In the old English tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain displays many different aspects of his character. At the beginning of the novel, Sir Gawain is seen as brave, honorable. He steps up to the daring challenge presented by the Green Knight, saying “I am the slightest, the dullest of them all;/ My life the least, my death no loss” (Sir Gawain 354-356). This shows Gawain’s bravery, and embraces his code of honor. As he sets out on his quest, the reader is given a clear picture of Gawain. His virtues are love, friendship, freedom from sin, courtesy, and pity; and he is no coward. On his journey he passes through a dark, cold forest, and encounters numerous beast he must slay. This forest symbolizes and embodies the trials a knight like Gawain must face.
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Here, Gawain is tested 3 times by the lady of the house. She tries day after day to tempt him, but Gawain is pure, and he withstands the temptation. This shows that Gawain truly is a good man, he has every intention of being noble. However, one temptation is too much for Gawain to resist. He accepts a scarf of immortality to save his life when facing the Green Knight. By doing this, Gawain has compromised his honor, and proved himself a coward. It is now clear that our protagonist is indeed flawed, this would later come back to bite him. When he faces the Green Knight, Gawain flinches before the blow. This furthers his disgrace, the brave knight of Arthur's table has been proved a coward. The Green Knight only gives Gawain s slight cut on the neck, a scar to remind him of his eror. It is now revealed that the Green Knight is in fact the lord of the castle where Gawain was tested. The lord challenges Gawain's honor and bravery, and tells him he set the test himself. The sash Gawain took to save his life was just an ordinary scarf. Gawain had compromised his honor and reputation, but he did uphold the
Here, Gawain is tested 3 times by the lady of the house. She tries day after day to tempt him, but Gawain is pure, and he withstands the temptation. This shows that Gawain truly is a good man, he has every intention of being noble. However, one temptation is too much for Gawain to resist. He accepts a scarf of immortality to save his life when facing the Green Knight. By doing this, Gawain has compromised his honor, and proved himself a coward. It is now clear that our protagonist is indeed flawed, this would later come back to bite him. When he faces the Green Knight, Gawain flinches before the blow. This furthers his disgrace, the brave knight of Arthur's table has been proved a coward. The Green Knight only gives Gawain s slight cut on the neck, a scar to remind him of his eror. It is now revealed that the Green Knight is in fact the lord of the castle where Gawain was tested. The lord challenges Gawain's honor and bravery, and tells him he set the test himself. The sash Gawain took to save his life was just an ordinary scarf. Gawain had compromised his honor and reputation, but he did uphold the