Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Theme Essay

The main theme of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the journey to maturity of Gawain, the hero. During the passage, Gawain goes through three tests on his development. First, Gawain shows courage and resourcefulness when he volunteers to take the Green Knight’s challenge instead of Arthur doing so. Second, Gawain shows authority, self-restraint, and integrity when he denies the sexual endeavours of the lady of the house. Lastly, Gawain shows bravery when he faces death by keeping his meeting with the Green

In the poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, the themes of chivalry and courtesy show up time after time throughout the story. Along with those themes, the color green seems to be a very significant symbol. At the end of the poem, Gawain states that he will wear the green girdle that was given to him by Morgan le Fey so he can always remember his wrongdoing. Along with Gawain wearing it, all of Arthur’s men decide to wear it as a green sash, yet it holds a completely different meaning to them. It is interesting to note the different views the two have on wearing the green sash and understanding Gawain’s character.

In the book Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, Gawain must take on a journy to find the grren knight. His journy woulod have many challenges whihc came with obsticales he would have to face. Throughout the story the reader could come to a decison that Gawain is a likable character, even when and if he lies through omisson. Gawain can also teach the reader the importance of telling the truth although it may be difficult.

During the Medieval times of England, society was created as a pure patriarchy by the Christian church, and nearly everything was made male-dominated where the men held the power and their female counterparts held little to no power at all. Arthurian texts such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight showcase many of the characters mostly following these traditions with the men being portrayed as strong-hearted knights who follow a code of chivalry, and the women as passive and submissive beings to the men. However, Arthur’s half-sister Morgan Le Fay is featured in Sir Gawain, and she does not play any parts given to her as a woman, as she is portrayed as an enchantress and an evil, manipulative woman, which is an archetype that was given to women who did not follow their given gender roles. Morgan Le Fay subverts the traditional roles for women by having her own power in the play, and overall presents herself as the antithesis to the church and the patriarchy of the Medieval times.

A paradox is a statement or proposition that is contradictory and seems illogical, but when explained is true. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is filled with rich paradox’s which seem irrational to a first time reader, however when given a closer look into the meaning of text, they realize the symbolism in which this poem possesses. The whole poem is a contradiction within itself, but in order to see it in such a way the reader must first analyze the smaller pieces of contradictions throughout the text. Thus, the poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight teaches a life lesson through paradoxical rhetoric.

The form of government that takes place during Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is feudalism it’s a cast system that was made up of kings, nobles, knights and peasants. The way feudalism worked was by exchanging land for military service which was then passed down to the peasants who would cultivate the land in return for living on it. In medieval times the knights were expected to be honorable, brave and fight for justice. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is considered a masterpiece that was written back in the fourteenth century. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated by John Gardner talks about the lesson learned by Sir Gawain such as honor, keeping ones word and learning form ones past mistakes.

In the final section of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the audience is privileged to detailed descriptions of nature as Sir Gawain travels to his meeting with the Green Knight. Why does the poet include such descriptions? Through careful study of the text, it is apparent that these details about Gawain’s surroundings contribute to the suspense of this final section. All in all, the ominous tone of such descriptions followed by foreshadowing and affirmations of surrounding evil by various characters contributes to the suspense which is essential to the significance of the poem’s conclusion. Without question, the suspense first arises due to the foreboding tone prevalent in the descriptions of nature.

1. The dichotomous Nature of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The topic of spirituality, divinity and otherworldly phenomena is quite common in medieval literature and there is a multitude of contexts, in which these topics are addressed. The protagonists of those texts find themselves in a balancing act between the secular world and a supernatural world, where they need to overcome struggles to master the difficulties of their worlds’ dualisms. Be it an otherworld of fairies or the christian hereafter, those worlds and the mundane conduct often influence each other reciprocally in the stories of medieval literature.

One of the key components of any literary work is the depiction of central characters and their various traits. The personality of the key characters can be revealed to readers through various ways including the characters’ own thoughts and opinions, their actions which help in shaping their personalities, and also the attitudes other characters have towards them. All of these attributes help in shaping up the believability and appeal of these central characters towards the readers. However, writers sometimes tend to overestimate the perfection of their central characters and in the process distort the illusion and allure of reality for readers regarding these characters. Sir Gawain and the Green knight is a famous medieval England poem written during the late 14th century.

Throughout an individual’s entire lifetime, they will frequently receive guidance from mentors that assist them through uncertainties and difficulties they encounter along their path. This act of mentoring is enhanced by passing on traditional customs and “storytelling” the individual of past teachings that enrich their understanding of their own identity. The initial feelings of ignorance and unfamiliarity of an individual’s own identity are later transitioned into feelings of humbleness and respect once the individual thoroughly embraces their identity. It is through an individual’s own revelation and acceptance of their past that will allow them to continue travelling in the proper direction while reflecting on their honorable journey that