Mr. Morris, AP Literature
The Awakening
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem that enlightens readers by being well written, usage of language, and by giving glimpses of a more illumining reality. As the story unfolds I came to realize there is an ongoing symbolic death and re-birth of Sir Gawain. His symbolic death and re-birth is used to provide meaning to the writing beyond what is actually being described and to enhance the poem. Part One foreshadows Sir Gawain’s death when he volunteers as tribute to “axe” the Green Knight. When the “ body spurted blood, gleaming red on green skin” (430-431) death instantly pops into mind. However it’s as thought the Green Knight is resurrected when he picks up his own heard and walks out of King Arthur’s place triumphantly. This symbolizes Gawain’s rebirth that will happen in the end. Because just as he will be close to death, he will overcome the impossible and survive against all odds.
Part Two begins with the changing of the seasons. From Christmas -to the bright spring and summer days- then back to the harsh winter. At the end of the years the knights help in sending Gawain on his quest to seek the Green Chapel where the Green Knight will await. The seasonal imagery sets a tone of mutability and unstableness for the rest of the poem. This is essential because Gawain is quickly called upon thereafter to demonstrate steadfastness in a world that is designed to change and be changed by the cycles of life and death.
Sir Gawain “Wept for misdeeds, and shaped the sign of the cross and called Christ in his need” (760-762). He desperately prays in hope to survive the brutal conditions he is in. Just as he repents his sins he looks up to see a beautiful, white castle in sight. Gawain prayed hoping he would be able to live. This is seen as a “rebirth” in the poem, for he had been close to dying.
In the end the Green Knight chooses to spare Sir Gawain’s live. However when he chips Gawain with his axe he is symbolically “dead” because he betrayed the Green Knight by accepting the belt from his wife. He must live with that scar on his arm for the rest of his life and be reminded of the sins he committed. However this can also be seen as an awakening and rebirth, because now Gawain knows what he has done and he will not commit the same crimes again. The story ends with him being more noble than he is in the beginning of the poem.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an example of a work with a plethora of symbolism. This tale incorporates symbolism, imagery, and biblical references to show what each object embodies such as color and the Green Knight’s weapons to name a few.…
- 254 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In literature, insights into characters, places, and events are often communicated to the reader by symbolic references within the text. This is the case in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In this Medieval romance, the colors and textures of fabrics and jewelry are used heavily by the poet not only as a descriptive tool, but also to give the reader information about the characters' personalities and roles within the story.…
- 784 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
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.…
- 1163 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Gawain and the Green Knight The significance of Gawain and the Green Knight was that it was a story of the superior and powerful Round Table.…
- 345 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
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…
- 1115 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Christianity is a major theme of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. It is evident throughout heroic Sir Gawain is hugely reliant upon his Christian faith. Gawain’s shield, one of the most distinguishing symbols of the knight had a pentangle which represented his virtues, most of which can be ascribed to Christianity. Spurring him on through challenges was a picture of the Virgin Mary on the inner portion of his shield. The tale of Sir Gawain can even be seen as an allegory of the Biblical story of Adam and Eve and the subsequent fall of man. Manifestations in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight consisting of Adam, Eve, the forbidden fruit, Eden, and the loss of innocence all point to this epic poem being an allegory of the Biblical account of human creation…
- 979 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was an alliterative poem because of the tempo of the verses and how words in sentences stared with the same letter. Each section of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight had an uneven number of lines and no fixed tempo. The alliterative lines were always unrhymed. This somewhat simplified text of lines, for example; “ If any so hardy in this house holds himself, Be so bold in his blood, brain in his head, That dare stiffly strike a stroke for another, I shall give him of my gift this giserne rich” (285-289). Bob and Wheel was aslo a form of alliterative writing which was used in Medieval Literature. When writing these type of verse “bob” was normally the very short and sometimes only had two syllables which followed by “wheel” which was longer lines that had internal rhyme. In Sir Gawain and the green knight bob and wheel were used throughout the poem for example, “The fole that he ferkkes on fyn of that ilke, sertayn. A grene hors gret and thikke,A stede ful stif to strayne, in brawden brydel quik;To the gome he watz ful gayn.” (173-178).Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was a perfect example of alliterative form, which was part of Medieval England…
- 1012 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
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…
- 1133 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
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.…
- 554 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Pearsall compiled complications of Sir Gawain to highlight the ambiguity of a text “set up to engage our interest so as to provoke our frustration” (248). He said the poem is structured for a “naturalistic reading” in which a reader’s imagination tries to see the logical or realistic versions of events (250). For example, he believed when Arthur swung the axe around, he was not simply testing the weight, but actually attempting to behead the Green Knight (Pearsall 251). The situationwas slightly odd that polite Arthur would try to attack the intruder, and a reader looking for the logical events likely missed the fact. After Arthur’s attempt, Gawain spoke up, but why did he make a speech about the challenge when there would be no challenge…
- 633 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses the recurring image of Janie’s hair to symbolize the theme of feminine virtues and strengths, and capacity of being a bold, independent female character in a sexist and racist power-filled society.…
- 604 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
It all starts with the game presented by the Green Knight; "You will grant me gladly the little game that I ask as my right"(Poet 56). Being a king, Arthur cannot express fear because he is the protector of the society. Therefore, the King accepts the challenge but Gawain steps forward to take the king's place; "Let this game be mine"(24). As the game progresses, one can identify that the game was a test to see how true Gawain is to his code of chivalry. The game was not fair for Gawain because the Green Knight held superpowers(167). As it stated,"He held his head by the hair, high, in his hand; and the stranger sat there as steadily in his saddle"(167-168). The Green Knight had the ability to live without his head attached to his body. Even though he knows that he will die if he pursues the Green Knight, "Sir Gawain sets off on his quest to find the Green Knight and fulfill his part of the challenge"(183). Gawain went to face the Green Knight because of his Knight's code of chivalry. In addition, for a second time, Gawain holds his truth to the code in the game inside the castle. As Poet states, "determined not to deceive his host or violate the agreement, Gawain accepts only two kisses from the lady, which he (tells) to the lord at night"(p 183). Gawain could take advantage of the situation by committing adultery. Although tempted, he holds…
- 1169 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Gawain disregarding that the stranger is a random, mysterious, and mighty looking, accepts it to prove to others his courage. Gawain didn’t question the strange incident at all. His courageousness spurred him into accepting a challenge without caution, and be oblivious to why this stranger has a mysterious glow or why he comes demanding an acceptance to his challenge. “I am the weakest, I know, and of wit feeblest, And my life would be the least loss, to speak the sooth. For only because you are my uncle am I to be praised; No goodness but your blood I in my body know, And since this business is so foolish, it does not befit you, And I have begged it of you first, inflict it on me; And if I speak not courteously, let all this court rich Me blame" (The Pearl Poet 193). Gawain with the ax strikes The Green Knight’s neck, decapitating him, yet The Green Knight remains alive. If Gawain had known that The Green Knight would survive, then he wouldn’t have accepted the challenge, but since he felt confident about the outcome, he accepted the challenge which resulted in the unpredictable. The arrangement was if Gawain did not execute The Green Knight with a single strike, then Gawain would receive a strike in a year. Gawain's certainty drove him to accept a challenge resulting in having to receive a blow to the neck. Gawain was sure about the outcome, yet things…
- 584 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Individual= one person have different needs, every person is different. You have to look at the person not at the disease and one individual can’t hear well you have to talk more loud and other individual can hear well so you can talk normal, every person is different and you have to know what they like and what not to respect them. You need to review your communication skills to see if they are suitable to meet the needs and preference of individuals…
- 559 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In her collection of sources and analogues, Elisabeth Brewer states, “To read the sources and analogues of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is not only to be aware of the poet’s skill in handling traditional episodes, but also to realize how much he added,” she continues, “the bringing together of many different elements and blending them into a new story, above all, the fusing of the beheading-temptation-exchange-of-winnings themes, illustrate the Gawain poet’s astonishing capacity for structuring his material” (3). The Gawain poet intertwines common elements in an elaborate way to emphasize the importance of the values outlined by the chivalric code. Brewer states, “The Gawain poet makes the story hang together and intensifies the meaning of everything that he uses. He makes more sense of the incidents: they have an inevitability, a credibility, they create an illusion of reality” (Brewer 4). Sir Gawain beings the poem as a modest knight who strives to uphold the five points of chivalry. In his test of temptation, Gawain is able to exercise sexual restraint and uphold the laws of courtly love, but he fails to resist the instict to save his own life and jeopoardizes his integrity in lying about the green girdle. Without each other, neither the temptation episode nor the beheading game would have such a strong impact on the story’s outcome or it’s readers. The framework at the beginning and end of the of the story combined with the structure used throughout the poem deepen and emphasize what it is to be Gawain, and what it is to be human (Brewer 4). Any possible sources and analogues of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight pale in comparison to the brillance of the original. Although influenced by former medieval works, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight remains an outstanding and unique piece of…
- 2416 Words
- 10 Pages
Powerful Essays