Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

The Green Knight

Good Essays
1125 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Green Knight
Sir Gawain: the portrayal of a transforming hero

The Romance poem Sir Gawian and the Green Knight, a high Middle-Aged poem composed in the late 14th century, has a Celtic setting with the characteristics of medieval life. In this poem, the hero shows the typical chivalric features of Anglo Saxon heroes, for instance bravery, loyalty, courage and humility. Furthermore, it involves an internal and external journey that the hero must undergo. It this essay I will state and explain how Sir Gawain is portrayed as a hero.

In this poem the typical chivalric features of Anglo Saxon heroes are seen in the shield Gawain is dressed in and in Gawain’s characteristics as a hero. First, the two-sided shield shows a mixture and clash of two cultures and religions, the Christian and the Pagan. On the inside, there is an image of the Virgin Mary, a Christian element. On the outside, there is a pentangle or endless knot, a pagan element. This pentangle reflects Gawain’s moral, physical and spiritual perfection. Each one of the five points represents a set of Gawain’s virtues: friendship, fraternity, purity, politeness and pity. The first two sets deal with his physical perfection: his five senses and his five fingers. The following two, deal with his spiritual perfections, his fidelity set up in the five wounds of Christ. The fifth represents the five joys of the Virgin Mary: annunciation, nativity, resurrection, ascension and assumption. At the end of the poem we see that one of the lessons that Gawain learns is to come to terms with imperfection, meaning that nobody is perfect, we are mere humans.

“[…] through the Green Knight's tests, we see that Gawain is not the perfect knight he strives to be. Neither we, nor the Green Knight, nor his fellow Knights of the Round Table hold him to this standard of perfection. […] We know he remains true until his fear of death overcomes him. All this proves he is only human. Yet Gawain only sees that he has been inconsistent in upholding the chivalric code, and this means failure to him. This is an indication of the standard Gawain has set for himself, and we see why he has the reputation he has. Despite all that has happened, Gawain is still a loyal, noble, honest and courteous knight.”[1]

Along the poem we are able to acknowledge Gawain’s characteristics as a hero. Gawain is loyal to his king and to his knight’s title when the Green Knight presents the challenge and none of the other knights offer themselves to accept the challenge: “I stake my claim. / This moment must be mine.” This is an undeniable evidence of his courage and bravery as the Green Knight was presented as “a mountain of a man, immeasurably high, / a hulk of a human from head to hips, “ and a fearless one “Quite simply he stands there […], his face without fear, “. Additionally, Gawain is introduces as a humble and modest hero by sacrificing his life instead of Arthur’s life: “loss of my life would be grieved the least. / Were I not your nephew my life would mean nothing; / to be born of your blood is my body’s only claim.”

Sir Gawain, an adolescent knight, has to undergo a journey that will imply two changes, an external one and an internal one. As an external one, at the beginning of the poem we deduce that Sir Gawain is very young and probably an adolescent since this poem is placed in King Arthur’s reign, and it is known that King Arthur was a very young king: “He [King Arthur] brimmed with ebullience, being almost boyish / in his love of life, and what he liked the least / was to sit still watching the seasons slip by.” Plus we know that he belongs to the high class and that he is an important person in the court of King Arthur. He is the nephew of the King and he is seated next to Guinevere: “Good Sir Gawain is seated by Guinevere / and at Arthur’s other side sits Agravain the Hard Hand, / both nephews of the king and notable knights.” At the end of the poem, we see that this journey helped Gawain mature.

So as to reflect his rite of passage in an internal change, Sir Gawain needs to be taught and pushed to a journey of maturity and the character that portrays this kind of paternal figure is the Green Knight, who helps Sir Gawain to grow, to mature and to learn about himself. The Green Knight helps Sir Gawain by presenting the challenge. At the beginning, Gawain thinks that he is weak: “I am the weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit”. At the end, after going through the temptations and exchanges, Sir Gawain learns a lesson, he is able to come to terms with himself, realizing and accepting the idea of not being perfect, the he is also human. With this journey, parts of Gawain will die, symbolizing his rebirth, by the Green Knight’s absolution. ““The harm which you caused me is wholly healed. / By confessing your failings you are free from fault / and have openly paid penance at the point of my axe. / I declare you purged, as polished and as pure / as the day you were born, without blemish or blame.”” He is not naïve anymore; he acknowledges a truth that he did not know: That the Green Knight was Lord Bertilak: “Here in my homelands they call me Bertilak de Hautdesert.”, and the identity of Morgan: “And in my manor lives the mighty Morgan le Fay, […] So that ancient woman who inhabits my home / is also your aunt – Arthur’s half sister,”. Additionally, she was the one who settled in motion everything: ““She guided me in this guise to your great hall / to put pride on trial, and to test with this trick […] She imagined this mischief would muddle your minds”.”

To sum up, this poem clearly details how Sir Gawain changes internally with the help of the three temptations, exchanges and blows that form the challenge. To do so, Sir Gawain was presented as an adolescent in mind. Likewise, the poem shows that Sir Gawain is true to the chivalric code of that time, from beginning to end.

Bibliografía

• Armitage, Simon. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. A new verse translation. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007.

• Kim Neininger. “A Character Analysis of Sir Gawain as Presented In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” (1996) http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/proj2b/gawain.html [13 June 2013]

----------------------- [1] Kim Neininger. “A Character Analysis of Sir Gawain as Presented In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” (1996) http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/proj2b/gawain.html [13 June 2013]

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the trials that the Green Knight sets for Gawain are all designed to make Gawain aware of his loss of touch with primal human nature and the natural world. Throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Pearl Poet plays on Man’s disconnection with nature and how disconnection with nature robs one of the skillset most essential for basic survival and decision making. Every one of the trials that Gawain goes through contains an underlying lesson about striving to be pure in character or staying connected to nature. Ultimately, the Pearl Poet seeks to express that through the development of civilization, people lose their connection…

    • 1610 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, two of the earliest great stories of English literature, do not disappoint the readers and present us with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, the Dragon, and the Green Knight. The two poems similarly describe the protagonists’ encounters with these unworldly characters in three patterns, Beowulf’s three great battles with the monsters and Sir Gawain three nights at the Green Knight’s castle. The progression of these three patterns and different stages appear in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight influence how the readers view the stories; Beowulf’s three battles represent the progression of violence where as Sir Gawain’s three nights focus on human value and weakness.…

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    BRIT LIT

    • 1869 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the first literary work that was mentioned. This was written in the Middle Ages yet the stages that Erik Erikson came up with are very present through this writing. The main character identified in this poem is Sir Gawain. He is the nephew of King Arthur. He is also a knight. Sir Gawain identifies himself in a negative light at the beginning of the story when the Green Knight first makes his appearance. In his speech to King Arthur, Sir Gawain describes himself by saying, “..[….]…I am weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit; loss of my life would be least lamented. Were I not your nephew my life would mean nothing; to be born of your blood is my body’s only claim. Such a foolish affair is unfitting for a king, so; being…

    • 1869 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Many scholars offer different interpretations to the meaning of the poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Several of them interpret the poem as a test of knighthood virtues and believe the first failure of Sir Gawain’s knightly virtue happens during the green girdle test. A particular journal, “The Meaning of ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,’” by Gordon M. Shedd suggests the heroic struggle that Sir Gawain faces is the truth about “the nature of man” and “the code he finds lacking” (Shedd 4). In addition, he believes medieval romance stories ignore the fact that even the most virtuous men fail: “The poem constitutes a glaring violation of the traditional success-story pattern, and the hero’s lapses of courage and honour, those twin corner-stones of the chivalric edifice, are highly untypical of the knightly conduct we find illustrated with such stultifying sameness in medieval story” (Shedd 4). Although this theory is scholarly…

    • 1229 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    After reading W.A. Neilson’s translation of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, one could find allegorical connections with the characters. Each of the main characters represents represents three main concepts that one could compare to the life in the twenty-first century. Sir Gawain, a honored knight, can be compared to everyday day people. The Green Knight can be seen as a Godly figure. Lastly the fair lady seen as a sin. When comparing the main characters of the poem, one could find allergy connects with them to everyday perceptions.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cited: Baswell, Christopher and Schotter, Anne. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. Master of British Literature. Vol. A. Eds. David Damrosch and Kevin J.H. Dettmar. New York: Longman- Pearson, 2008. 144-202. Print.…

    • 1861 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sir Gawain and Beowulf are some of the most memorable characters from medieval literature. The title characters from Sir Gawain And The Green Knight and Beowulf both share many similarities in their characteristics. They share beliefs in allegiance and honour to their Kings, they are both incredibly valiant, and have similar beliefs in fate and faith. Beowulf and Gawain seem to be very alike in their actions as well in that they both commence their dangerous journeys alone yet they ask of their Kings permission before their departures into battle to respect his honour. However, there is a massive difference in the outcome of Beowulf and Gawain's actions granted that Gawain learns a valuable lesson and Beowulf continues to act foolishly and risk his life. Immediately, the title characters of these poems are both extremely loyal and respectful to their Monarchs.…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One truth of human nature shown in this romance was sexual desire. Gawain is to refrain from sexual behavior and is tempted three times with it. Although he abstains from the actual act of intercourse, he still gives in to a kiss. Another truth about human fallibility is the intuition to survive. Gawain forfeits his religious beliefs and the confidence in his own strength, all to rely on a single girdle that a young, beautiful woman gave to him. He has nothing but the affirmation of a woman that the belt will save him from death and still chooses the belt of over morals.…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the biggest points that seemed to stick out was that Gawain was a noble knight to his uncle, King Arthur, while all the other knights were to scare to be a knight that actually protected the king. “ And tis that I have asked it, it ought to be mine…” (Pearl-Poet 170.360). One might say that Gawain was the best knight that was able to sit around King Arthur’s roundtable. Another major point that could be made by one reading the story of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is that the Knight who comes into King Arthur’s court is wearing nothing but green, and is green. “… a horseman and a horse should have such a hue, than green as the grass, and greener, it seemed, than green fused on gold more glorious by far” (Pearl-Poet 167.235) These two things are major key points that anyone who reads the story could see as they stick out to no end in through out the entire story. The final thing that is very clear to see is the change of locations as Gawain is traveling. “…the narrator builds readers' apprehension by presenting the journey to the green chapel…” (Wendy Clein 1). One could see that he really is a brave, strong, courageous knight because of how he travels, and that he is not afraid to travel alone. “He had no mate but his mount, over mountain and plain…” (Pearl-Poet…

    • 2046 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As one goes through life they are both outwardly and inwardly affected by their religious beliefs and code of conduct. The code of chivalry and courtly love was based on ones honor, and the keeping of it. This can be done by three ways, being chivalrous to your king, being chivalrous to god, or being chivalrous to women. These three things are also a general fit to Christianity. These beliefs and way of keeping oneself affects Gawain and his journey through out the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Specifically Christianity affects Gawain's view of himself and how he should be, adding to the pressure of succeeding and the keeping of his honor.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the tale “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, an unusual story is presented. This story is how Sir Gawain accepted the challenge of a stranger and resulting in partaking in a quest that would ultimately prove his character as a knight. However, this quest was so custom tailored for Sir Gawain’s personal pitfalls and strength that it was, in fact, only intended for him. While the Green Knight's game was offered all of the knights in King Arthur's court, Sir Gawain was the only one whom was fitting to partake in the test due to his personal flaws and strengths.…

    • 1589 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, supposedly written in the mid to late fourteenth century, shows the decline of both the code of Chivalry and of Feudalism. In a desperate effort to reinforce the ideals of Feudalism, the poet, evidently bias towards the Christian church and its values, use the female gender as the primary causes of this decay. At the time, the religious values were deeply weakened by the conflict between religious love and courtly love and also by an always underlying “Code of Chivalry” which had changed from a set of Christian to a set of immoral values. This process of Christian decay was highly influenced by the rise of courtly love in which the knights were led to feats of bravery and devotion to a mistress rather than God.…

    • 1479 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    sir gawain essay

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages

    To be respected as a knight in the Anglo-Saxon times you had to have bravery. Sir Gawain showed his bravery by standing up for the king and nominating himself for battle against the Green Knight by saying this “I beseech, before all here, That this melee may be mine.” Gawain knew he was not the strongest or tallest of the knights at the table, but called for the battle, showing how brave he was. Even further showing his bravery, Gawain proclaimed “I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest: and the loss of my life would be least of any”. Gawain admits that he is not very important and that even if he is…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Langland, William. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M. H. Abrams. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2000. 158-210…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sir Gawain's Loyalty

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Middle English romance that intertwines the ideas of the importance of chivalry, Christian virtues and outward appearances, present within Arthurian legends. Sir Gawain is the epitome of the noble, virtuous knight who also strives to be an obedient man of God, represented by the pentangle and image of Mary within his shield (650). But with the arrival of the Green Knight at King Arthur’s court, Gawains faith in God and his Christian morals collide with his desire to be seen as the honorable, brave knight of Arthur’s court. When Gawains desire for self-preservation overcomes his faith in God, causing him to befall, some readers…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays