Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Essay Example

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight The story of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight was written in the Middle Ages but looks back to an earlier period in British history. The period is in the lifetime of the part historical and part mythical King Arthur, and the setting is his famous court in which the knights of the round table gathered to feast together and show their devotion to the king. A key part of the action focuses on the jousting competitions that the chivalrous knights enjoyed on feast days.

In a way the competitions serve a function similar to baseball games today: an occasion where people come together for fun, and the different factions support their heroes and watch competitions which demonstrate the skill and courage of the participants. Military service was big part of life for men in the Middle Ages, and the knights in armour on their war horses were usually elite noblemen who could afford the training and equipment to make them proficient in all the skills of warfare. The oath of allegiance to a lord or kind is a relic of the heroic age, and the whole system of honor is built upon physical strength and courage.

This ancient code is alluded to in the opening lines of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight with the mention of the classical hero Aeneas, and a line of great heroes including Felix Brutus who is said to have established Britain ( p. 2). The key difference between the epic heroes of ancient times, and the Arthurian heroes of the high Middle Ages, lies in the way that relationships between people take on a “courteous” style. For the likes of Beowulf or the ancient Roman and Greek heroes, women were little more than chattels, who could be bought and sold, or won as valuable prizes in battle.

In the Arthurian court, however, Queen Guinevere is an important focus of admiration and attention from all the noble men. Thanks to the influence of Christianity, and especially to the fashion of praying to the Virgin Mary, noble women were idealized and made the subject of admiring songs and poems. The story reflects both the good side of female character, as in the case of the faithful and loyal Guinevere, and the bad side, as in the temptress who seduces Gawain in the distant castle. These values reflect Christian views of the source of sin, coming through Eve in the Old Testament, and salvation, coming through the son born to Mary, in the New Testament.

There is a strong element of guilt and shame in Gawain’s conduct. This is especially evident when he realizes that the fair lady he has exchanged kisses with, and whose gift he has taken, is the wife of the Green Knight. His fateful journey and the tales of his exploits are plot elements reminiscent of the epic genre, but his fine words, and his susceptibility to the woman’s charms, are evidence of a lyrical sensibility from a more modern age. Similarly, the lavish descriptions of the luxurious surroundings and expensive garments that people wear is evidence of a culture that is accustomed to a more sedentary and materialistic lifestyle.

Gawain is, like ancient heroes, singled out as a man with a special destiny since he shrugs off people’s concern about him having to face the mysterious Green Knight with the words “Why should I swerve from stern and strange destiny? What can a man do but try?” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, p. 13). Like Gilgamesh and other ancient heroes, he accepts that he must face up to his supernatural foe. There is Christian symbolism in his equipment, which has fivefold designs to represent the five wounds of Christ (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, p. 15). The use of force in this romantic tale is tempered with a gentler ethos, as Gawain explains to the lady he meets on his travels: “violence is considered discourteous among my people, as is any gift that is not given with a good will” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, p. 31). Alongside honour there is now a new ideal, and that is romantic love in the service of a beautiful woman.

A women’s gift of a ring or a piece of silk becomes a sacred token that is believed to protect a hero, and keep him safe from danger. This superstitious element shows a tension between ancient, pagan forms of belief, and later Christian faith. The courtly romance reflects therefore a transition phase between pagan and Christian ideologies being worked out in fiction. References Sir Gawain and The Green Knight (14th Century) Translated by W.A. Neilson. Web.