Christmastime in Camelot, around King Arthur’s table –this is where the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins. The Green Knight enters the court to challenge one of the men from King Arthur’s table because they are said to be the bravest of all the knights in the kingdom. The challenge that the Green Knight poses is to strike him with his own axe, and in return receive the same blow exactly one year and one day later. When not one person of the group volunteers to accept the challenge, he proceeds to call them cowards. Insulted, King Arthur volunteers. His nephew, Sir Gawain, realizes that he is of less importance than the king and volunteers to take Arthur’s place. He swings the axe and severs the head of the Green Knight. But to the surprise of everyone in the court, the Green Knight nonchalantly picks up his head. After reminding Sir Gawain of their agreement, he leaves and the court and the knights continue their festivities.…
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a story about King Arthur’s nephew, Gawain. The story is about a mighty green knight who comes to the round table wanting to play a game. A brave knight will strike the green knight with an axe once after a year the green knight gets to return the strike to whomever strike him. However the Knight must find him and as we learn in the story his boast about how easy it will be to find him is a lie. After searching and combating deadly foes,…
Camelot is the Castle in which the book begins. It is Christmas time and everyone in the castle is feasting when the Green Knight is ushered in. He introduces a game in which none of the other knights accept. Finally, Arthur, the owner of the castle, accepts the challenge. Just as Arthur is about to follow through with the test, Sir Gawain interrupts politely and explains to Arthur that he cannot accept the challenge because it is his home and that the kings death will be unacceptable and Arthur should consider him as an alternative. Gawain respectfully convinces Arthur to back away and let him try his skill. The Green Knight makes Gawain promise to the terms that he offers which are: Gawain is allowed one swing of the axe at the Green Knights neck. The Green Knight is allowed to take his swing at Gawain’s neck in 1 year and 1 day. Gawain must present himself at the Green Knights castle at that date otherwise he will be called a coward forever. Gawain accepts the terms and swings the axe at the Green Knights neck severing the head from the body. The headless competitor reiterates the rules one more time and then rides off prompting the continuation of the feast. Gawain’s actions as well as the rules of the games illustrate some of life’s fundamental ethics. Bravery is explained through Gawain’s actions when he steps up and volunteers for the dangerous contest. Sir…
In the forest, Gawain must abandon the codes of chivalry and admit that his animal nature requires him to seek physical comfort in order to survive. Once he prays for help, he is rewarded by the appearance of a castle. The inhabitants of Bertilak’s castle teach Gawain about a kind of chivalry that is more firmly based in truth and reality than that of Arthur’s court. These people are connected to nature, as their hunting and even the way the servants greet Gawain by kneeling on the “naked earth” symbolize (818). As opposed to the courtiers at Camelot, who celebrate in Part 1 with no understanding of how removed they are from the natural world, Bertilak’s courtiers joke self-consciously about how excessively lavish their feast is (889–890). The poem does not by any means suggest that the codes of chivalry be abandoned. Gawain’s adherence to them is what keeps him from sleeping with his host’s wife. The lesson Gawain learns as a result of the Green Knight’s challenge is that, at a basic level, he is just a physical being who is concerned above all else with his own life. Chivalry provides a valuable set of ideals toward which to strive, but a person must above all remain conscious of his or her own mortality and weakness. Gawain’s time in the wilderness, his flinching at the Green Knight’s axe, and his acceptance of the lady’s offering of the green girdle teach him that though he may be the…
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…
After reading W.A. Neilson’s translation of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, one could find allegorical connections with the characters. Each of the main characters represents represents three main concepts that one could compare to the life in the twenty-first century. Sir Gawain, a honored knight, can be compared to everyday day people. The Green Knight can be seen as a Godly figure. Lastly the fair lady seen as a sin. When comparing the main characters of the poem, one could find allergy connects with them to everyday perceptions.…
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.…
He is described as a man, “None had seen...with sight in that hall so grand” (197). Immediately he asks for the leader of the house to which he extends his request for a contest to King Arthur. Shortly after, the unnamed knight reveals the rules of the game. Carl Martin, in his essay, “The Cipher of Violence,” elaborates, “ The Green Knight reveals here that while the typical warrior-noble engineers his aggrandizement through public displays of prowess… he is also bound by a strict code of behavior meant to restrain and refine his aggression” (312). So too, the knights of the round table and the entire court of Camelot are bound to the same laws of courtesy. They cannot demand bloodshed, however, in the guise of a game, it can be desired, even more so, required, for the sake of entertainment. In time, Gawain accepts the challenge in the King’s stead, takes the ax and, “Brought it down deftly upon the bare neck” (420). This is the moment the court has fantasized about, the instant when courtesy is exchanged for violence. Given that the court has treated the unnamed knight with all the courtesy they possess, they are now allowed to ensure he dies nobly at the hands of one of their own, in the sight of all who dare to watch. “The blood gushed from the body, bright on the green/ Yet fell not the fellow, nor faltered a whit (429 - 430). Instead of completing their fantasies of violence however, the Green Knight survives…
Cited: Baswell, Christopher and Schotter, Anne. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. Master of British Literature. Vol. A. Eds. David Damrosch and Kevin J.H. Dettmar. New York: Longman- Pearson, 2008. 144-202. Print.…
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.…
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 is faced by the challenge of the Green Knight. The Green Knight appears in King Arthur's court and gives an open invitation to anyone there "to strike one stroke for another" (Weston, 4) with his well made axe, a challenge Gawain takes to save Arthur, but the Green Knight is not the biggest enemy that the "hero" must overcome. The hero is generally portrayed as a noble, gallant, and nearly undefeatable man in most stories, and is placed on a pedestal. Throughout many cultures, a hero is often seen as being generally respected and admired for his heroism. Throughout the course of his quest, Gawain must face temptation and his less desirable qualities, not all of which he can overcome.…
The predominant colour in nature is green, we are taught when we are young that green is associated with trees, grass and the natural world. And what do we call our fellow environmentalists? That’s right, the Greens. Green connotes the idea of nature and Earth, hence yet again the Gawain poet has placed an emphasis on our association with nature as a result of mentioning this colour. The word itself is in the title of the poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and thus the audience is alerted to the colour and its symbolism as soon as they pick up the poem. As we begin to read this text it is no different, the colour is continuously used in the description of the Green Knight. The knight is described at the end of the bob and wheel as “entirely emerald green” this description is the last thing mentioned about the Green Knight and its position allows the phrase to resonate in the readers mind and again reminding them of nature. The description is furthered with the horse of which “every hair was green”, and stirrups with “green beads” and the “greenest jewels” making the symbolism even more apparent. However it is not just the Green Knight who is compared to this colour, Gawain takes a green girdle from Lady Bertilac and carries it to the green chapel. Not only does this again highlight the connotations of the colour green but the green…
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…
In the book, it states, medieval romance is a dramatic verse or prose narrative that usually involves adventurous heroes, idealized love, exotic places, and supernatural events. This genre first appeared in France during the 12th century and soon spread to England. Sir Gawain and Morte d’Arthur is an example of medieval romance. They each have characteristics of romance using that they both have supernatural abilities. First of all, “In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” The Green Knight is the ideal character.…