Christianity In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Writers of every era and every culture have always been influenced by their surroundings, whether that be the landscape itself or the deeply held beliefs of the people living there. These elements come across in their writings, one of the most commonly seen belief or value that can be found in Early British Literature is Christianity. While most of Britain was once occupied by pagans, after the conversion to Christianity these Christian themes can be found penetrating through every era of literature. The Old English epic poem, Beowulf, draws on Christianity to rationalize some of its supernatural elements, turning the pre-conversion myth into a lesson on faith. The Middle English romance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, uses mysticism and
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Sir Gawain and the Green depicts this importance of faith by testing Gawain’s moral and knightly code. Gawain is the epitome of what a knight ought to be, with a strong moral code and an unquestioning faith, which he proudly displays on his shield with the Virgin Mary painted on the inside and the Pentangle on the outside. This faith is soon meet with a test the castle of the lord and his once strong faith in God falters. While Gawain is able to remain innocent when it comes to the seductive ways of the lord’s wife, he is unable to stop himself from accepting her magical girdle that would protect him against any harm, even though it is in opposition to both his faith and his loyalties. Gawain comprises his morals due to fear about his impending encounter with the Green Knight and he give into his fear and takes the magical protection the girdle offers. His taking of the girdle represents his utter trust in God wavering and instead placing his trust and safety in the hands of the supernatural. Since religion at this point was such a vital aspect of everyday life, this wavering of belief was considered a great sin. However, when the Green Knight is given the opportunity to kill Gawain, he barely nicks his neck. It is then revealed that he is the lord and this was all a test.
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While Faustus' practice of black magic and his pact with Mephastophilis condemns him to damnation, until almost the last lines of the play Faustus is conscious of the possibility of salvation if he repents. He is reminded throughout the play that if he truly repents, God will forgive him. It is for this reason that every time Faustus called out to God Mephastophilis is alarmed, because he knows that Faustus could be saved if he only repents and asks for forgiveness. The true conflict of the play is a battle between good and evil, and the prize is Faustus' soul. Faustus himself is represented through the Good and Evil Angles, they represent the two sides of Faustus’s character that are constantly fighting over which way he will turn. The two angels are both his inner thoughts, the Evil Angel representing his pride and sin while the Good Angel represents his conscious telling him that he is going down a wrong path. The story is a cautionary tale that people should not give in to their pride and desire, but it’s also a story that reinstates time and again that Faustus may have been saved if he had only repented. The play cautions readers to not give into their temptation and it praises the forgiveness of