Chivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Night is filled in chivalry and the code of chivalry, which was so important in being a knight during the Middle Ages. The poem states that a chivalrous man is free of sin, and Gawain acknowledges this late in the poem, when he says, "This sign of bad faith is the mark of my sin: / I'll wear it on my waist as long as I live, / For a man may hide an injury to his soul, / But he'll never be rid of it, it's fastened forever" (Anonymous 124). Thus, Gawain will pay for his sins but he recognizes them and works to make them better, and so, he is chivalrous and virtuous, and chivalry and virtue go hand in hand. Gawain punishes himself for his sin by returning to Arthur's court not as a hero but as a sinner, and all the knights end up wearing green belts to remind themselves that sin is always nearby. "That lords and ladies of Arthur's table / Would each of them wear a slanted belt / Around their waists, woven of green, / To keep company with their well-loved Gawain" (Anonymous 124). This shows that sin was the worst temptation a knight could give into, and it could make him a coward and remove the chivalrous virtue that guided all the knights. To constantly remind the others of his sin would he
lp keep them all more honorable and more chivalrous. Ultimately, Sir Gawain's failure could represent the idea that even the most chivalrous knight can fail. Failure is not sin, but sin can mean failure. Thus, Gawain's story is a lesson in leadership, a lesson in failure, and a lesson in the royal courts of the Middle Ages. They were demanding, and wanted the best out of their knights. Chivalry was all important, because the lives of the people in court depended on the bravery of the knights that protected them, and the best knights were the best men - good, religious, brave, and outstanding in every way. The Green Knight obviously felt King Arthur's court needed improvement, and so he set out to teach them a lesson. He said to the knights, "'Hah! Is this Arthur's house, hailed / Across the world, the fabled court? / Where have your conquests gone to, and your pride, / Where is your anger, and those awesome boasts? / And now the round table's fame and its feasting / Are done, thrown down at the sound of one man's / Words - and you sit there shaking - at words!'" (Anonymous 57). Even the most chivalrous man can fall, and so, the knights had to continually work on their chivalrous behavior, rathe
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 815
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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