Comparing Christianity In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight
Christianity is a major theme of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. It is evident throughout heroic Sir Gawain is hugely reliant upon his Christian faith. Gawain’s shield, one of the most distinguishing symbols of the knight had a pentangle which represented his virtues, most of which can be ascribed to Christianity. Spurring him on through challenges was a picture of the Virgin Mary on the inner portion of his shield. The tale of Sir Gawain can even be seen as an allegory of the Biblical story of Adam and Eve and the subsequent fall of man. Manifestations in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight consisting of Adam, Eve, the forbidden fruit, Eden, and the loss of innocence all point to this epic poem being an allegory of the Biblical account of human creation
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Eve is the woman who effectively seduces Adam into going against God’s one rule of not eating of the tree of knowledge. Similarly, Lady Bertilak causes Sir Gawain a lot of grief with her seductions and eventually leads to his own personal ruin. “For that noble princess pushed him and pressed him,/ nudged him ever nearer to a limit where he needed/ to allow her love or impolitely reject it./ He was careful to be courteous and void uncouthness,/ and be counted a betrayer by the keeper of the castle./ “I shall not succumb,” he swore to himself.”(222) Sparing no expense Lady Bertilak tries to get Gawain to submit to her wiles. “She wore nothing on her face; her neck was naked/and her shoulders were bare to both back and breast.”(222) Gawain spies Lady Bertilak and “in a worthy style he welcomes the woman/ and seeing her so lovely and alluringly dressed/every feature so faultless, her complexion so fine/ a passionate heat takes hold in his heart.”(222) Without a doubt that this Arthurian knight is questioning his duties to chivalry and his promises of virtue when he is confronted with the sultry Lady Bertilak, much like Adam experienced with
Eve is the woman who effectively seduces Adam into going against God’s one rule of not eating of the tree of knowledge. Similarly, Lady Bertilak causes Sir Gawain a lot of grief with her seductions and eventually leads to his own personal ruin. “For that noble princess pushed him and pressed him,/ nudged him ever nearer to a limit where he needed/ to allow her love or impolitely reject it./ He was careful to be courteous and void uncouthness,/ and be counted a betrayer by the keeper of the castle./ “I shall not succumb,” he swore to himself.”(222) Sparing no expense Lady Bertilak tries to get Gawain to submit to her wiles. “She wore nothing on her face; her neck was naked/and her shoulders were bare to both back and breast.”(222) Gawain spies Lady Bertilak and “in a worthy style he welcomes the woman/ and seeing her so lovely and alluringly dressed/every feature so faultless, her complexion so fine/ a passionate heat takes hold in his heart.”(222) Without a doubt that this Arthurian knight is questioning his duties to chivalry and his promises of virtue when he is confronted with the sultry Lady Bertilak, much like Adam experienced with