Violence In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

“So, the violence is not simply a matter of retaliating against those who perpetuate evil (though such revenge can be sweet), it is a matter of serving a greater divine purpose. Ultimately that divine purpose makes the use of violence a moral (because commanded-implicitly of explicitly-by God) action.” (Bain-Selbo pg. 74)

George Engelhardt’s article, “The Predicament of Gawain”, reflects on the predicaments that Sir Gawain was faced with and how Gawain handled these situations. The predicaments Gawain coped with were not made for knights of zero valor, temperance, and other codes of chivalry. Engelhardt proposes that the pentangle on Sir Gawain’s shield symbolizes Gawain’s reputation, which was without any mistake, and again the quandary he faced tested his reputation. The pentangle also represents the “complete man” which Gawain is thought to be by many people. Engelhart continues to talk about how the society, that Gawain was alive during, rooted from a race of men that loved conflict, “but it was Gawain who especially excelled in valor” (Engelhardt 219).

The poet of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, handles the theme of the story “courtesy”; in a very open manner. Courtesy is the showing of politeness in one’s attitude and behavior towards others. Throughout the story, courtesy is displayed many time, at different levels, and in different forms. The main character Sir Gawain, is the best representation of courtesy.

A desire for vengeance brings about many of the conflicts that drive the plot in Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. Sir Gawain in particular stirs up a lot of drama with his endless quarrel with Sir Launcelot. The knights of the round table are seemingly infatuated with the concept of seeking revenge on behalf of their brothers and comrades, but could this infatuation be more harmful than honorable? Perhaps the knights would have been better off without such vengeful inclinations behind their actions.

The selection of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight follows the basic format of the adventure. The author emphasizes communion to show the loyalty and community between King Arthur and his knights. The symbolism behind the relationship between Sir Gawain to humans and the Green Knight to the merciful God further shows the relations of this medieval romance to the Bible.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, whose author is unknown, is an Arthurian Romance/Epic that holds a degree of Christian symbolism. These Christian symbols are intermixed with Britannic Pagan traditions and themes in order to appeal more to the common British people at the time of the early Christianization of Britain. This can be supported by the stories of kings being created in the earlier centuries throughout history. In this particular story, this symbolism is important since all the knights of King Arthur’s Court were supposed to follow a certain chivalrous code of conduct, whether present in the courts or away on some other venture. The chivalric code being the embodiment of Christian virtue and valor, which was expected to be personified

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.

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.

Generosity, courtesy, chastity, chivalry and piety; the five virtues all the knights of king arthur's round table would plague to uphold. Yet, even Sir. Gawain, King Arthur's nephew, succumbed to temptations and broke his plague in Sir. Gawain and the Green Knight. After this transgression Gawain is heartbroken, but considering everything his has done in the course of the of the story, I believe that he is being too hard on himself.

During the Medieval times chivalry was one of the most important characteristics a knight could display. Chivalry was viewed as a moral obligation that involved bravery, honor, respect, and gallantry. Knights were expected to uphold this code or face social consequences for any infractions, with punishments ranging from humiliation to termination of their knighthood. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” presents the struggles knights faced with honoring the chivalrous code at all times. Sir Gawain, while imperfect, exhibits qualities expected of knights and embodies the internal struggle between honoring the chivalrous code and giving into selfish desires.

The green knights adheres to the code of chivalrous conduct.The Green Knight is a mysterious, supernatural creature. He rides into Arthur’s court on New Year’s Eve almost as if summoned by the king’s request to hear a marvelous story. His supernatural characteristics, such as his ability to survive decapitation and his green complexion, immediately mark him as a foreboding figure. The Green Knight contrasts with Arthur’s court in many ways. The knight symbolizes the wildness, fertility, and death that characterize a primeval world, whereas the court symbolizes an enclave of civilization within the wilderness. But, like the court, the Green Knight strongly advocates the values of the law and justice. And though his long hair suggests an untamed,

Essay: Consider how the Theme of courage is treated in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

“Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” have a plethora of connections and relations to Christianity all around its story. Some examples could be Arthurian chivalry with the pentangle of Sir Gawain's shield and Mary's face in the middle, the battle between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight which took place inside the chapel of a church, and The Green Knight's decision toward Gawain in showing him mercy. These examples show only few reasons why “Sir Gawain And The Green Knight” have connections and relations towards Christianity.

Throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain’s moral framework is tested thoroughly, he finds himself in positions where he has to break away from viewpoints that he previously had. Part three essentially works as a parallel for the whole poem, we see Sir Gawain consenting to a tit-for-tat arrangement where he is unaware of the capabilities of the huntsmen nor is he aware of what will occur during his time in the castle, it works as the trial within the trial. In this chapter we see a situation which is superficially a test of Sir Gawain’s chastity, challenging him to control himself from his animalistic impulses. However, what is more important is the host and guest relationship, and maintaining the usual moral standards that we would regard as important in that instance. This is then contrasted by the hunting scenes undertaken by Bertilak and his men, where we see three days of hunting of another kind, this is used to heighten the impact of the test and to symbolically describe the events that are taking place within the castle. The whole of part three foreshadows what is going to happen to at the climax whilst exemplifying the virtues that Gawain has whilst illuminating those which he lacks