Supernatural Elements In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight And Prose Merlin

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

“The Middle Ages designates the time span roughly from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance and Reformation” (“The Middle Ages”). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in the thirteenth and fourteenth century, along with Morte D’Arthur. Both medieval epics exemplify bravery and courage as their themes. “The only universal European institution during the Medieval Era was the Catholic Church which had all the local power within the local bishops” (Sagona). The church saw itself as the only spiritual place of Christian believers, thus it had a large amount of influence on Medieval people, including knights. Christian roles and the act of chivalry played a part in becoming a knight in the Medieval Era that can be seen in

The ultimate boon is the girdle that was given to Gawain by the Host’s wife. On the third day that Gawain is staying with the Host he is given a green girdle by the Host’s wife that is said to protect the person wearing it; knowing that he will meet with the Green Knight the next day, he selfishly keeps the girdle without telling the Host. The next day Gawain meets with the Green Knight to complete the challenge that was presented to him in the beginning of the poem. However, since the Green Knight knows that Gawain broke the deal with the Host he cuts Gawain on the third swing of his sword. The three swings symbolize the three days Gawain stayed at the castle. The first two swings don't touch him because he kept his part of the deal. On the third swing he is cut, this symbolizes the third day when he keeps the girdle and breaks his part of the deal.

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.

Gawain however will not coward out and will remain loyal to the agreement and shrugs off the warning. He eventually runs into the Green Chapel and calls out for the Green Knight. The Green Knight takes three swings at Gawain purposefully missing the first two, and then nipping the neck of Gawain on the third blow. Gawain, not harmed, arose and requested to fight the Green Knight drawing his sword. The Green Knight says he didn’t want to fight only because Gawain has fulfilled the agreement already. He explains that he spared Gawain the first two times for receiving the kisses back from him but the third blow was for not returning the Green Girdle he received. Gawain was thankful and explained that women were the reason for men’s downfall giving examples. The Green Knight introduces himself as Lord Bertilak and explained the Old lady whose face was covered was his Aunt Morgan Le Fay, Merlin’s apprentice, and that he had a spell cast on him. He says the main reason he came to King Arthur’s court was Morgan Le Fay’s plan to scare Queen Guinevere to death. He asked Gawain to come and stay at his castle because he is loved there but he declines and rides back to Camelot with The Girdle under his left arm to show that he committed fault to enemies back along the way as well as the

This leads Gawain on a journey, battling many creatures and monsters before coming to a castle that is so great it is only comparable by King Arthurs castle. He is invited into the castle as a guest by the king and it’s people. This is where the heroic tale begins to take a different turn then most heroic tales. The king of this realm, King Bertilak de Hautdesert, uses his wife to test Sir Gawain. He did this by ordering his wife to flirt and try to seduce Gawain, however this was only

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:

    In all the long history of literature, some fictional characters have loomed above others, written about again and again by various authors of various eras. Arthurian literature is one area of fiction that has always been popular for writers to recreate in new versions, and one of the most intriguing characters of all Arthurian literature is Merlin, the magician/ prophet who aids Arthur early in his reign. As the Arthurian saga develops, so does Merlin, changing from an aloof, druidical character into a more human, magical being, though always retaining some traces of his Welsh origins.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an unknown author in the 14th century, can be called a timeless work of poetry. It exudes a certain fantastic quality that, despite its age of over 500 years, still appeals to modern audiences. Because of this application to all eras, would it be reasonable to state that this poem could be classified with modern fantasy fiction? Because of the similarities in plot and style with so much modern fantasy, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight could be placed in the same category with that genre, though the uses of doing so are questionable.

Throughout the history of fictional writing, cultural values of certain time periods have been expressed and implemented through the depiction of the heroes’ experiences on their journeys and the knowledge they gain by the quest’s end. For example, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a chivalric romance written in the Late Middle Ages, Gawain epitomizes a knight with the characteristics that knights from the Late Middle Ages were expected to possess according to the requirements outlined in the rules of chivalry, such as honor and valor. Likewise, Beowulf, the hero of the folk epic Beowulf, embodies the qualities of an exemplary hero as well as king. Therefore, in both stories, the reader encounters a heroic character that is presented with traits that Anglo-Saxons and the Middle English valued in their culture through their stories’ monomyths, a concept of similar and structural sequences that can be applied to many stories, created by Joseph Campbell. Some of these values are carried from the Early to Late Middle Ages and can be seen through the works of both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf.

The famous literary work of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is a classic example of Medieval Romance because it includes quests and tests, supernatural elements, and is set within a vast, fairytale-like landscape.

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

At the beginning of the tale, Sir Gawain struggles with loyalty. The Green Knight came to test the honesty of one person, so he announces a game. No one volunteers because they are stunned by the weirdness of his request. The Green Knight calls out King Arthur himself to take the challenge. So, Arthur takes the challenge but Sir Gawain steps forward to accept his challenge when he was confronted by the Green Knight. Gawain accepts the challenge to chop off the Green Knight’s head, Before he knew that the Green Knight has supernatural abilities. So, after he chops the Green Knights head off, he stills survive. Instead of dying, the Green Knight walked over to his own head, picks it up, turns it to face Gawain, and tells him to meet him at the Green Chapel in a year and a day. Sir Gawain leaves to find the Green Chapel and fulfil his pledge as the end of the year approaches. After riding through many dangers he comes upon a castle. He was welcome by the lord of the castle and the lord decides to invite him in to

The popular medieval romance, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” explores many aspects of the Arthurian legend, including chivalry, religion, and courtly love. Although the poem does feature many female characters, one aspect that the Gawain poet does not touch upon is the role and place of women in this feudal society; all of whom live under the objectification of a male driven culture. One might say that the women featured in this romance are focused on more heavily than that of other literature during this time period and that might be true; however, after a closer look the reader can see how it’s the little things that the Gawain poet does or doesn’t do that diminish the importance of the four main female characters in this poem.

According to Christopher Reeve, “a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” In today’s culture, the hero is frequently depicted as a knight in shining armor, an image that originates from age-old literature such as the fourteenth-century Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In such literary works, the heroic knight has several virtuosic character traits: friendship, chastity, generosity, courtesy, and piety; however, he must also endure a quest in which his virtues are tested. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, three obstacles challenge the hero Gawain’s morals, including the Green Knight, the seductress, and the threat of death, leading to a further maturity of