Sir Gawain's Knightly Ordeals

Sir Gawain’s Knightly Ordeals Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a romantic epic poem by the Pearl Poet that follows a knight through his quest to complete a challenge he accepted from the Green Knight. King Arthur was raised by Sir Ector , married to Gwenevere, and he rose to power at Camelot, the Utopia kingdom. King Arthur’s knights had many stages they had to go through in training to prepare to be the best. Sir Gawain, one of those knights, is King Arthur’s nephew. He was the only knight that stood up for the king and accepted the challenge doled out by the Green Knight. Knights are held to their chivalry, which consists of their honor, courtly love, bravery, and loyalty to the king. Gawain is an ideal knight because he upholds the knightly …show more content…
Gawain asks the king to let him have the challenges, knowing what the challenge entails. He boldly asked the king “let the challenge be mine”, and he took the burden upon himself (Raffel 66). This proves that Gawain is noble and is willing to risk his life because he believes it is for the better. Gawain never gave up on his mission no matter what came in his way. When the guide told Gawain to turn away, Gawain knew he could not “be a coward no knight could,” and so he was “going to the chapel, and meeting that wild man”(Raffel 122-123). This shows how Gawain lives up to the high standards of knight and will never shy away from a challenge. Sir Gawain was determined and always followed through. Gawain held the axe high, and then “quickly brought it down on the green knight's neck, cutting through his skin and bones,” therefore accepting that in one year and one day he would receive the same treatment (Raffel 68). Knowing that he would most likely die in one year and one day, Gawain still accepted the challenge and cut of the knight’s head. Gawain displays his bravery through his journey to the green chapel, because he faces many struggles and fights both physical and