Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Stanza 74

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.

Sir Gawain is known for his knightly integrity, but by failing to uphold his agreement with Lord Bertilak, he is demonstrating that human perfection is impossible to maintain. By failing to give the girdle to Lord Bertilak-when he returns from his hunting trip, Sir Gawain is not abiding by

Gawain first obtains the girdle from the host’s wife as something to remember. Gawain clearly feels uncomfortable about this, but does not bring it up to the host when he is supposed to exchange something in return for whatever the host caught during that day’s hunt. However, after the host’s wife telling him that the girdle will protect him from harm, the girdle now takes on the true role of a magic weapon. When Gawain meets with the green knight, he is unharmed, (with the exception of the cut on his neck). He believes that he was unharmed because of the green girdles magical powers. However, this is not the case. The green knight had no real intentions to hurt him, but Gawain obviously couldn’t have known this, so he credits his good luck to the green girdle. Only later does he recognize that the girdle is actually a symbol of his failures. He swears to wear it forever as a reminder of his lack of courage and honesty. When he returns home, the other knights start wearing green girdles as a symbol of their respect and admiration that they have for Gawain. In this way, the reader can clearly see the various different things the girdle symbolism. The girdle is probably one of the most important parts to the entire story since it is so multidimensional and provides insight into numerous situations

​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 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.

After beheading the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is depressed by dark thoughts of what lies ahead for him and all while everyone “danced and sang till the sun went down that day. But mind your mood, Gawain, keep blacker thoughts at bay, or loose this lethal game you’ve promised you will play” (485-490). Of course, one would have anxiety of waiting for a year to come. The time has come for Sir Gawain to go through the unknown world to find the Green Chapel. He encounters a serious of dangers in numerous

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

Throughout the poem, Sir Gawain, and the Green Knight, the audience discovers that the green girdle is a symbolic object that plays a significant role in developing Gawain’s character. In the beginning of the text, the green girdle represents security to Gawain, but by the end signifies dishonor. The symbolism of Lady Bertilak’s, girdle changes throughout the course of the poem, when she tells Gawain that the green girdle has the power to keep whoever wears it, protected from harm. Gawain views the girdle as his chance at survival and decides not to exchange the girdle with Bertilak, thus breaking the terms of the men's agreement. This symbolizes Gawain’s ambition to stay alive, even at the expense of his code of honor. Gawain realizes his fault, after he fails the Green Knight’s challenge, “for this is my belt you are wearing, that same woven girdle, my own wife gave it to you, I know well in truth...I sent her to test you, and to me truly you seem One of the most perfect men who ever walked on the earth” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 2358-2363). Once the Green Knight reveals to Gawain that he is the host, Gawain curses the green girdle and views it as something that resembles cowardliness and dishonor. Gawain goes back to court and is completely honest about what had happened, then he promises himself that he will wear the girdle as symbol of his dishonour as well as a reminder to himself that

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.

The poem consistently depicts Gawain as the perfect knight. The description of Gawain’s shield, given as he dresses to embark on his search to find the Green Chapel, advertises Gawain’s glorious virtues. The shield, with a five pointed endless knot on the front, represents the five most important parts of knighthood. Gawain follows the points to perfection, as “For, ever faithful in five things, each in fivefold manner, / Gawain was reputed good and, like gold well refined, / He was devoid of all villainy, every virtue displaying” (Stone 27.14-16). Gawain does not simply strive to be chivalrous and knightly; he is the epitome of righteousness. When the Green Knight goads King Arthur into accepting his swing-for-swing bet, Gawain, recognizing the dangerous nature of this bet, swiftly steps forward and convinces Arthur to allow him to strike the Green Knight. Gawain willingly puts the safety of the kingdom and King Arthur over his

As one can observe in Part One of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain demonstrates traits of the Code of Chivalry. In a moment of confusion, Sir Gawain rises up to show he is a loyal, pious, and self deprecating Knight of the Round Table. To began, the reader is introduced to Sir Gawain and recognizes his loyalty when he says, “Would you grant me the grace… to begone from this bench and stand by you there” (Borroff l. 118). Furthermore, Sir Gawain takes King Arthur’s life out of harm’s way by replacing him in the deadly dare that is presented in front of Camelot because he values King Arthur’s life over his own. Furthermore, not only is Sir Gawain loyal to King Arthur, but he is also loyal to God. In the same fashion, Sir Gawain reveals he is pious before he pursues the dare. Immediately

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.

As Sir Gawain presses on in his search for the Green Chapel, he faces numerous physical challenges. Yet he overcomes them all to the point that "to tell but the tenth part would tax my wits" (1719) as he has countless battles with serpents, wolves, and the like. The true challenges come after he arrives at Bercilak's castle. There, he is tempted three times by Lady Bercilak's advances--yet he does not give in to her advances, nor spurn her completely in an uncourtly manner. Further, he does not accept her gift of the ring which she offers as a remembrance. However, when she offers her green girdle, proclaiming its properties of protection:

When Sir Gawain is offered the girdle, his knightly principles are questioned. The honorable thing would be to reject the offer or bring it to the lord of the castle, but Gawain places the preservation of his life ahead of chivalry. The knight has withstood the lady’s

The challenge of maintaining virtues becomes a psychological game as Gawain is separated from his peers. He battles foul enemies including “dragons/ ...wolves, and satyrs, / And forest trolls, / And bulls, and bears, and ivory-tusked boars, / And giant ogres” (lines 719-723), but his physical monsters are glossed over in comparison to the mental turmoil that Gawain faces during this segment of his journey. In his “friendless” (line 714) time “nowhere near home” (line 714), Gawain lacks the support system of his compassionate friends of the court. The only backbone he has is in his faith, leading to his prayers to Mary “To end his grief, / To guide his weary / Steps to relief” (lines 737-739) in an act of piety, another knightly virtue that Gawain embodies. Coincidentally, the pious act that grants him the salvation of discovering the castle and brings the joys of having human companionship again also leads him to his greatest challenge: the seduction of the Lady Bercilak.