Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Middle English romance poem
written by an anonymous West Midlands poet also credited with a lot of
other poems written during that time. The protagonist, Sir Gawain, survives
two tests: a challenge, which he alone without the assistance of King
Arthur’s knights accepts, to behead the fearsome Green Knight and to let
him retaliate a year later at the distant Green Chapel; and the temptation
to commit adultery with the wife of Lord Bercilak–in reality the Green
Knight–in whose castle he stays in en route to the chapel. This story is
emblematic of life; how it issues tests and challenges and the consequences
rendered as a result of failing or succeeding these challenges.
Sir Gawain is a very symbolic character; symbolic in the sense that
he represents innocence in life. He was not afraid to accept a challenge
because it meant saving the kingdom from the affects of anarchy as a result
of not having a king. Sir Gawain accepting the challenge from the Green
Knight instantly represented one of the things that knighthood represented,
fearlessness. People accept those kind of challenges everyday. This could
possibly be where the term “sticking your neck out” could have come from.
When people accept challenges, most do not want to accept the consequences
as a result of being unsuccessful. Gawain was not like this. When the year
passed he gallantly mounted his horse and set off for the Green Chapel.
This showed that Gawain was brave. This was preceded by the warning “Beware,
Gawain, that you not end a betrayer of your bargain through fear.”
Along this journey Gawain faces peril and self-reluctance in the
form of the elements and the never-ending search for the chapel
respectively. These feeling can be characterized as the inner turmoil
suffered as a result of dealing with one’s conscience. The journey also
tested his faith in the sense that he was constantly in prayer during his
journey, and not once did he curse or renounce the name of God. It seems as
if the prayers were what kept Gawain sane and focused on the purpose of
his journey. Gawain’s prayers were answered when he rode along and finally
came upon a place that he could petition for possible rest.
French Influence of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight
French Influence of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight utilizes the convention of the
French-influenced romance. What sets this work apart from regular Arthurian
or chivalric romances is the poet’s departure from this convention. The
clearest departure takes place at the resolution of the piece as the hero,
Sir Gawain, is stricken with shame and remorse rather than modest knightly
pride, even after facing what appears to be certain death and returning to
his king alive and well. Although this manner of closure would leave much
to be desired for an audience who is interested in reading a ridigly
conventional romance, the coexistence of the romantic convention with the
departure from it inspires questions concerning why the author would choose
to work within such guidelines and what the significance is of breaching
those guidelines. By employing the chivalric convention in romantic
literature and then going beyond it to reveal other ways of thinking, the
writer challenges the very notion of chivalric conventions of the
surrounding social climate. He demonstrates throughout the work a need for
balance. As symbolied by the pentangle worn by Sir Gawain, representing
the balanced points of chivalric virture, each being codependent of the
other in order to remain a whole, the narrative could be considered as a
What accompanies an appreciation for the seemingly sudden shift
from the typical romance at the end of the piece is the raised awareness
that the change does only seem to be sudden. Careful exlporation of the
plot, setting, and character descriptions illuminates several deviations
from the established convention of the ideal society existing within the
text. The effect is then a type of balancing act– blah blah blah
The opening of the piece sets a fairly typical stage for an
Anthurian romance, giving relevant historical and geographical information.
King Arthur’s court is going on as it is expected to be within the social
constructs, merrily feasting and celebrating the Christmas holiday. The
entrance of the Green Knight into Arthur’s court marks a significant event.
He is a courtly figure from their recognizable world. He appears as a
knight ought to appear: tall, handsome, and fashionably dressed; however,
the Green Knight’s adherence to the conventions of the court is offset by