There are many main themes in the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but three of the most important ones are the themes of salvation, morality, and truth. These themes help connect Christianity to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. These themes are so important to the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight because the whole book is set around salvation, morality, truth, and any other themes. All of these themes tie in to one another and help connect other parts of many of the King Arthur stories. The themes of salvation, morality, and truth are key themes to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Morality is one of the major themes of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The ideals of chivalry are based off the Christian theme of morality.
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In a sense, Gawain is untruthful to Mary because by accepting the girdle from the lady, Gawain put his trust in the lady’s pagan magic and became unfaithful to Mary. Gawain is also untruthful to the lord. Gawain gave the lord the kisses he rightfully earned on the first two days after the hunt, but he failed to give the lord the green girdle on the third day of the hunt. This dishonesty results in the outcomes of the three “swipes” the Green Knight gives him. For Gawain’s first two days of honesty, the Green Knight gives Gawain two fake “swipes” to reward him for his honesty. The third swipe results in a cut on Gawain’s neck since Gawain did not give the lord the green girdle. Gawain realizes that by being untruthful he has broken his vows and condemns himself at the end of the book. He decides to wear the green girdle around his left shoulder as a reminder to himself that he had broken his vows during his …show more content…
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is willing to sacrifice his life like Jesus was willing to sacrifice his life for our salvation. Gawain was also willing to die because he thought that was God’s purpose for him, just as God’s purpose for Jesus’ death was so we could be saved. In The Death of Arthur, Arthur can be seen in the position of God because God “killed” his son, as Arthur kills his son. The Death of Arthur also can compare to the Bible because both Jesus and Arthur allude to their second comings. Finally, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Death of Arthur, and the Bible all tie together because Gawain, Arthur, and Jesus are each still alive at the end of the book. Gawain’s life is spared, Arthur is not quite dead yet, and Jesus resurrects. Therefore, because of these reasons, the theme of salvation does not just apply only to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, it can be applied to The Death of Arthur and the Bible as
In a sense, Gawain is untruthful to Mary because by accepting the girdle from the lady, Gawain put his trust in the lady’s pagan magic and became unfaithful to Mary. Gawain is also untruthful to the lord. Gawain gave the lord the kisses he rightfully earned on the first two days after the hunt, but he failed to give the lord the green girdle on the third day of the hunt. This dishonesty results in the outcomes of the three “swipes” the Green Knight gives him. For Gawain’s first two days of honesty, the Green Knight gives Gawain two fake “swipes” to reward him for his honesty. The third swipe results in a cut on Gawain’s neck since Gawain did not give the lord the green girdle. Gawain realizes that by being untruthful he has broken his vows and condemns himself at the end of the book. He decides to wear the green girdle around his left shoulder as a reminder to himself that he had broken his vows during his …show more content…
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is willing to sacrifice his life like Jesus was willing to sacrifice his life for our salvation. Gawain was also willing to die because he thought that was God’s purpose for him, just as God’s purpose for Jesus’ death was so we could be saved. In The Death of Arthur, Arthur can be seen in the position of God because God “killed” his son, as Arthur kills his son. The Death of Arthur also can compare to the Bible because both Jesus and Arthur allude to their second comings. Finally, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Death of Arthur, and the Bible all tie together because Gawain, Arthur, and Jesus are each still alive at the end of the book. Gawain’s life is spared, Arthur is not quite dead yet, and Jesus resurrects. Therefore, because of these reasons, the theme of salvation does not just apply only to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, it can be applied to The Death of Arthur and the Bible as