Symbolization in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Symbolization in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Symbolism is a literary technique used in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to give a deeper significance to the plot. The poem is littered with symbolisms. The symbols juxtapose one another and provide structure and symmetry within the story. The symbolisms also have specific historical context that adds to the story line and influences how the reader interprets the poem. Sir Gawain’s pentangle on his shield and the acceptance of the girdle from Lord Bertilak’s lady are two of the most prominent symbols presented to us in this author 's tale.
The pentangle painted in pure gold on Sir Gawain’s shield and embroidered on his shawl can be seen as a symbol of Gawain’s perfection and power over evil. According to Garald Morgan, “Gawain’s courtesy is associated with his virtue in the symbolic device of the pentangle in his shield.” (Morgan 770) The poet uses 46 lines to describe the meaning of the pentangle. No other symbol in the poem is described in such detail. Such a long explanation seems out of place in a poem full of fast-paced action, beheadings and temptations. The narrator acknowledges this but proceeds to delve into his description after establishing a disclaimer: “And why the pentangle was appropriate to that prince I intend now to say, though it will stall our story.” (Armitage 623-4) This passage alerts the reader to pay attention; the symbolic meaning of the pentangle is important to a proper understanding of the narrator 's message.
The poet illustrates the pentangle as a symbol of faithfulness and an “endless knot” saying, “It suits this soldier in his spotless armor/fully faithful in five ways five times over.” (Armitage 631) The five points of the pentangle represent five virtues attributed to Gawain. Gawain 's life at this point is the perfect application of the virtues the pentangle signifies. The poet states, “the figure is a five-pointed star and each line overlaps and links with the
Symbolism is a literary technique used in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to give a deeper significance to the plot. The poem is littered with symbolisms. The symbols juxtapose one another and provide structure and symmetry within the story. The symbolisms also have specific historical context that adds to the story line and influences how the reader interprets the poem. Sir Gawain’s pentangle on his shield and the acceptance of the girdle from Lord Bertilak’s lady are two of the most prominent symbols presented to us in this author 's tale.
The pentangle painted in pure gold on Sir Gawain’s shield and embroidered on his shawl can be seen as a symbol of Gawain’s perfection and power over evil. According to Garald Morgan, “Gawain’s courtesy is associated with his virtue in the symbolic device of the pentangle in his shield.” (Morgan 770) The poet uses 46 lines to describe the meaning of the pentangle. No other symbol in the poem is described in such detail. Such a long explanation seems out of place in a poem full of fast-paced action, beheadings and temptations. The narrator acknowledges this but proceeds to delve into his description after establishing a disclaimer: “And why the pentangle was appropriate to that prince I intend now to say, though it will stall our story.” (Armitage 623-4) This passage alerts the reader to pay attention; the symbolic meaning of the pentangle is important to a proper understanding of the narrator 's message.
The poet illustrates the pentangle as a symbol of faithfulness and an “endless knot” saying, “It suits this soldier in his spotless armor/fully faithful in five ways five times over.” (Armitage 631) The five points of the pentangle represent five virtues attributed to Gawain. Gawain 's life at this point is the perfect application of the virtues the pentangle signifies. The poet states, “the figure is a five-pointed star and each line overlaps and links with the
Cited: Benson, Larry. Art and Tradition in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 1965. Kitely, John. “The Endless Knot: Magical Aspects of the Pentangle in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Studies in the Literary Imagination. 4.2 (1971): 41-50. Loomis, Roger. More Celtic Elements in Gawain and the Green Knight. Journal of English and Germanic Philology. 1943. McCarthy, Conor. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Sign of Trawþe.” Neophilologus. 85.2 (2001): 297-308. Morgan, Gerald. “The Significance of the Pentangle Symbolism in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” The Modern Language Review. 74.4 (1979): 769-790. Onians, R.B. The origin of European Thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1954 Ross, James Bruce, and Mary Martin McLaughlin Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Simon Armitage. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007. Solomon, Jan. “The lesson of Sir Gawain” In Critical Studies of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1968. Wundt, Wilhelm. Elements of Folk Psychology. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1916.