Comparing The Chivalric Code In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Medieval Chivalry is a term for the knightly system of the middle ages and for virtues and qualities it inspires in its followers. Originally understood as a warrior code, the term comes from the French word for horseman, involving honor gallantry and individual training and service to others. The chivalric code dictates a knight’s lifestyles and actions throughout his lifetime. Strictly achieving the chivalric code proved to be a difficult task for a knight because of the knight’s emotional and physical wants and needs. Although flawed, Sir Gawain possesses all of the attributes necessary for a knight to uphold his moral, social, and religious duties.
Morality is a standard quality a knight has to sustain to be successful. A knight’s morality is his principle idea of right and wrong behavior. Knight’s are known to have good manners and judgment as children, that is the way they are raised. The chivalric code holds knights to a high standard and therefore makes them nobler than a regular person, in appearance at least. Knights are equipped with Armor – Mail, plate armor, helmet, a sword, and a shield.(life of a medieval knight) which all played a part in the morality of that knight. In “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”,
All of the killing and other acts of violence seemed very sinful, to an outsider. But how comforting would it be to believe that the chivalrous were all truly motivated by religious ideas and that they felt in a way akin to modern conscience, deeply spiritual impulses. (Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe p 43) Religion actually has a part of life for the knights and also is one fifth of Sir Gawain’s pentangle. One mandatory step to becoming a knight was a bath, in which a man symbolically washed away their sins. For the remainder of that day the men would rest in their beds as a reminder that they would rest in heaven if they lived up to the chivalrous ways.(Life