Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essays

​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.

Gawain is willing to put his welfare on the line to save his king and friend. He says that he would be a coward and without honor if he lets King Arthur die knowing that all he must do to save him is to marry a woman, although she is quite disgusting.

The story of Sir Gawain works on an opposite level from that of Beowulf. Just as Beowulf emphasizes outward strength, the character of Gawain stands as a paradigm of inner strength as a path to outward glory. The battles Gawain fights occur inside his mind. The chivalric code is one concerned with honor and duty within a society of corruption and sin. The role of chivalry was one concerned with example. A chivalric Knight, such as Gawain, must abide by the inner code of morality in order to remain true to his self, his lord, and his God. Sin, for Gawain, would begin in the mind, and lead to dishonorable deeds in the outside world. Throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain travels on a path which is as much one of inner contemplation, as it is of actual travel. We see Gawain at the beginning of his journey being,"...faultless in his five senses,/Nor found ever to fail in his five fingers,"(640-1). Gawain’s traits being likened to the five wounds of Christ sets up his eventual fall from the very start. However, like Christ, Gawain is reborn to a new life through the "scratch" the Green Knight gives him (2312). From that small wound, Gawain realizes that he cannot live up to the perfect image of chivalry he has sworn to uphold. To Gawain, this wound comes very close to being the death knell of the entire moral system Gawain has dedicated his life to.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a very wonderful story that has many symbols that have an important meaning and lesson to it. Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is written anonymously. This story is very unique in every way because some of the circumstances and games are very different compared to how some people see them today. There are many symbols that are embedded into this story. Items that seem simple and irrelevant in real life are important in the story and embrace special lessons. The green belt, nature and the color green are important symbols in the story.

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, after Gawain ventures “into a forest fastness, fearsome and wild” (Norton, 311), he prays that he will be able to find “harborage” on Christmas Eve (Norton, 312). It is the middle of winter, and Gawain has been traveling in search of the Green Knight whose head he has cut off. After he prays and signs himself three times, Gawain finds a magical castle in the midst of a winter forest. He rides to the castle and is granted permission to enter by the lord. Gawain is attended to in a fashion befitting kings, and he meets the lord who tells his identity to all in the court. There are many significant implications and foreshadowings which occur during Gawain’s

Faith is also a prominent figure within Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Gawain's faith in God is shown when he is regularly praying to God for protection and forgiveness before his trip or his challenge with the Green Knight. Sir Gawain is perpetually referencing to God, saying, "as God allows", "by the Lord's decree", and "in God's own name" to give the impression that he truly relies on God for guidance and strength (199-201). Gawain starts to reference to God much more the closer he gets to his face-off with the Green Knight. Finally turning over his fate to God, Gawain prays that "I shall not give way to weeping; God's will be done, amen! I commend me to his keeping" (202). Gawain and Beowulf both reflect the idea that the fate God has chosen for you is an inescapable certainty, no doubt reflecting the beliefs of their time.

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.

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.

Tricked by the Green Knight and Morgan le Faye, Gawain, driven by his sense of duty and honor, must sacrifice his own life for those ideals. I believe that though Gawain is a bit foolish in his quest to lose his head, he did make the correct decision in protecting Arthur. Like King Beowulf, the loss of Arthur would have been very detrimental to the society at the time. Gawain sacrifices himself in order to preserve Order.

Heroes, whether fictional or not, are usually admired and respected for their righteousness and good actions. In today’s society, when one thinks of a hero, one thinks of someone who has supernatural abilities, defeats powerful villains, or even someone who has the capability to lead and make a positive impact in people’s lives. However, by today’s standards, Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight would not be considered a hero as he did not save people’s lives or perform a deed for the greater good. During Sir Gawain’s time, a Christian hero is someone who was just a human being, but was faithful to his or her God, and King, and had a sense of chivalry and courteousness. Sir Gawain is depicted as a true Christian hero because he possessed qualities of selflessness, courage and bravery, courteous, chivalry and devotion to his word and honor, and humility. Throughout the book, Sir Gawain’s heroic actions demonstrate qualities and principles that represent the true meaning of a Christian hero of the Arthurian times.

You really have to look back to grasp what exactly Gawain was putting at risk when he stood up to the challenge to save King Arthur. Not only was his pride and reputation at stake here, but his life as well. And he was the only one of Arthur's court who stood up. He could have just as easily been content to let Arthur have his go, but he showed such vidality and courage by coming forward. ( King Arthur had to since he was the King and had to stand up for his court or be put to shame.)

This heroism is symbolized most effectively with his shield, which bears a pentangle. The points on this symbol represent the knightly virtues of franchise, fellowship, cleanliness, courtesy, and pity, and it is said that “For ever faithful five-fold in five-fold fashion/Was Gawain in good works, as gold unalloyed/Devoid of all villainy, with virtues adorned in sight” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 632-635). The shield reflects the chivalric qualities Gawain possesses without fail, and shows him to be a knight of the utmost honor. The shield also symbolizes piety, which Gawain shows more in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight than in the other stories. On the inner part of the shield is an image of the Virgin Mary, and looking at this image gives him strength (649-650). As much as the shield represents Gawain’s chivalry, it also represents the driving force behind his actions, which is his faith. Of Gawain, it is said that “All his fealty was fixed upon the five wounds/That Christ got on the cross, as the creed tells;/And wherever this man in melee took part,/His one thought was of this, past all things else” (642-645). Gawain uses his faith to fuel his actions, and to early Christian audiences reading this story this would be a clear indication of Gawain’s

However, Sir Gawain overcame all daily trials and tribulations, but the aspiration to save his own life took precedence over his desire to maintain his virtuousness as a knight. However, once discovered and Sir Gawain confessed, the Green Knight forgave his transgression for he understood the act of

He appears with no armor to shield him from feeling the world, in fact his green appearance, though brawny in description, does contain undertones of green passivity. He is neither depicted as spiritual blue, nor warm emotional yellow, rather the fusion of the two, devilish green. To live in a state of uncertainty is the antithesis of mid-evil chivalry. It is a knights’ duty to know his place in society and to whom he serves, not to think or feel therefore when Gawain asks the Green Knight for instructions to find his home, the Knight gives no formal address, rather an experiential response. He says “If I tell you true, when I have taken your knock… you shall hear straightaway of my house and home and my own name” (398-399). This statement forces Gawain to live in the reality and emotion of the moment rather then set out on his quest upon social consequences.

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 Lord's wife.