Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a classic Arthurian tale upon first read, but has an interesting hidden motive beneath the entertainment. Throughout Gawain’s adventure we are introduced to nobility demonstrated through the chivalric lifestyle these knights are to lead. The poem incorporates Christian beliefs and symbols, both subtle and forthright, throughout the entirety of Gawain’s escapade. The Christian undertones are used to help readers separate the morally upstanding characters and their actions from the evildoers and their wicked ways. In doing so, it lets the reader come to the conclusion of right and wrong based on Christian influences of the time period. When told, the poem would use the allusions to pass along a virtuous
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Her efforts are futile but persistent. She tries to lay with him on three separate occasions during his stay at the castle. This scene is reminiscent of the biblical story where Jesus is tempted three times by the devil yet never falters. In the poem, Gawain is the holy character whereas the Green Knight is most identifiable with the devil. Besserman writes that the Green Knight is “a fusion of contradictory elements, a cross between what he calls “the monstrous supernatural and the merry human”. While green skin suggests the devil, the dead, or fairies, the green and gold of the figure’s attire represents gaiety, courtesy, and youth” [Besserman 221]. This description correlates with the Christian idea of the devil as a charismatic evil-doer who roams the earth taking many shapes. The Green Knight represents “an archetypal Death figure, the Devil in disguise” [Besserman 220]. The incorporation of Christian suggestion was done in an attempt to universalize the religion during the fourteenth century when the church was facing a decline due to “great calamities” [Art Institute 49]. The fourteenth century brought along the beginning of the Hundred Years War between France and England as well as the infamous Great Plague which swiftly wiped out one third of Europe’s population. Subsequently, …show more content…
David Boyd has an interesting take on this, saying “After its glorious Arthurian reinstitution through Edward III, chivalry had gradually begun to lose its intrinsic social value or mission. Fast becoming a formalist exercise and increasingly criticized, it attempted to relive through pageantry, hollow manners, futile aggression, and silly challenges a glorious past that could valorize a somewhat problematic present-day nobility.” His view on knighthood at the time is that a majority of citizens detested knights, whether because of their undeserved status of nobility or because of their less than noble tactics. In order to help knights regain the public approval, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tries to market the ideal of chivalry and the values that go hand in hand with it. I believe this is done in hope of promoting a general acceptance of the reinstitution of knights in the early 1300’s, shortly before when Sir Gawain and the Green Knight would have been written. Gawain is portrayed throughout the poem as the face of chivalry. He, despite the situation, is able to uphold the code of chivalry that he has dedicated his life to. First, Gawain displays bravery in accepting the challenge proposed by the Green Knight and ‘protecting’ his uncle, Arthur, whom the challenge was initially given. Second, he
Her efforts are futile but persistent. She tries to lay with him on three separate occasions during his stay at the castle. This scene is reminiscent of the biblical story where Jesus is tempted three times by the devil yet never falters. In the poem, Gawain is the holy character whereas the Green Knight is most identifiable with the devil. Besserman writes that the Green Knight is “a fusion of contradictory elements, a cross between what he calls “the monstrous supernatural and the merry human”. While green skin suggests the devil, the dead, or fairies, the green and gold of the figure’s attire represents gaiety, courtesy, and youth” [Besserman 221]. This description correlates with the Christian idea of the devil as a charismatic evil-doer who roams the earth taking many shapes. The Green Knight represents “an archetypal Death figure, the Devil in disguise” [Besserman 220]. The incorporation of Christian suggestion was done in an attempt to universalize the religion during the fourteenth century when the church was facing a decline due to “great calamities” [Art Institute 49]. The fourteenth century brought along the beginning of the Hundred Years War between France and England as well as the infamous Great Plague which swiftly wiped out one third of Europe’s population. Subsequently, …show more content…
David Boyd has an interesting take on this, saying “After its glorious Arthurian reinstitution through Edward III, chivalry had gradually begun to lose its intrinsic social value or mission. Fast becoming a formalist exercise and increasingly criticized, it attempted to relive through pageantry, hollow manners, futile aggression, and silly challenges a glorious past that could valorize a somewhat problematic present-day nobility.” His view on knighthood at the time is that a majority of citizens detested knights, whether because of their undeserved status of nobility or because of their less than noble tactics. In order to help knights regain the public approval, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tries to market the ideal of chivalry and the values that go hand in hand with it. I believe this is done in hope of promoting a general acceptance of the reinstitution of knights in the early 1300’s, shortly before when Sir Gawain and the Green Knight would have been written. Gawain is portrayed throughout the poem as the face of chivalry. He, despite the situation, is able to uphold the code of chivalry that he has dedicated his life to. First, Gawain displays bravery in accepting the challenge proposed by the Green Knight and ‘protecting’ his uncle, Arthur, whom the challenge was initially given. Second, he