Relationship Between Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Society expects ultimate perfection of all people. Due to this people are pressured to act a certain way that they would otherwise not act. The journey of obtaining perfection and maintaining it leads to success and failure. But what is considered failing while trying to become a different person? This topic is addressed in the poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by Pearl Poet. The main character Sir Gawain finds himself on a journey that will test his knightly integrity and the true nature of his personality. Sir Gawain fails his quest when he responds to the challenge in an aggressive way; by doing so he shows his lack of concern for human life, he fails to uphold his agreement with Lord Bertilak, and succumbs to fear when the

 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of the most intriguing Middle English chivalric romances known today. The poem is a delicately written balancing act between two cultures, clashing in a time of unease between the religion of tradition, (paganism) and the new religion, (Christianity). The poem is also one of the best known Arthurian tales, with its plot combining two types of folklore patterns, the beheading game and the exchange of winnings. The Green Knight is interpreted by many as a representation of the Green Man of folklore and by others as an allusion to Christ. The story is told in stanzas of alliterative verse, ending in a bob and wheel. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an important poem in the Middle English romance genre, because it involves all the typical plot progression of a hero who goes on a quest to prove himself. Yet what sets Sir Gawain apart from heroes of lore is his inability to finish his quest. The aspect which makes Sir Gawain and the Green Knight different is Sir Gawain’s failure. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a perfect example of the struggle between enduring Paganism and newfound Christianity.

The semester has been a study of heroes. ''Beowulf'' is a poem about an epic hero. ''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' is a poem based on chivalry. ''Beowulf'' and ''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' both have the similarity of arrogance and loyalty.

Sir Gawain is a great and noble knight of King Arthur’s Court. He is, without a doubt, a true and loyal knight to the king because he risked his life to preserve the king’s life. He appears in Sir Gawain in the Green Knight where he must prove that he is a chivalrous knight. He then appears in Morte D’Arthur where he is placed in a situation involving the queen where he must put his loyalty to the king on the line. In both stories, Sir Gawain has a healthy relationship with King Arthur. His personality does not change much but there is a definite change in his character in Morte D’Arthur. In Sir Gawain in the green Knight, he is a courteous, heroic and loyal knight. In Morte D’Arthur, he still possesses those characteristics but he makes an

As an avid recreational reader I enjoy reading books of all types, however, one of my favorite genres is fantasy. This love began in my reading of George MacDonald's Phantastes, and continued throughout the past year as I have been working my way through C.S. Lewis’ The Space Trilogy. What is so interesting, and simply enjoyable, for me about reading Sir Gawain is that it is a more original and classic take on the typical structure and plot of a fantasy/fairytale. In the beginning you already get a general idea of how the story is going to go, yet the story has its own quirks that keep it interesting.

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.

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, magic is not only used to wreak havoc in King Arthur’s court, but used as an attempt to corrupt the morality and faith of King Arthur’s and God’s most loyal subject, Sir Gawain. In the text, Sir Gawain is characterized as the paragon of virtue and faith. According to the Pearl Poet,

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in the late fourteenth century. Its author was unknown, but he or she was a contemporary of Chaucer. The poem consists of two plots: one is the challenge between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in a beheading game, and the other is the temptation of Sir Gawain by a lady from a beautiful castle. The outcome of the challenge as well as the life of Gawain is made to depend--though Gawain does not know it--on his behavior at the castle. The temptation is a test of chastity and honorable conduct towards a lord. The introduction of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight gives us a picture of King Arthur's kingdom. It describes the knights and the joy of all Arthur's

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines chivalry as the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code. Sir Gawain, a knight for King Arthur in Pearl Poet’s famous work Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, demonstrates certain standards of chivalry according to the reader. Sir Gawain first portrays these qualities when he remains loyal to King Arthur and accepts The Green Knight’s challenge. Next, Sir Gawain remains honorable to Sir Bertilak by refusing to sleep with his wife, Lady Bertilak, and turning down her request to marry her. Finally, Sir Gawain acts courageously by reporting to The Green Knight a year and a day after accepting his challenge while understanding that The Green Knight will chop off his head. In Sir Gawain and the Green Night, Sir Gawain fulfills the chivalric standards of loyalty, honor, and courage throughout the challenges he faces throughout the story.

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the poet leaves some scenes in the poem open to the readers’ interpretation. This makes the poem difficult to understand. The poet does this by leaving out details and adding in words that can be confusing to the reader, based on the scenes or item in question. Unless the words are analyzed and thought about in detail, the reader is left in confusion. Even after analyzing the words and trying to make sense of it all, there can still be confusion and even plot holes. Confusion is provoked by the poet throughout the whole poem. The poem has been read and interpreted by many scholars for many years. They have tried to make sense of some of the scenes and of the item in question in their own ways. The areas in question that I am discussing and proving that confusion is provoked is the scene where Gawain gives his speech to take Arthurs place in the game with the Green Knight, the actual beheading scene when Gawain chops the Green Knights head off, the exchange of winnings between Gawain and Lord Bertilak, and the confession scene.

The result was the creation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. By surfacing these ideas of chivalry towards the lord and courtly love towards the lady, Pearl Poet places Gawain in a series of turmoil, and emphasizes how both of these ideals conflict and need to be adapted in order to be functioning in

Hunting, over the years, has morphed from a means of survival to something of a sport. In medieval times hunting was used for both of these purposes, but when it came to royalty it was usually the latter. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight we see Sir Bertilak go off to hunt three very specific animals as a game with Sir Gawain. They agree that “what ever [Bertilak catches] in the wood shall become [Sir Gawain’s], and what ever mishap comes [Sir Gawain’s] way will be given to [Bertilak] in exchange.” (Sir Gawain…, ln 1105-1007). In this deal we slowly see Gawain loose his honor as paralleled with Sir Bertilak’s hunt.

Sir Gawain and the green knight is a chivalric romance text, written by an unknown English author in medieval English. This text holds true to medieval times, while providing a fluid descriptions of the depicted events in the text. It also tells us about medieval life, especially how kings and Christian knights lived and cherished their virtues and rituals. The prince written by Machiavelli is a text written while on exile. The Medici family exiled Machiavelli, who was a secretary of the Florentine republic, after they regained power.

In the past semester the class has been assigned several readings and one being Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. In this poem a lot goes on to do with love and relationships between people. Family is a key part in this poem and without family none of the events would have taken place. Family doesn’t always mean smiles and roses and in this poem you see what hatred does to families. Although you see hatred from one side of the family the other side you see strong love for one another. People will do crazy things good or bad to and for their family and in this poem that is obvious. In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight they challenge and uphold the typical medieval notions of courtly love, courtly behavior, and courtly chivalry. They show several forms of love throughout this poem that involve marriage, family, and friendships such as love for family, love for self, and courtly love.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an Arthurian romance that is one of the first to highlight women’s roles during the period of change that comes with King Arthur’s demise. Culturally, during the time period, women had little perceived power. Women were treated well and often idolized, but they remained in a male-dominated society, where they were not respected as their own capable beings. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is heavily laced with the Knight’s “Code of Honor,” namely the idea of chivalry. During this time, the chivalric code gave men the idea that women could not achieve much, so these men needed to achieve it for them. Women in Arthurian times, as well as throughout the rest of cultural history, were seen as the downfall of men. Compared to Eve from Biblical times, women were a symbol of lust, sexuality, and temptation. It was the man’s duty to avoid those temptations and remain virtuous. This essay argues the use of this poem as a forewarning toward the danger of women to men’s honor and chivalric values. ¬