The Green Knight then arrives at Arthur's court to pose a challenge for someone to cut off his head and to have the favor returned a year later. He and his horse are both entirely green and are clad in rich attire. The horse's saddle is described as follows, in lines 164-167: " About himself and his saddle, set upon silk,/ That to tell of the trifles would tax my wits,/ The butterflies and birds embroidered thereon/ In green of gayest, with many gold thread." The Green Knight's appearance makes his supernatural qualities apparent from the start, even before he is able to survive decapitation. Though his ornate clothing establishes him as a respectable knight, the fact that he is entirely green is not normal. Green is often associated with creepy, monstrous things, so…
The green knight then proceeds to laugh at him so he bares his neck one final time and the green knight strikes. However the knight barely cuts his neck, simply saying a strike is a strike. Gawain however shows why he is a near perfect hero, during the game with the king, he was given a magic belt that would prevent death, failing to give the belt to the king as agreed by his wager. This is a great example of a near perfect hero because he does everything right expect for one thing.…
May it be mine” (339-342). Gawain is given a “head start” by getting the first opportunity to use the heavy axe and swing at the Green Knight exposed skin without any fight back. “The sharp blade sheared through, shattering the bones, /sank deep in the sleek flesh, split it in two, / And the scintillating steel struck the ground” (423-425). This resulted in the decapitation of the Green Knight; his head “fell from the neck, struck the floor,/ And the people spurned as it rolled around./ Blood spurted from the body…” (427-429). The Green Knight is now headless, but not dead. He held his own head, mounted his horse, and reminded Sir Gawain of his promise the following year. Similar to the parody with the Black Knight, both knights are fatally injured by the sword yet are alive and…
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is without doubt one of the best known works of medieval English literature. Medieval England poetry was best known for its medieval romance, religious views, alliterative form and its chivalry nature. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of the best works of medieval poetry because it criticizes the fact that chivalric courtesy often displaces true Christian ethics. Sir Gawain a character in the poem was known for his chivalry, honor, and Christian faith. Medieval romance tales deal with the quests and challenges of Arthur and his knights. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain as one of King Arthur’s knight’s gets sent on a quest to meet the Green Knight. Another characteristic…
In both the poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” by The Pearl Poet and the story “Le Morte d'Arthur” by Sir Thomas Malory, Sir Gawain must undergo trials in order for him to preserve his honor. In the poem he must journey to the green keep to stay true to his word, while in the story Gawain seeks a fight with his former ally with the goal of regaining honor for him and his king. In both examples, Gawain fights hard and stays true to what they claim, but the better, more courageous Gawain would be in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. The “Le morte d’Arthur” version of Sir Gawain is too proud, being the key factor in the war against King Arthur and Sir Launcelot.…
Sir Gawain shows his bravery the first moment he has the chance to, when the Green Knight enters King Arthur's Court. The Green Knight taunts with "Anyone with the nerve to try it, take this ax, here. Hurry, I'm waiting! Take it and keep it, my gift forever, And give me a well-aimed stroke, and agree to accept another in payment, when my turn arrives." (I, 292) Sir Gawain took this burden and took the ax from the king who was prepared to do this deed. Gawain knows full well that he would receive a blow in return and would have to find the Green Knight in order to receive his blow. He accepts these terms and gives the Green Knight his blow with no haste. Time passes and it eventually is time for Sir Gawain to start to look for his fate and find the Green Knight and his chapel. Starting his crusade, Gawain was given a feast and many thought he would never return again, as some of the knights would comment, "Better to have been more prudent, to have made him a duke before this could happen. He seemed a brilliant leader, and could have been." (II, 677) Gawain knows all of this that on his travel he would be put to death, he still went on this final crusade, to his death with utmost bravery.…
Gawain shows his loyalty towards King Arthur by taking the challenge made by the Green Knight. Gawain tells Author that he will take the battle because, “[he] [is] the weakest […] and the least loss, if [he] live[s] not” (Sir Gawain, lines 354-55). He is so loyal toward the king that he is willing to sacrifice his own life for his uncle, because his uncle would be a much bigger loss. Gawain honors his uncle by not giving up; this would have disappointed his uncle tremendously because as a part of the chivalric code, it is a…
When we hear the word knight, we imagine Arthurian-tales of glorious battles between men and dragons, fierce jousting competitions, rivalries between kingdoms, and knightly chivalry. Several of these tales center on the bravery of knights against mighty foes or on their ability to resist earthly temptations. Sir Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur and is a knight of the round table. He appears in more Arthurian-tales than any other knight and is known as the ideal that all knights should strive for. (Joe) In the Arthurian-Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain faces many challenges and his decisions based on those challenges shape him into the Knight that many know now.…
To begin, Gawain upholds the law to be a courageous man in all circumstances. Near the end of the poem Gawain reaches the Green Knight’s castle to uphold his promise that they made a year and a day before. When Gawain arrives, he and the knight begin conversation and form an agreement to follow through with the terms. As the Green Knight describes what he shall do, Gawain says, “Never fear… I’ll stand still and allow you to work as you like and not oppose/ you here” (91-95). At this point within the poem, Gawain has done everything to follow the code of chivalry. True bravery and courage is not found in many men, but Gawain is able to conquer this obstacle and prove that he is brave. In this instance, Gawain is allowing the knight to do as he pleases, which is to cut off his head. This demonstrates that he is a fearless man awaiting his death. Additionally, he does not choose to resist the punishment and…
In the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is on his way to meet the green knight to repay the debt that is owed. Previously at king Arthur's castle, Sir Gawain had cleaved off the green knights head and as per their agreement, Sir Gawain was to travel to the green chapel where the green knight is to sever Sir Gawain's head. So he is on his way to find the man who is supposedly going to kill him. Even though he knows this, he still goes because he is honor bound by the knights code to follow through with his agreement. His strong conviction to fulfill his duty even at great personal loss is what makes him heroic.…
Of course, the king was surprised at the rules demanded by a man who he was not aware of but the Green Knight took his silence as a joke. By mocking King Arthur, he steps forward to take the challenge but everything changes once Sir Gawain stops his King and ask to take on the challenge instead. In one deadly blow, the axe cut off the knight’s head which concludes the game officially started. As the headless Green Knight picked up his head he reminds the young brave Gawain to find him within a year and a day at the Green Chapel. Although, Sir Gawain proved his loyalty towards his king, he felt uneasy…
One of the biggest points that seemed to stick out was that Gawain was a noble knight to his uncle, King Arthur, while all the other knights were to scare to be a knight that actually protected the king. “ And tis that I have asked it, it ought to be mine…” (Pearl-Poet 170.360). One might say that Gawain was the best knight that was able to sit around King Arthur’s roundtable. Another major point that could be made by one reading the story of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is that the Knight who comes into King Arthur’s court is wearing nothing but green, and is green. “… a horseman and a horse should have such a hue, than green as the grass, and greener, it seemed, than green fused on gold more glorious by far” (Pearl-Poet 167.235) These two things are major key points that anyone who reads the story could see as they stick out to no end in through out the entire story. The final thing that is very clear to see is the change of locations as Gawain is traveling. “…the narrator builds readers' apprehension by presenting the journey to the green chapel…” (Wendy Clein 1). One could see that he really is a brave, strong, courageous knight because of how he travels, and that he is not afraid to travel alone. “He had no mate but his mount, over mountain and plain…” (Pearl-Poet…
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Canterbury Tales were both remarkable pieces of literature that are key to the development of society. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a tale that represents the chivalric code, order, Christian virtues and respect. The Canterbury Tales, however, somewhat poke fun at the church and mock its workers, and is filled with lust and cockiness. Both of the works were written in the same time period. While they were written in the same time period, the two stories are remarkably different from one another, for Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is much more respectful and chivalric, while The Canterbury Tales is dirty, humorous, and satirical.…
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the first literary work that was mentioned. This was written in the Middle Ages yet the stages that Erik Erikson came up with are very present through this writing. The main character identified in this poem is Sir Gawain. He is the nephew of King Arthur. He is also a knight. Sir Gawain identifies himself in a negative light at the beginning of the story when the Green Knight first makes his appearance. In his speech to King Arthur, Sir Gawain describes himself by saying, “..[….]…I am weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit; loss of my life would be least lamented. Were I not your nephew my life would mean nothing; to be born of your blood is my body’s only claim. Such a foolish affair is unfitting for a king, so; being…
By FIREW KIFLE GUDERO Bachelor of Arts in Business Management Jimma University Jimma, Ethiopia July 2001…