Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
In the epic poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the author uses the protagonist, Sir Gawain, to illustrate the heroic ideals of chivalry, loyalty and honesty in fourteenth century England. The poem depicts the fabled society of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It extols and idolizes the virtues of the fabled kingdom. In the poem, Gawain is the epitome of virtue and all that is good. Throughout the poem, however, his character is constantly tested and his integrity is compromised. In the end, Gawain proves that, although he is fallible, he is an honest and chivalrous man of heroic stature. The poem begins on New Year's Eve in Camelot during a huge dinner celebration. The author elaborately details the "feasting and fellowship and carefree mirth" and sets the scene with "fair folk" and "gentle knights". (p. 2) Amid the merriment and festivities of these noble persons, a huge man on horseback dressed entirely in green, gallops into the hall. Arrogantly he issues a challenge to everyone at the feast for someone to come forward and strike him with his axe. To this man, the green knight promises to award his adversary with his beautiful axe on the condition that in a year from then the challenger should al
The green knight returns the blow by merely cutting the skin and drawing a little blood. This astounds Sir Gawain and he jumps up and is ready to fight. The green knight laughs at Gawain and tells him to relax that he did not intend to cut off his head. The small cut represented Gawain's small sin of accepting the "magical" sash from the green knight's wife (who reveals that he had been his host at the castle after all). Besides that small shortcoming, the green knight proclaims that Gawain is truly a noble, honorable man henceforth absolved of all guilt. Gawain is deeply upset and disgraced by his behavior and decides to keep and wear the sash as a sign of his shame. After this, he returns to Camelot and is hailed by all the court as a hero and they lightly dismiss his recent disgrace. After almost a year has passed, Gawain has not forgotten the green knight or his promise. Therefore, he resigns himself to his duty and prepares to leave Camelot in search of the green knight. He arms himself with a five-pointed star on the outside and the image of the Virgin Mary on the inside to protect him, a symbol of his purity and goodness. Before he leaves, Arthur tells him "In destinies sad or merry,/ True men can but try." (p. 12) Such a statement aims to further highlight the nobility and integrity of Sir Gawain. Upon his departure, he travels for many arduous days until finally reaching a paradisiacal
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Approximate Word count = 958
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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