Sir Gawain As A Solar Hero Essay

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance about the adventure of Sir Gawain, King Arthur's Knight of the Round Table. This great verse is praised not only for its complex plot and rich language, but also for its sophisticated use of symbolism. Symbolism is a technique used in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to give a significance to the plot. The Green Knight, the Green Sash, and Sir Gawain's Shield are three of the most prominent symbols given to us in this verse.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a religious allegory full of Christian symbolism with the central message of sin, forgiveness, and redemption. The poem is a great story of virtues, trust and honor. It's an Arthurian romance in which Sir Gawain carries a shield on his chest in his quest for Green Knight. Gawain's shield has two images, a picture of Virgin Mary on the inside and "Painted upon his shield is a five-pointed star (pentangle). He is a perfect knight who realizes that it is important to be a good Christian The image of Mary inside this shield conveys that Gawain never loses heart and the detailed description of the pentangle is a key for proper understanding of the poem's message.

In addition to his unnatural size and presence, his magical nature is further hinted at as he appears “completely emerald green” (Sir Gawain l50) and later affirmed when he picks up his severed head and reminds Gawain of the rules of the agreement they made. This imagery of a seemingly omnipotent figure that a mortal man enters into an agreement is an allusion to the spiritual promise that individuals of the Christian faith enter with God. Ironically, the idea of the Green Knight acting as a metaphor for a supernatural power is part of a larger paganistic culture that stretches across the world and includes such figures as the Aztec “Corn King”, a “vegetation spirit representing fertility and involved in a sacrificial beheading (Benson 67). The supernatural is being appropriated to connect to the growing Christian culture of medieval Britain and make the narrative resonate with the general populace. Sir Gawain’s journey to fulfill his covenant with the Green Knight is fraught with supernatural perils, disorientation, and temptations but it eventually leads him to a chapel to fulfill his promise to the Green Knight: “See, Gawain, that you carry out your promise exactly,/ And search for me truly, sir, until I am found,/ As you have sworn in this hall in

Shown to be a noble high class knight, Gawain’s behavior portrays that he is a brave and moral character. When King Arthur is about to meet the Green Knight’s challenge, Gawain steps in to take his place and asserts that he is the weakest of all knights and that he would not be missed if he had died. He conveys that he is truly humble and is willing to sacrifice himself for his uncle, expressing his courage and chivalric values of selfless loyalty. Furthermore, Gawain is depicted as “reputed good and, like gold well refined, He was devoid of all villainy, every virtue displaying”, hence the golden pentangle represents his purity and given that it is also a symbol of religion, Gawain depicts that he wants to be connected to God and maybe

When writing, never explain your symbols. The author of ``Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' dropped this unspoken rule when he picked up his pen. Why? The detailed description and exposition of the pentangle form the key to understanding this poem. By causing the reader to view Gawain's quest in terms of the pentangle, the narrator compares the knightly ideals with the reality of Gawain's life. The narrator uses the pentangle to promote the knightly ideals, but he also accentuates the primary need for truth in knightly conduct. Finally, the difference between Gawain's reaction to his failure and others' perception of his faults remind the reader that no one can reach the ideal, and

The castle grounds are an unusual contrast to the surrounding winter landscape, and this is the first of many unusual characteristics that the mysterious castle has. The castle grounds are described as: “fair and green, in a goodly park with a palisade of palings planted about for two miles and more, round many a fair tree” (Norton, 312). The description of a castle surrounded by lush fauna in the middle of winter is anything but normal. Sir Gawain rides to the great castle and is quickly greeted by a porter. He asks the porter to tell the lord he seeks harbor, and he is soon granted permission to enter the castle. Gawain is royally greeted by the castle’s inhabitants; however, the treatment he receives from the attendants and knights is most unusual because no one knows who Sir Gawain is (or at least they shouldn’t; however, they seem to know that Gawain is a great knight). The lord of the castle soon comes to greet Gawain. Gawain is then taken to a luxurious room where he is undressed, given new clothing, and eats a magnificent dinner while warming by a fire. The following day Gawain identifies himself to the lord and his court. The people laugh and are in high spirits. They seem as if they already know who Gawain is, and know the purpose of his visit. The castle’s inhabitants describe Gawain as “the father of fine manners” (Norton, 315), and he seems to be highly regarded by all of the people of this strange stronghold.

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.

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 accurately portrays his outward pentangle identity and knightly virtues through his armor through his travels. His armor carries the symbol of the pentangle or the “endless knot” (2.630), which characterizes Gawain as “For ever faithful five-fold in five-fold fashion / [with] … good works … [and] with virtues adorned”. His armor embodies visually the expectations his chivalric virtues of courage, courtesy, and fidelity and the pentangle with its five senses, fingers, joys, virtues, and wounds. As Gawain travels through the dangerous and cold forest, he bravely continues on to find the green knight and hold true to his vows and his armor. The commitment of Gawain to complete his duty satisfies his knightly virtues of courage and faithfulness and the virtues of the pentangle. He encounters serpents,

Gawain, a knight of the famed King Arthur, is depicted as the most noble of knights in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Nonetheless, he is not without fault or punishment, and is certainly susceptible to conflict. Gawain, bound to chivalry, is torn between his knightly edicts, his courtly obligations, and his mortal thoughts of self-preservation. This conflict is most evident in his failure of the tests presented to him. With devious tests of temptation and courage, Morgan le Fay is able to create a mockery of Gawain’s courtly and knightly ideals. Through the knight Gawain, the poem is able to reveal that even knights are human too with less than romantic traits.

Many would agree that although there are many stories about heroes, they all seem similar in some way. Joseph Campbell wrote many books about this theory of a "hero cycle" that every hero story follows. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, this pattern is clearly exemplified and it shows the numerous steps in Joseph Campbell's idea of the hero cycle.

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 the poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," Gawain is a guest at Hautdesert Castle. During his stay at the castle, three separate hunts take place. These hunts also parallel temptations aimed at Gawain by the wife of the Lord of Hautdesert Castle. In each hunt scene, a characteristic of the prey of that hunt is personified in Gawain's defense against the advances of the King’s wife.

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.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval poem by an unknown author, written in Middle English in the 14th century. This poem is uncanny to most poems about heroism and knightly quests as it doesn’t follow the complete circle seen in other heroism tales. This poem is different to all the rest as it shows human weaknesses as well as strengths which disturbs the myth of the perfect knight, or the faultless hero. The author uses symbolism as a literary device in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to give the plot a deeper and more significant meaning. Symbolism is used to emphasise the difference of this heroism story against others and therefore symbolism is of great importance in this poem. The importance of the following symbols will be