Sir Gawain: The Ideal Knight Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by an unknown author, is a knight who attempts to uphold ideal standards of knighthood. The ideal standards of knighthood consist of multiple qualities that ultimately make a knight worthy; those qualities are loyalty, strength, bravery, humility, honorability, a sense of justice, good public speaking skills, and to be of a noble family. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight many, if not all, of those qualities are present in Gawain. His loyalty is shown to the king throughout the book; his strength, bravery, and humility are seen in his battle with the Green Knight, and his other qualities are shown scattered in the poem. Sir Gawain’s journey as a knight and hero are both significantly shaped by Sir Gawain’s loyalty and his ability to speak. The loyalty that Sir Gawain exhibits is a loyalty that shows he is reliable, trustworthy, and honest. Furthermore, all of those traits would be expected in an ideal knight such as Gawain because that would mean he would be reliable, trustworthy, and honest to his king and the kingdom he serves. Sir Gawain not only shows loyalty to his king, but he also shows loyalty to a more unexpected character: the Green Knight and Lord Bertilak. Loyalty to more than just those with a higher social status, is another honorable trait Sir Gawain possesses. Sir Gawain’s first act of loyalty was to his king, Arthur. When the Green Knight unexpectedly crashes the party
Sir Gawain was a great knight in Arthur’s court; in many cases, he showed examples of being heroic. This allows people who read Sir Gawain and The Green Knight to remember him because of the ways he portrayed heroism. One example of Gawain being heroic is when he takes on the task by the green knight: “I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest; and the loss of my life would be least of any; That I have you for uncle is my only praise; My body, but for your blood, is barren of worth” (Borroff, 12). Sir Gawain shows that he is heroic and someone to be remembered because of how he took on the task presented by The Green Knight instead of letting Arthur go. His heroism is also explained in The Hero and His Adventure: “ He is presented in traditional heroic situations such as being equipped in armour and
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 Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, Gawain exemplifies all the traits of a noble knight. When King Arthur accepts the Green Knight's challenge, Gawain steps in. He cannot allow the King to put his life on the line. Gawain says to King Arthur:
In the book Sir Gawain And the Green Knight, Sir Gawain faces three major tests. The first major test Sir Gawain must face is when the Green Knight comes to King Arthur’s Round Table and offers the challenge. The second major test was when Lord Bertilak’s wide tried to seduce Gawain. The final vital test was Gawain keeping his word by going to the Green Chapel for the challenge. In conclusion, Gawain is a loyal knight and lives by the chivalry code for the most part.
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
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.
The first chivalric expression of Sir Gawain in Arthur’s court is his loyalty. It was Christmas at Camelot-King Arthur’s court, where all the Round Table knights had gathered. An uninvited guest appeared-entirely emerald green, called Green Knight. For a knight, the most important is to remain loyal to God, King, and Lady Guinevere. When Green Knight challenge the court, Arthur initially was going to accept his challenge, but Sir Gawain stepped forth and said:
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.
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.
Nothing is known about the author who wrote the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Yet it is considered one of the greatest works from the Middle English era. It tells a tale of a mysterious and magical figure (The Green Knight) who presents a challenge to the pride and wealth of Arthur's kingdom. Sir Gawain accepts the challenge. However, the real test of the Green Knight isn't about strength or swordsmanship. It's a test of character.
o illustrate most periods in history, the era of knights evolved gradually. These guys have been knighted by the monarchy, but not as a part of an order of chivalry in particular the order of the chivalry the order of the British Empire. They can call himself “Sir”. In this case Gawain is the protagonist within the narrative poem “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” a pinnacle of humility, piety, integrity, loyalty and honesty. He defends more than his own reputation, he was one of the bravest. In continuation we are going to see more of this amazing character that in my opinion shows to us the importance of family and overcoming one's fears.
Being written in the Middle Ages, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight embodies the beliefs and lifestyles of the time period. One aspect of great importance in the Middle Ages is the importance of manhood. Once the mysterious Green Knight challenges the inhabitants of King Arthur's hall, Arthur accepts. Gawain, seeing this as an opportunity to prove himself to his king and relative, seeks permission to take his king's place in the Green Knight's challenge. His motivation is based on his being "the weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit," and justifies his request by claiming, "loss of my life would be least lamented" (734). His actions make his fellow knights agitated, as they now lay claim to the same request as Gawain.
Sir Gawain is a respectful knight who obeys his people.. “Now if you, my worthy lord”. This quote explains that Sir Gawain is respecting his lord because he will fight and keep him protected from enemies. “I would offer you counsel before your royal court”. This quote tells how Sir Gawain is a loyal knight by offering advice before the council. This also tells the leader that he can trust him and his ideas. Although Sir Gawain shows respectfulness, he also shows braveness.
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
Sir Gawain is a very gentle and noble knight, always willing to help people, particularly his king. King Arthur is in a bad predicament, as he has killed a deer while hunting in the woods. To