Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Chivalry Essay

Throughout the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the presence of chivalry in nearly every aspect of the knights’ lives, whether it is being tested or acted upon, is hard to miss. During medieval times, the ideal of chivalry was how a knight was supposed to act and live their life, and in this story, Sir Gawain is the embodiment of chivalry even through all of the tests he is put through by the Green Knight and Morgan le Fay. Now, in today’s society, chivalry is nowhere near as prominent as it was during medieval times. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, chivalry is a vital part of everyday life, whereas in modern times, chivalry can seem almost nonexistent. Sir Gawain is supposed to be chivalry personified, the ideal that every knight
One example from the story would be the instances where Sir Gawain politely turns down the advances of the lady of the castle while keeping the conversation’s tone as if she were granting him a favor, instead of taking advantage of the situation for his own pleasure. While there are many men today who still embrace this and will not hesitate to treat their female friends, wives, or girlfriends with the utmost respect and courtesy, today’s society as a whole tends to back away from this. There are some women who may view having a man open a car door for them as an insult to their worth, or that they might be perceived as helpless or weak because someone else opened the door for them, and this simple act of respect seems to have no value whatsoever, and it is not just acts like this one that garner such a reaction. There are some women who see any gesture of chivalry from a man, be it holding a door, pulling out a chair at a table, offering to pay for their meal, or offering any sort of favor, as degrading and refuse to take part in any of them, for fear that it may hurt their independence or that they may be perceived as a “damsel in distress” by the men around