Self-Discovery In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval romance written in the late fourteenth century by an unknown author. It is part of the Arthurian legend and takes place in England during the winter. The Knights of the Round Table have their virtues tested when a mysterious Green Knight appears with a suspicious challenge that leads Sir Gawain on an epic journey of self-discovery. Sir Gawain had established a reputation of an unflawed and courteous knight, who put honor above all and truly believed that he was without flaw. But when put through a series of unbeknownst challenges, he fails his code of honor each time because he lies about his worth during the Green Knights challenge, why he rejected the Lady’s advances, and by breaking his promise …show more content…
With the fear of death present on his mind, he eagerly accept this gracious gift from the Lady because he wants “to save himself when it behooved him to suffer and stand defenseless against death” (73). Yet accepting the girdle would not break his promise to the lord, but because he promised to “loyally conceal it from her lord”, it puts him in a position to break his word either way. Sir Gawain had no plans of giving this magic garment to the lord for “he hides the love-lace that the lady gave him” because it offered a way for him to escape death without anyone finding out he was a coward (67). Even though he did not return the green girdle to Lord Bertilak, he does return the three kisses the lady had given him earlier. Unlike the morning before, Sir Gawain returns the kisses to the Lord as soon as he arrives because he is anxious and feels guilty about breaking their agreement. Sir Gawain is later punished for breaking his code of chivalry by the Green Knight, but his life is spared because he did not act “out of greed, not out of wantonness, but because [he] loved [his] life”