Winston Churchill once said, “Books, in all their variety, offer the human intellect the means whereby civilization may be carried triumphantly forward”. Literature often reflects on specific moral values that would allow civilization to be “carried triumphantly forward”, as Churchill said. Values such as compassion. The world is in a great divide and a big reason is a lack of concern for others and the unwillingness to help. Compassion is simply to see someone’s misfortunes and be compelled to do something about it. With compassion, perhaps we could make humanity a little bit less separated. In Beowulf, translated by Charles Kennedy, a terrible monster named Grendel terrorizes a kingdom. The old king, Hrothgar, and his people are terrified and feel helpless until a mighty hero named Beowulf comes from another land to defeat the monster and save the kingdom. Beowulf hears about the kingdom’s plight and shows compassion for the king and his people. When Beowulf and his men arrive to speak to the king, Beowulf explains that word of Grendel’s reign of terror had reached his homeland and goes on to say that “the seafarers say this best of buildings, this boasted …show more content…
As Sir Gawain sits at the table with his fellow knights, a knight who is completely green rides in on his green horse. The Green Knight immediately begins insulting the knights and King Arthur at the table. After the Green Knight’s tirade is over, Sir Gawain stands up and asks for Arthur’s permission to defend their honor. He takes an axe and “...with the weapon, walked towards the warrior, and they stood face-to-face, not one man afraid,”. Sir Gawain knows how important a knight’s honor is, so when he sees the knights being insulted, he feels insulted as well and volunteers himself as their representative and defends them. This sort of empathy and solicitude is how civilization is able to
Many other knights would run but Gawain understands that he has to have courage and must be honest about going to meet the green knight and fulfill his deal. One other virtue of chivalry that Gawain presents is courtesy. Gawain shows courtesy to the ladies of the castle. The pearl poet creates this scene: “His acquaintance they requested, and
Generally speaking, the Green Knight told Sir Gawain that "I'm bound to be called a better man than you" simply when the Green Knight was coming down on the first strike, Gawain flinched in fear before the ax even connected to his neck. Consequently, the Green Knight mocked Gawain specifically saying, "For look how you flinch for fear before anything's felt, I never heard tell that Sir Gawain was ever a coward!" (264-265) Gawain made a pact with the Green Knight that he would requite the same swing that he made at the Green Knight. Ordinarily, when a knight makes a consensus with another person, they are supposed to show their chivalric code of honor.
He challenged King Arthur and his men because he heard of their high reputation. When no one was willing to take the Green Knights challenge he began to criticize them. Sir Gawain finally stood, in the place of King Arthur, to take the Green Knights challenge; he felt that it should be him because he thought he wasn't as worthy or useful as the other knights. After taking the challenge, he was instructed to strike the Green Knight with his own ax; however, if he does so the Green Knight will do the same in return. Once the agreement was made, the Green Knight dismounted his horse and kneels before Sir Gawain exposing his neck.
Gawain knew he was a part of the king’s court because of his relation to King Arthur, and not because he deserved it. Therefore, when The Green Knight asks for volunteers and no one stood, he decided to sacrifice himself instead of allowing his king to fight the battle that might cost him is life. This is a prime example of honor; he sacrificed himself for the greater good of the
Sir Gawain was respected for his honorable actions, and how he followed the a strict code. The author, Pearl Poet, had set out to explain the Sir Gawain as honest “Look that you go, Sir Gawain, as good as your word” (line 179). Sir Gawain brought up with respect to those in a higher power than him, he proclaims “I might without bad manners move down from my place” (Poet line 127). A journey of Sir Gawain, starts with the acceptance letter from the King allowing Gawain to take the Green Knights challenge “Let the King step down And gave Sir Gawain the game!” (line146).
In the story, it is evident that Gawain thinks he is the least of King Arthur’s knights although he his is nephew along with one of Camelot’s most noble knights. This character trait of Gawain being modest is most revealed when the Green Knight shows up for the first time wanting King Arthur to behead him, and Gawain states, “I am the weakest of your warriors and the feeblest of wit; loss of my life would be at least lamented” (354-355). When Gawain finishes this speech in these lines, all of the rest of the knights agree that Gawain should do it incase something goes awry.
Which led to the Green Knight explaining to Gawain that he is actually the same lord of the castle where Gawain spent his holidays. The first two blows, he claims, were in return for the way Gawain returned the kisses of his wife, following the rules of their game as an honest man should. The third blow, he says, was for Gawain’s failure to return the green girdle to him on the last day. But because Gawain’s failing was only because he wanted to save his life, and not because he's just dishonorable, the Green Knight forgives him. He leaves Gawain with only a scar and a girdle as a reminder of his very human sin.
In this time period a knight’s honor was everything, without it the noblemen would become a huge disgrace. Sir Gawain’s honor is immediately tested at the beginning of the poem. He gives his word in the beheading game and intends to keep it even though it’s obvious that the Green Knight had tricked him. “Blood gutters brightly against his green gown, yet the man doesn’t shudder or stagger or sink, but trudges towards them […] gripping his head by a handful of hair. Then he settles himself in his seat with the ease of a man unmarked” (429-439).
Sir Gawain shows loyalty and humility when he makes the decision of honoring the promise he made with the Green Knight. This humility drives him to set off to pursue the Green Knight to honor the pact they agreed on. On his arrival at the Green chapel, he calls the Green Knight who emerges to greet him and to fulfill the terms of the contract (Cathell). Sir Gawain presents his neck voluntarily to the Green Knight who feigns two blows (Cooke 4). This is a commitment and a sign of piety that Gawain manifests.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a story about a knight’s honesty getting put to the test due to him cutting off the head of a green knight that appears in Arthur’s castle one night. This green knight tells Gawain that a year from that day he must go to a green chapel so that he can return this action. Sir Gawain is best described as an honest, brave, and chivalrous knight that accepts a game that is assumed to lead him to his death. Accepting this game made him realize his weaknesses for example, he lied to the host by now telling him about the kirtle. The reader also assumes that he and the host wife had more than just a kiss.
In the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, we begin in King Arthur’s court at a Christmas feast. A stranger, who calls himself the Green Knight, interrupts the festivities proposing a game. Anyone from King Arthur’s court has the chance to have one swing to chop of the Green Knights head, but in return the brave man who does must find the Green Knight at the Green Chapel in a year’s time, and allow the Green Knight to return the favor. When no knight rushes to take on his challenge, the Green Knight insults the court by calling them cowards. "What, is this Arthur's house...
After Gawain comes clean and acknowledges his sin, the Green Knight praises him for being an honorable and chivalrous knight. He then invites Gawain to a great feast, but Gawain humbly states that he must return to his duties and continue to defend and protect King Arthur and his subjects. Sir Gawain even thanks the Green Knight and wishes him well after this frightening test of honor. He says, "I've reveled too well already; but fortune be with you; May He who gives all honors honor you well," (401-402).
Not all humans have a strong conscious, so they do whatever is best for themselves. Steven Pinker once said, “ Human nature is complex. Even if we do have inclinations toward violence, we also have inclination to empathy, to cooperation, to self-control.” In other words, this quote means human nature is more towards the empathetic side rather than the apathetic side. One could disagree with this quote because the works of literature have demonstrated that people do things out of selfishness.
Gawain is courteous to no end, even asking for permission to “abandon [his] bench and stand by [Arthur]” (Pearl Poet l. 344) so he may risk his own life instead of his kings to abide by the Green Knights game. He even humbly states that he “[is] the weakest” (l. 354) and that it would be the least lost of he was to parish which is untrue. Gawain is also extremely courteous when he is denying the wife’s attempts to seduce him saying he is “a knight unworthy” (l.1245). He plays a game of wits as he must not offend her advances but at the same time must not let the wife win the “game” because then he would have to lay with her and that would be uncourteous to his host, Lord Bertilak. The only time Gawain faults in his courteousness is when he refuses to acknowledge the agreement he made with Lord Bertilak which was “whatever [Lord Bertilak] win[s] in the wood shall at once be [Gawain’s] and whatever gain [Gawain] may get [he] shall give in exchange” (ll. 1107-08).
The Green Knight believes no one will ever be able to be better than him. He appears in Arthur's court at Christmas and issues a challenge: anyone can try to cut off his head. Gawain tries to do so; in failing, he is called to face the green creature in one year to give the Green Knight his opportunity to take Gawain's head, as a part of their agreement. He is impatient and rude in his challenge to the court, calling them mere children and telling them that if he had come to fight, no one could stand against him. Just alone his appearance made him a villain.