Personal Narrative: Who I Am Sir Gawain

Not all heroes are perfect, but some are nobler than others. In the story of Sir Gawain, we find out that even legends, such as Sir Gawain made mistakes. In today’s time, most heroes are thought of as militaristic accomplishments, such as badges, wars won, and saving lives. Sir Gawain was a hero, not because of great accomplishments but because he was driven by his bravery, nobility, and virtue.

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is the most known 14th century poem that depicts the Arthurian legend. It has been translated from a Middle English dialect by Simon Armitage; unfortunately, very little is known about the original author. Sir Gawain is the protagonist as he is the major source of conflict when he struggles to decide whether his “knightly virtues” are more important than his own life. The ideals of Christian morality and knightly qualities are represented by Gawain’s gold, star-shaped pentangle. The five knightly virtues that Sir Gawain expresses are: generosity, chastity, friendship, piety, and courtesy.

In the Pearl Poet’s Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, an epic story emerges to reveal a man’s journey of honor, honesty, valor, and loyalty. Throughout Gawain’s adventures in the poem, he discovers and demonstrates his own chivalric qualities. Although he makes a few mistakes along the way he strives to be an honorable man.

The lines 1550-1553 from the Pearl poets epic Sir Gawain and the Green Knight epitomizes two of the most important virtues of a noble knight, and Sir Gawain, the man the story follows, defines what is a true knight. He holds a place next to King Arthur and the queen as well as exemplifying two of a knights most important virtues. The first being chastity and the second being courteousness, both however, are very much entwined in this tale. Throughout this epic and many other Arthurian legends praised these traits in the knight and as we shall see, Sir Gawain although still very much human, is a master of both.

Often in stories, a character's integrity is tested by trials or temptations. In “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” we see Gawain’s integrity tested from the beginning of the story to the end. Nevertheless, he always remained faithful and loyal to the challenge that is given to him. We also see how Splendid the Green Knight views Gawain on the initial challenge and in the final challenge.

What makes a hero? A cape? A villain? A sidekick? How about a journey with a call to adventure, assistance, trials, a crisis, treasure, and a new life. Most hero’s follow a cycle called the hero’s journey. Take for instance Sir Gawain of Camelot. Gawain gets a call to adventure and assistance. Then trials and a crisis. Finally Gawain finds treasure and begins his new life. In the tails of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, Sir Gawain’s journey follows that of a hero.

Would you be able to hold steadfast to your core values and knighthood when faced against a sorcerous Green Knight with an itching to kill? Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by the Pearl Poet, is a Medieval Romance tale about a noble knight who puts his life on the line in order to defend his king. Sir Gawain is a prestigious knight who demonstrates passionate integrity and honor as he remains faithful to King Arthur and holds true to the knight's code of chivalry.

Question: Was Gawain deserving of being called a knight? If so, how did he demonstrate this?

Consider how the theme of courage is treated in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a late 14th-century middle english romance. With a hero, of the name Sir Gawain that acquires the archetypal study. The archetypal study starts with the departure, in which Sir Gawain acquires. The call to the adventure is a characteristic of the departure in which occurs in the romance. The Green Knight, is a person who disrupts the calm environment one afternoon and challenge Sir Gawain in a duel one year and a day in the future from that point in time. “The knight answered, "Nay, I ask no fight...Therefore I ask in this court but a Christmas jest, for that it is Yuletide, and New Year… (Weston)” told by the Green Knight, Sir Gawain knows the task he has to endure. Along with the call there is also the refusal of the call in which it was that at first Sir gawain did not want to endure the task that was bestowed upon him. Therefore, King Arthur accepted the task, but when done so Sir Gawain possessed the courage to accept the challenge in position of his

In the poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Morgan le Fay only appears in the last two FITTs and there is only a little description about her. However, she is actually the initiator of the whole story: it was Morgan who sent Green Knight to Arthur’s hall “to put pride on trial” and “to test what distinction and trust the Round Table deserves” (2455-2458), and then Sir Gawain’s adventure began. As we know, Morgan was always described as an antagonist of Arthur in the legends. However, when Morgan tried to combat against Arthur, why did she choose to “test” him? What was Morgan’s purpose to test the knighthood spirit of the Round Table?

Beginning and ending with references to Troy, the poet of Gawain and the Green Knight, foreshadows the narrative with the paradox of failure being framed as greatness. Starting the poem with a discussion of the fall of Troy, speaks to the destined failure of Gawain and his quest, both literally and figuratively. Ending the poem with a reference to Troy’s greatness, presents the paradox of a fallen city, and with an army that lost the war, but, is still hailed as great.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, composed by an unknown artist, is a medieval story that follows the tale of a knight who embarks on a journey after being issued a challenge from a mysterious green stranger. During his quest, Sir Gawain, the knight, stays at a castle in the wilderness and is housed by Lord and Lady Bertilak, both of whom test his chivalric code and his Christian ideals. Lady Bertilak is a seductress and tempts Sir Gawain, though he refuses all her advances, with the exception of her kisses. Lord Bertilak is the mysterious green stranger, known as the Green Knight. Once Sir Gawain completed his task, he discovers that Morgan le Faye, a witch scorned by King Arthur, orchestrated the entire challenge in the hopes of causing King

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval romance written in the late fourteenth century by an unknown author. It is part of the Arthurian legend and takes place in England during the winter. The knights of the Round Table have virtues tested when a mysterious Green Knight appears with a suspicious challenge, that leads Sir Gawain on an epic journey of self-discovery. Even though Sir Gawain is considered to be the perfect knight, his character is put to the test through a series of unbeknownst challenges that ultimately prove his true colors.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an amazing poem that combined a lot of medieval history along with a deep storyline in order to convey an enjoyable piece of literature. Right from the start, the readers will learn about a beheading game that will instantly draw their attention to the poem. Even though it may seem like a fun game at first, the readers are introduced to Sir Gawain and learned how the game affected him after it was completed. Throughout the poem, Gawain faced a lot of adversities, but those adversities helped Gawain changed for the better. Sir Gawain was being tested many ways, and the true objective of those tests was to observe if he is going to abide by the code of chivalry. The code of chivalry is used to teach young knight how to live as proper knight. Either way, throughout the tests Gawain realized that he is human can make mistakes like everyone else.