The Nature of Chivalry Developed in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

The Nature of Chivalry developed in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”

Throughout his adventures in the story, Gawain discovers, develops, and demonstrates his own chivalric qualities. He makes a few mistakes along the way, but strives to settle for nothing less than perfection in loyalty, courage and courtesy. However, this is investigated in relation to an ideal, the notion of Chivalry, or how a medieval knight is supposed to act. Gawain showed his loyalty to Arthur from the start of the story, when he accepted the challenge of the Green Knight in Arthur’s place. Even when the decision was left to the other knights, so Gawain could obtain their opinions, they decided “that the crowned King should be relieved of the challenge, and Gawain given the game.” (Medieval Romances, 336) His loyalty to Guinevere, wife of the king, was evident when he asked Arthur, “Bid me rise from my seat and stand by you, so that without discourtesy to my liege lady the Queen I can leave her side….” (Medieval Romances, 336) Throughout the story, his loyalty to God and Christ prevailed. The pentangle on his armor showed that he “put all his trust in the five wounds that Christ bore on the cross.” (Medieval Romances, 343) It was also “seen both as the cognizance of Gawain, the perfect knight, and as a magical symbol used to ward off evil.” (Hardman, 248) During his search for the Green Chapel, Gawain stopped his journey on Christmas Eve to seek a proper place to worship God on the religious holiday - and he found Hautdesert, where the true tests of his character would occur. Although there is no evidence that there are any flaws in Gawain’s loyalty to God, there is “evidence of the elementary nature of his faith” throughout the story - Gawain only does what he is absolutely obligated to do in order to keep that loyalty to God flawless. (Anderson, 351) Gawain’s courage was most evident, again, when he accepted the challenge of the Green Knight. None of the other knights in the hall accepted the challenge right away - so Arthur, “embarrassed by his knights’ lack of response… accepted the challenge himself.” (Neininger, 1) It can be argued that Gawain’s behavior in this case was either courageous or lacking in tact. Anderson’s article suggests that he lacks tact by offering “himself in place of Arthur” and possibly “running the risk of slighting the king and the court by implying that he is better able to meet the challenge than they are.” (Anderson, 350) However, his courage was demonstrated throughout the rest of the story in the undertaking of the journey to search for the Green Chapel, knowing he would be away from his castle and his loved ones during Christmas, and in his determination to fulfill the promise that he made with the Green Knight. The only flaw in Gawain’s courage occurred when the Green Knight brought the axe down upon Gawain’s neck for the first blow, and Gawain flinched and turned away, after promising the Green Knight that he would stick his neck out and take the blow fearlessly. The courtesy that Gawain shows to Arthur when he accepts the challenge from the Green Knight is the first demonstration of his courtesy in the story. Gawain’s elaborate and polite speeches to Arthur, Bercilak, and the lady of the castle emphasize “how devoted Gawain is to ‘cortaysye’,” even though it can be argued that this also implies that Gawain “is more words than actions.” (Anderson, 344) Gawain does not take very many actions in the story that demonstrate his courtesy, but his words are enough. In striving to perfectly live up to every standard of the code of chivalry, Gawain discovers that no man could ever do it, because no man is perfect. Like any other man, Gawain has his weaknesses. His utter humiliation in regards to the incident with the girdle shows that the code of chivalry, “however apparently honorable,” can have “a dehumanizing effect on those who practice it.” (Anderson, 348) To completely live up to the code of chivalry would mean to be the perfect man. The events of the story “prove Gawain’s aspirations to have been impossibly high.” (Anderson, 350) Gawain does not live up to every standard of the code of chivalry perfectly, but this shows that he is only human, like any of the other knights of King Arthur’s court. The standards that he set for himself were hopelessly high, but the standards that he did meet made him one of the most chivalric of all the knights portrayed in literature. Any character flaws that Gawain possessed were considered to be only human, and quickly overridden by his otherwise stellar performance in displaying the qualities of the chivalric code - loyalty, courage and courtesy.

Works Cited:

“The Three Judgments and the Ethos of Chivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The Chaucer Review. 24, no. 4 (1990): 337-355. J.J. Anderson.
“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Medieval Romances. Random House, 1957. Edited by Roger Sherman Loomis and Laura Hibbard Loomis.
“A Character Analysis of Sir Gawain as Presented in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Internet web site: http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/proj2b/gawain.html. Pace University, 1996. Kim Neininger.
“Gawain’s practice of piety in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Medium Aevum. 68, no. 2 (1999): 247-267. Phillipa Hardman.

Cited: “The Three Judgments and the Ethos of Chivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The Chaucer Review. 24, no. 4 (1990): 337-355. J.J. Anderson. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Medieval Romances. Random House, 1957. Edited by Roger Sherman Loomis and Laura Hibbard Loomis. “A Character Analysis of Sir Gawain as Presented in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Internet web site: http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/proj2b/gawain.html. Pace University, 1996. Kim Neininger. “Gawain’s practice of piety in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Medium Aevum. 68, no. 2 (1999): 247-267. Phillipa Hardman.