Sir Gawain: A Fictional Narrative

A close reading of the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight reveals a very antifeminist view. The poem, told in four parts, tells of common medieval folklore. The stories seem to be of different plotlines, but start to intersect in interesting ways – that is, the character of Morgan Le Fay begins to frame the stories together. The half-sister of King Arthur, she holds intense hatred for her half-brother and his court. It is her thirst for the downfall of Camelot that makes this character infamous, and, surprisingly, her success and the strength of her ability that give a bad name to women. Through the examination of Morgan Le Fay’s character, it is clear that a successful woman is always an illusion.

An archetypal analysis of Gawain’s quest reveals some significant changes that occur in the hero’s character. We will analyze the progress of the hero, Gawain, as he ventures out to complete his quest. By analyzing the works of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight along with The Hero With A Thousand Faces, and how it completes the Hero’s Journey.

Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight, a poem of pitting chivalrous courage against a game of deceitful trickery, relies heavily on the symbolic messages its protagonists send through their apparel. The anonymous poet dedicates numerous lines to describing the artifacts of armor, clothing, and jewelry both characters display. Dress, designed to convey a multitude of concepts is crucial to the story's plot; the elements of garb also work in tandem to reaffirm specific personality traits. The dominant role and emphasis of apparel as portrayed by the poet is in part a logical extension of the medieval culture climate in which the poem was penned. Middle era society placed high value on cloth and textile in general, an attitude that is reflected in

In The Dream of the Rood and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, both by anonymous writers, touch on Christian faith and believing in a higher power. These two literary texts show how one’s beliefs can be tested when put in an unfortunate situation. In The Dream of the Rood, the breakdown of the crucifixion of Christ told by the Rood about all the hardships it had to endure prompt the dreamer or the first speaker to look at Christ differently, the first speaker humbles himself more after hearing the life story of the Rood. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Christianity and chivalry sometimes go hand in hand. When Gawain makes the decision to be a part the Green Knight’s game, taking that treacherous journey from home and out of his comfort, he had to depend on his faith to get him through. These stories show how a courtly heroic code of

	Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a great epic written in fourteenth century Europe by the Pearl poet, emphasizes the opposition of Christian love to Courtly love in the 13th century through the dilemma of Sir Gawain, one of the great knights of the Arthurian round table. By examining the women in the poem, Gawain's dilemma becomes a metaphor for the contrast of these two distinct types of love. The poem looks upon the Virgin Mary as the representative of spiritual love, obedience, chastity, and life (Warner 9). In contrast, Morgan le Fay and Bertilak's wife appear to be representing courtly love, disobedience, lust and death. This conflict between

Do you know why Sir Gawain becomes a hero? Sir Gawain was a weak, none educated nobody. He was not like all the other knights in King Arthur’s kingdom. Sir Gawain had no wealth or nothing to live for. When the Green Knight comes to King Arthur’s kingdom with a challenge, other knight’s passed over it. Gawain became aware of this challenge and accepted it. Sir Gawain begins a noble journey to being a man, once he declined courtship with the lady, in addition, Sir Gawain stays true to the challenge.

In Carleton Noyes’ “General Introduction” of Poetry, he writes, “The human heart has ever dreamed of a fairer world than the one it knows.” In medieval romances, an embellished, magical world is portray as opposed to the natural world. Medieval romances are adventure stories with knights, kings, and damsels in distress, often inspired by true events and teach a lesson or tell a story. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Marie Boroff, includes a part which tells the story of a green knight who challenges one of King Arthur’s knights to a Christmas game to evaluate the quality of Arthur’s knights. The excerpts from Thomas Malory’s Morte d’ Arthur describe the death of King Arthur after battling temptation and the trials one knight must face to try to save Arthur. These stories relate to Carleton Noyes’ quote as both excerpts describe tests of loyalty and temptation in magical universes in order to teach readers how to behave.

“Because I don’t know what ‘facetiae’ means!” Gwaine held the book against his chest and cackled again.

When viewed holistically, one finds it evident that different paradigms are accepted throughout different cultures and set the foundation for how life should be conducted. Heroes in literature play an extensive role in the representation of such values. When delving into the monomyth, constructed by Joseph Campbell, one may witness the perspective and moral code of the hero ,and marvel at the means by which they overcome tribulation. Yet, ultimately, the ideals of the era are fortified through example. The literary works of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight convey both cultural and paradigm shifts in, one-dimensional views of humans to a more complex understanding, from the days when the Anglo-Saxons ruled England to the Late-Middle

It’s the big day, the class must pass this final or fail. The way the class reacts will determine their collective fate. If they can persevere, they will be rewarded with a passing grade. If they give up and disregard the test because of the adversity, they will fail. In life people are always being tested. Not every test is a Scantron or true-or-false, however. The everyday temptations or hardships of life are tests on someone’s ability to persevere. In “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, Sir Gawain is tested and tried numerous times in the “games” the Green Knight lays before him. The motif of the testing “games” Sir Gawain must pass in order to succeed is symbolic of real life tests people undergo.

King Arthur, predominantly associated with fantastical tales of bravery and a formidable strength in battle, is portrayed in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” as if within a period of adolescence; his blood and mind abuzz and lounging about, thus exemplifying a moment of disrupted expectations among readers (Sir Gawain 89-92). The author thus invariably pokes fun at the mythical and legendary imaginings of King Arthur’s court, thereby encouraging readers to discern the validity of one’s reputation, in comparison to one’s true behavior. The tale opens to contextualize the whereabouts of King Arthur’s court, employing phrases such as, “regal of rulers,” “royal line,” and “honored above all,” thereby amplifying the contradictory realism of Arthur’s “almost boyish” character (25-26, 86).

Here, Sir Gawain follows the code of comitatus and helps King Arthur by agreeing to marry the old and ugly Dame Ragnell. Sir Gawain tells King Arthur that even though Dame Ragnell is as foul as Belsabub, he will marry her to keep King Arthur's honor. The honor and friendship of King Arthur mean a lot to Sir Gawain. According to comitatus, Sir Gawain has a duty and obligation to help his king. Sir Gawain's willingness to throw away his life, for the friendship and honor of King Arthur, proves that Sir Gawain is a very noble and loyal knight. He treats Dame Ragnell in a proper manner, in the same way that he would if she was young and beautiful. During the fourteenth century women were praised high in the society. It was a duty of the knight to treat his wife or lady in a gentile and graceful manner. On the wedding night, when Ragnell asks for his embrace he says to Dame Ragnell: "I wolle do more. Then for to kisse, and God before!" (343). Gentleness and nobility are gifts from God, and Sir Gawain seems to posses these gifts. Sir Gawain decides to kiss Dame Ragnell even though she is ugly. He is treating Dame Ragnell in a very gentle and noble manner.

The author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight shows us that one must follow through with agreements made even if there is danger, and even if one procrastinates on a task they still must do it no matter how long they wait.

The language of symbols plays a major role in medieval poetry “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is no exception. The use of symbolism gives a writer the ability to draw important connections between items in their story and the audience. The poet behind “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” gives the reader a detailed description of the pentagram, his most important symbol, in order to form the key understanding of this poem. The narrator compares knightly ideals such as integrity, focus, and strength with the reality of Gawain’s life. The focus of this poet is to educate the public and to remind the reader that virtues are necessary in order to create a functioning society. By introducing the pentagram, the author of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight dehumanize Gawain in order to teach others the negative effects of turning from your virtues.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a wonderful example of how context can change the way a story is accepted and interpreted. In the time of this poem, there was power in the idea that Gawain blundered and was not perfect. And this imperfection showed his subservient nature to God and his court, further instilling his heroic characteristics. However, in today's society, perfection is idealized; therefore, Gawain’s mistakes allude to him being less of a hero and in a greater sense a regular human.