Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

At its core, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a story that deals fundamentally with the concept of reciprocation, something which constitutes a sort of transaction between two parties to reach an end (whatever that end may ultimately be). As established right from the beginning, the entire narrative of Sir Gawain focuses on a type of violent “game” that requires reciprocation, as offered by the figure of the Green Knight. As Sir Gawain progresses, we see various scenes of honor and manner that…

journey. As heroes often take the bull by its horns and confronts particular obstacles, as seen in both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, there is always a moral lesson that the hero extracts from the given event. For instance, as seen in…

According to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, being a good knight is made difficult by the strong pull of earthly and bodily desire coupled with pride. Sir Gawain is not just tempted because of the loveliness of Sir Bertilak's wife; he is tempted by his own desire to live above all else. Although Gawain constantly refers to duty and to the need to render his fate to God, he does not put his trust completely in his faith because he takes the girdle out of fear that he will not actually be…

In the poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, parallels are persistent. The poet often has two or more completely different ideas in order to be able to contrast. Some things that are often contrasted in the poem are symbols. What the certain symbols represent has been highly debated throughout the years by many greats of literature. Such is the case with Donald R. Howard. Howard has his own set of ideas on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and demonstrates them in his article, “Structure and…

church to the public. The reformation was an inspiration to some writers like Dante who wrote The Divine Comedy, or the anonymous writer of Sir Gawain and the Green knight. The author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight uses, the Green knights color, the pentangle on Sir Gawain’s shield, the green girdle, and the three hunts to reveal the story of man. Sir Gawain is the main character of the epic.He is like many other main characters; they show great courage and strength…

to cause trouble. Morgan le Fay from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by the Pearl Poet, was a similar villainess. People feared her because she possessed powers and performed condemnable deeds. Not every deed that Morgana carried out was admirable, but her reasoning for taking the darker path rooted from somewhere. The Knights of the Round Table and the King and Queen of Camelot…

morals of others, or doing so through their own personal beliefs. For Sir Gawain, his are from a bit of both options. Given the fact that Gawain is considered to be King Arthur’s nephew, it is implied that he was given a strict conduct of rules to follow whilst growing up due to royalty. Also, being that he decided to stick by Arthur’s side and become one of his knights, it is shown that he had his own principles that he developed. Gawain has several principles that he lives by, but some of the…

Medieval romance is a tale of high adventure, like a religious crusade or quest. “The Wife of Bath” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is considered a medieval romance story because it covers most of the medieval romance elements. Some elements are portrayed more than others. These elements include: idealizing chivalry and the Knight’s code, idealizing women, imaginative fairy like setting, supernatural elements, predictable ending, patterns of three and seven, and a concealed identity.…

1: Disproving Knightly Virtues The early centuries were a time when chivalry and courtesy were highly valued among men, as seen in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Lord Bertilak is a man who wants to disprove the knightly virtues through tests and games. This alliterative poem points out the scandals in a knight’s reputation. As the poem begins with a green knight entering King Arthur’s feast with a challenge, he states “where’s the fortitude and fearlessness you’re so famous for? And the…

referenced some history of medieval times, armor, and heraldry; we can now look at some Arthurian stories of the Sir Gawain character and try to piece what his heraldry symbol or coat of arms might look like. I would like to start with the description of the Sir Gawain character in the Pearl Poet’s poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , as it is one of the easiest to interpret what Sir Gawain’s armor looks like and what his heraldic symbol is. This poem was written in the late 14th century,…