmly, and straightaway he asks to be received as their servant, if they so desire” (lines 973-976). The treatment of women is an essential part of the code of chivalry. If Sir Gawain had only given attention to the pretty young woman, then he would not have been abiding by the knight’s code of honor. He also keeps the code of chivalry intact when he says “Lover have I none, nor will have, yet awhile” (line 1790). Sir Gawain says this to Bertiak’s attractive wife, when she tries seducing him in the bedroom, which proved Sir Gawain’s loyalty to Bertiak, upholding his chivalric code. Honorable Sir Gawain demonstrates the knightly code of chivalry throughout the poem.

Throughout the poem, the Green Knight plays various roles as an archetypal figure, for example he serves as both a herald and a mentor to Gawain. The poem begins at the Round Table, with a challenge being presented to the knights by the Green Knight. No one budges to accept the challenge so Gawain steps up and accepts it, knowing Camelot’s honor will be at risk. Gawain is told by the Green Knight that they must meet at the Green Knight Chapel in one year so the Green Knight can return the blow that Gawain gave to him. At this point, the Green Knight serves as the “announcer of adventure” or the “herald” (campbell 48) since he approaches the knights at the Round Table. As Gawain begins his journey to the Green Knight's Chapel, he meets a Host of a castle, who makes a deal with Gawain to stay there for three days. Although it is unknown to Gawain, the Green Knight is the Host, just in disguise. As the Host, the Green Knight mentors Gawain with their deal as a means of training Gawain for his upcoming challenge. Their deal was “we will make a covenant. Whatsoever I win in the wood shall be yours, and whatever may fall to your share, that shall ye exchange for it. Let us swear, friend, to make this exchange, however our hap may be, for worse or for better.” (Weston 20) and it provided a way for Gawain to prove himself and his worth to the Host, which is exactly what he did. As stated before, the many roles of the Green Knight each aid in Gawain’s development as a character and prepare him for his awaiting challenge.

Sir Gawain shows a lot of honor by staying true to his word and following through with his deal with the Green Knight. He mentally prepares himself for the year leading up to his journey to seek out the Green Knight, braves through the forest, is met with the temptations of the lady of the castle, and holds true to his deal with the

    Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a tale that takes place in the medieval period. During this time period, knights were considered very common and were expected to follow one main code of law, chivalry. This code mainly stated that a knight must be loyal to his king, honest, modest, and brave. Chivalry is practiced in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in the form of tests that are given to Gawain to reveal his true character, and what is valued most to him. Throughout these tests, Sir Gawain proves that he values his honor over his life and will not fall to temptations displayed to him.

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.

More proof of Sir Gawain’s chivalrous and courageous character is evident when he arrives at Bercilak’s court. The people are honored that their guest is Sir Gawain, the most honored of all the knights on earth, even though Gawain describes himself as young and untested. They whisper to each other that Gawain, whose “courage is ever-constant” and “custom-pure,” will demonstrate and teach them his “command of manners” and “love’s language”(SGGK l. 912, 924, 927). The conversation of the household serves to provide proof of his Gawain's fine character.

On the contrary, this type of modesty would invoke feelings of pity.Regardless of what others were thinking at the time, Gawain is determined to bare the cross of his deed in order to gain high renown among his peers and the devotion of the king. King Arthur's demonstrates his appreciation through his words of praise and the feast celebrating Gawain's courage.This is because he is expected, as a knight, to excel at humility and modesty due to the importance of the Christian state of mind in this epic poem. Gawain is a humble knight with a brave heart and many human flaws. Along with humility, the many traits of a good Christian Knight, such as chastity, are shown through Gawain’s encounter with Lady Bertilak. When speaking to lady Bertilak, Gawain admires her in a respectful and sacred approach. “As myself ever can, however long I may live/ would be absolute folly, noble lady, on my word/ I will carry out your desires with all my power/ as I am in all duty bound, and always will be/ the servant of your wishes” (Fitt 3.1544-1548). He assures her that for as long as he shall live, he will remain her noble servant attending to her every wish. Interestingly, although he has promised her to do as she pleases; he rejects her desire of a sexual encounter. He shows humility towards her for he is “completely unworthy” (Fitt 3.1244) of her seduction. He wants to remain true to his word, but cannot come to terms of allowing himself to

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 "try her intent" (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

Brienne of Tarth is still one of the coolest characters in Game of Thrones, and we'd like to see her play a bigger part in season 8. For the most part, Brienne of Tarth had a quiet season 7 of Game of Thrones. Sure, she had a scene practicing with Arya, and she might very well have knocked some sense into Jaime Lannister (metaphorically, not literally, though it would have been cool for it to be literal too). Brienne will never be one of the central characters in the series.

When Sir Gawain is offered the girdle, his knightly principles are questioned. The honorable thing would be to reject the offer or bring it to the lord of the castle, but Gawain places the preservation of his life ahead of chivalry. The knight has withstood the lady’s