Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Medieval scholars continually inspect the particularities of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (SGGK) within the context of the preexisting Gawain literary tradition, and the issue of Gawain’s sudden antifeminist diatribe repeatedly comes to the forefront of these textual investigations. Often, literary critics claim that Gawain’s antifeminist outburst is common for the fourteenth century and that his acceptance to wear the girdle as a sign of shame still epitomizes him as a model of knighthood. Other scholars hesitate to dismiss Gawain’s misogyny as commonplace, they note that this moment is inconsistent with his reputation as an ideal knight. Gawain’s hasty compulsion to blame women suggests ruptures within the essentiality of his chivalric identity and a closer examination of the text reveals that this moment is not isolated. Despite scholars repeated attempts to identify the essential knight within Gawain, there are several examples of Gawain’s unstable identity throughout the text. I will argue Sir Gawain’s knightly identity is performative rather than essential, and his diatribe is the culmination of his failure to perform his own expected social identity.

​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

“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.

Many years ago, knights were expected to form a certain type of relationship with their king, this relationship was otherwise known as fealty. Fealty is a knight’s sworn loyalty to their king (in other words a loyal relationship should be formed between the two). The use of this relationship is shown in the poem called “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” ( the author is unknown). This poem has a classic quest type of formula, with a knight receiving a challenge and then going out on a journey to pursue that challenge, leading to a return home to report the results of his quest. This story begins at Christmas time when a knight (who is completely green) rides into King Arthur 's hall. The Green Knight proposes a game to those who are around him which is that “Any knight brave enough to strike off the Green Knight 's head may do so, but that man must accept a return stroke in approximately one year’s time”. Gawain accepts the challenge because he will not allow King Arthur to accept this. Gawain manages to then cut off the Green Knight 's head. The knight then picks up his severed head and leaves, telling Gawain to look for the Green Chapel when it is time for Gawain to fulfill the other half of the challenge that he has accepted. Near the end of the chosen year, Gawain sets out in search of the Green Chapel because he must complete the given challenge. On his journey in search of the Green knight, he finds a castle in the wilderness. The

    Gawain’s loyalty to King Arthur is unquestionable. To begin this story, there is a Green knight who proposes a game to a room full of Arthur’s knights. When no man volunteers to play with the Green Knight, Gawain steps in to save his king’s life and reputation. Before accepting the Green Knight's challenge, Gawain asks Arthur to “...command me to step from the dias and stand with you there, / That I might without bad manners make down from my place…” (From Sir Gawain…, ln. 121-122). By doing so, not only does Gawain step up to the green knight for his king, but he also goes about it in a very chivalrous, respectful way to his king above all of us. By respecting his king and being the only man to step up to the challenge and risk his life for his king, Gawain shows loyalty, which in turn follows chivalry, putting his honor above his life.

Gawain’s first portrayal of being a true knight comes when the Green Knight makes his appearance in Camelot. The Green Knight first speaks to King Arthur and proposes that they play a “game.” Arthur will strike the Green Knight with his axe, and in return the Green Knight will return the strike in a year and a day. King Arthur agrees to this game and its terms, but as he steps up to accept the challenge, Gawain comes forward and offers to participate in the “game” in place of King Arthur. Sir Gawain says to King Arthur, “I implore with prayer plain that this match should now be mine” (341-342). Gawain goes on to strike the Green Knight, cutting off his head. However, the strike does not kill the Green Knight; he picks up his head from the ground and repeats to Sir Gawain that he will return the blow in a year and a day. In this moment, Gawain’s bravery is clearly showcased. First, he takes a challenge in place of his king, which he did not have to do.

As the Green Knight barges in the court of the round table, no one stands up to his challenge. Initially, King Arthur is the only person brave enough to take on this challenge, until Gawain raises himself up. Gawain, who "[was] the weakest ... [and] ... in wit feeblest," urged to protect his king, Arthur (Tolkien 36). Gawain demonstrates the love and respect that he has for Arthur when he asks permission to take on the challenge. "Would you, my worthy lord...bid me abandon this bench and stand by you there, so that I without discourtesy might be excused from the table...?” (Tolkien 36). Sir Gawain also admits that Arthur is a near relative, "Only because you are my uncle is honour given me..."(36). At this moment in the story Gawain is willing to protect his King's life. Gawain is tested of his knightly vow as it says, “Knightly conduct was that of a commander … loyal even to death” (Stroud 327). Gawain was ready to risk his life for his king.

In the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Brian Stone, the idea of righteousness pervades Sir Gawain’s quest. The poem was first written in Arthurian England, where the knights are expected to follow the code of chivalry, which tells them how to behave. Sir Gawain, the main character, is no exception, as every decision he makes follows that code of chivalry, save one. He is then punished for that one foolish choice, suggesting that a man must strive to be chivalrous, even when faced with a choice between chivalry and life.

Sir Gawain is reluctant to accept the Green Knight’s challenge. He fears for his life. In the end he only accepts the challenge to protect King Arthur’s life and honor. He knows it is his duty to protect King Arthur, but only volunteers to do so at the last second. Sir Gawain also breaks his oath to the Lord of the castle he is staying in. He broke their vow to trade whatever they had earned during the day when he keeps a sash the Lady of the castle gives him because he believes it will protect him during his battle with the Green Knight.

He also displays both courage and initiative when he says, “I am the weakest, I know, and of wit feeblest” (Kline stanza 16 line 12). When Gawain says this, he tells the Green Knight that he is weak because he wants him to think that he would be able to win, but in all reality Gawain would be able to fight back because he is actually very robust. He shows that he is courageous by protecting and remaining loyal towards King Arthur. Another example of Gawain’s courageousness is when he says, “and roughly he reached out, where the ranks stood,/ latched onto his lovely head, and lifted it so” (Kline stanza 19 line 16-17). During this scene, Gawain takes on the Green Knights request by taking a blow to his head, which shows his courage to take on this game the Green Knight had demanded. It also displays that he is courageous because in this game, he then in return had to take the same blow by the Green Knight a year and one day later. Overall, Gawain displays his great heroism and courageousness by protecting his King just as a true knight should.

To begin with, the Green Knight teaches Sir Gawain respect when he has to come forward and repay the Green Knight’s agreement. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight come to an agreement, one day the Green Knight gets his head cut off by Sir Gawain, and next year on the same day Sir Gawain must have his head cut off by the Green Knight. If he does not follow through with his word he will be considered a coward. Sir Gawain agrees to his game and sets off to his expedition a year later. Sir Gawain arrives and says, “Where is the hero / who swore he’d be here to meet me ?”(lines 223-224). Sir Gawain goes to the place of

At the beginning of the story, a challenge was offered to his uncle, King Arthur, that seemed to suspicious for his own good. The challenge was that the king would be able to strike the green knight once today, and that in a year and one day the green knight would repay him with a blow. So rather than allowing the King to risk his crown, Gawain took his uncle’s place instantly displaying his humility and sacrifice. As the year drew to a near, Gawain remembered his promise and went searching for the green knight. Now Gawain could have forgotten his promise, but instead his honor was great and therefore began his journey.

The Green Knight evaluates Sir Gawain’s loyalty through an arrangement they established in the rising action of the story, which was for Sir Gawain to travel to the Green Chapel on New Year’s Day. “For you kept our pact of the first night with honor and abided by your word and held yourself true to me (Gawain Poet.326-327.242).” Sir Gawain accomplished his goal to attain the quality that every knight should acquire, obedience. Sir Gawain’s loyalty to the Green Knight proves that his belief in Chivalry and his lust for perfection is still intact. The concluding assessment that Sir Gawain faces is in the resolution of the story, the Green Knight reveals that he was the previous lord and the gift of the green sash was yet another test. Sir Gawain realizes how he let greed consume his faith in the chivalric code and

Among Arthur’s knights Gawain is reputed to be the best; in fact, he is recognized by his brother knights as the greatest among them. Since the greatest warrior is he others strive to measure themselves against, Gawain has likely jousted against those of the Round Table as well as newcomers to the court; therefore, when the Green Knight comes to challenge a member of Arthur’s court, Gawain is the likely target. Yet, his history of ease in victory has only contributed to Gawain’s complacency. If he is to fight the Green Knight, he could trust in his skill, but the unexpected trial is that Gawain is not to fight the evil giant; he is to deliver a blow against a passive opponent. This scenario has never occurred in

Being one of the youngest Knights of the Round Table, Gawain still needs to fully immerse himself into the culture of Knighthood. Throughout the course of the story, one element hinders Gawain from achieving this goal: the Green Knight. The Green Knight, when he first walks into King Arthur’s court, portrays immense strength, admirable good looks, and sheer power. In a sense, this is the individual that Gawain aspires to be. On the other hand, however, the Green Knight’s smug nature directly contrasts with a true knight’s vow to be noble.