Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay

The inconsistencies in Sir Gawain’s identity become blatantly clear when contextualized within the literary tradition that established Gawain as fundamentally chivalrous.

This paper is an analytical essay, I examined the writing “Sir Gawain and the Green knight” and showed how it fits into the medieval romance genre. In conclusion I would say that the story of “Gawain and the Green Knight” definitely fits the criteria to fit into the medieval romance

​Sir Gawain, nephew to the well-known King Arthur of the Round Table, is regarded as the most elite and noble of all the knights in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Yet, like anyone else in the world, Sir Gawain is far from perfect. Gawain, a courteous knight living a life dedicated to honor, courage, and self-preservation, is tested on his chivalrous code throughout his journey; a search for the Green Knight. Throughout the tests, Gawain’s actions reveal that even the best of men can be selfish and are subject to guilt and sin.

 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.

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

Sir Gawain is relevant to readers today because it brings up some important points in being courageous, sticking to your word, acceptance of inevitable human error, trying to live up to societal standards and your reputation. These are all important things to address today.

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, many archetypes can be found, like in most works of literature. This literary work included situational and symbolic archetypes as well as character archetypes and color archetypes. Each archetype in the poem aided in Sir Gawain’s development as a character. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight dramatically demonstrates how a single character can play many archetypal roles.

On his journey Sir gawain comes across a great deal of character archetypes. These would include trickster, the “lord”(The Green Knight), and the supernatural aid (God). These character archetypes ultimately found their place into the stories theme,conflict, and contribution to Sir Gawain’s character development. The first character archetype would be the Green Knight who serves as the trickster/mentor. The reason why the Green Knight’s the trickster is because he discusses himself as the lord to try and trick Sir Gawain into committing adultery with his wife, but he also serves as a mentor because in the end the Green Knight teaches Sir Gawain the theme of the story. We can conclude with this because Sir Gawain states, “I shall look upon it...and remind myself of the fault and faintness of the flesh.” (Weston )This statement ultimately shows that all of the Green Knight’s tricks soon serve as a moral to Sir Gawain, teaching him to humble himself everytime he looks upon his scar. This also shows a small resolution towards Sir Gawain’s conflict,because everyone time he looks at that

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 Gawain is a great example of a medieval romance because of the chivalrous qualities they share. Medieval romance is a genre of poetry that has certain ways a knight lives his life. One of the main characteristics is the knights Code of Chivalry. This code made knights act honorably, bravely, honestly, and courteously.(Medieval Life and Times) Another main aspect of medieval romances are “courtly love.” Courtly love is when a knight would adore a married women, and she would admiration as well. Marriage was no for love during this time, so it would be common for a woman and man who were involved with other people to show affection to someone other than their spouse. Medieval romances also show supernatural people, animals, and events. (Hahn

Archetypes are utilized to analyze the common patterns of human nature in literature and major motion pictures. In the poem Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, Gawain accepts the challenge the Green Knight has to offer and goes on a quest to redeem the honor of Camelot. The Green Knight teaches Gawain a lesson which changes his values. A number of archetypal situations occur in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight that serve to promote Gawain’s moral development.

Great literature today involves works of archetypal styles that develop the protagonists person to become the character he/she are meant to become. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the hero must encounter several archetypal characters in his journey to maintain dignity of his beloved town, Camelot, threatened by none only the Green Knight himself. As Gawain ventures on this quest the Green Knight poses as not just only one, but several archetypal characters in his path to his development. The Green Knight, posing as the threat, threatens Camelot which wreaks havoc and causes the central problem for Gawain, meeting him in a year to discontinue his life. Not wanting to dishonor Camelot, Gawain agrees to this and comes along all these trials put forth by the Green Knight. Succeeding in these trials, when Gawain finally gets to the Green Chapel to end his life, on the third and final swing, the Green Knight stops and hesitates as he realizes that he is true of his word. As honor remains more important than his own self, Gawain finally realizes this to develop him into the character at the end that eventually saves his life.

Part of the essence of drama is conflict. A man cannot be considered a hero unless he has overcome some form of opposition. In many cases, this opposition comes in the form of another character. Typically, the conflict is simplified as a malignant character with wicked intentions committing acts which would be characterized as evil; the protagonist opposes this villain and usually overcomes that character, winning the day and the admiration of all. Sometimes, the main character becomes a hero by overcoming some force within his or her own self. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, this is ultimately what Gawain must do in order to be considered a hero.

In Arthurian romances, the knight Gawain fulfills a central role as a member of the legendary Round Table. Alone or accompanied by other chivalrous knights, Gawain traverses the land of Logres, searching for adventures and achieving great feats of heroism. To those he encounters on his quests, Gawain often represents the epitome of chivalry and knightly valor. However, Gawain’s actual characterization is not constant in every tale where he is present. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Chretien de Troye’s Perceval, and Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, Gawain’s character vacillates from being the paragon of chivalry to the antithesis of heroism, and these characterizations serve as a foil to the figures of

Though often extensive detail may be condemned as mere flowery language, in understanding Sir Gawain and the Green Knight one must make special emphasis on it. In color and imagery itself, the unknown author paints the very fibers of this work, allowing Sir Gawain to discern the nuances of ritualistic chivalry and truth. His quest after the Green Knight is as simple as ones quest toward himself. Through acute awareness of the physical world he encounters Gawain comes to an understanding of the world beyond chivalry, a connection to G-d, the source of truth. He learns, chivalry, like a machine, will always function properly, but in order to derive meaning from its product he must allow nature to affect him.