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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Introduction
Literature’s history is muddled with changes that depict the evolution that the universe has gone through. Every generation has been gifted with individuals with the in-depth knowledge and understanding of literary concepts. The nature of delivery has been different, as in the olden days most literary scholars were narrators. The progression has been significant as it moved through to writing, and eventually to conception of modern technology like the television (Sadowski, 25). Sir Gawain and the Green night is a novelty of literary productions that depicts the life of one of King Author’s greatest knights, Gawain in a poem. The production sounds with great magnificence that makes it hard to believe that is was written in the 14th century. The story twists around the troubles that bedevil Gawain as he struggles to cope with his chivalry after consenting to a fighting challenge by the green night. In the challenge, the green knight promises to come back after one year and a day to take his blow (Brewer, Derek, and Jonathan Gibson, 68). The poem explicitly covers medieval romance with a precision that creates a conception of the loving nature of the 14th century.
Courtly Love in the Poem
Normalcy had it that the erotic interaction between man and woman is referred to as love. It is, however, interesting to note the delicacy with which the medieval people had different references for love depending on the parties involved. An affair between a knightly figure and a revered lady was given the reference of courtly love. Such affairs were also muddled with chivalry and nobility as the knights involved always set out to achieve great fetes to impress their ladies (Wollock, 57). This feature often defined the production of literary pieces during the medieval times and as such did not escape to feature in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. However, the projection of courtly love in this poem is unique and beats all the odes that had been set. Instead of drawing up a the common figure of man and woman falling in love, it mires up the love concept with loyalty that Sir Gawain has to maintain to King Arthur.
Usual circumstances in which love birds exchange pleasantries are escaped in the poem as the King’s wife presents Gawain with a rather unique ‘gift’ (Wollock, 56). The temptation that is projected by the lady to Gawain throws him into a dilemma as his pick on whom to honor with his loyalty between and Arthur, and the lady becomes a challenge. Out of respect and the principles of courtly love, Gawain knows he should give in to the lady’s pressure to love and commit to lustful desires. He, however, is fully aware of his status as a knight and is as such expected to honor the king with loyalty which would include keeping off his wife.
As the situation advances, set accords and principles arm-twist him into silence and betrays the confidence that the King has in him. That is because he fails to tell him or the public on his endeavors with the queen. Telling of the aggressive advances that have been made toward him by the queen would expose the lady as evil yet this is contrary to Gawain’s wishes (Wollock, 57). It is significant to note the nature with which Gawain recognizes the bad sides of bedding the king’s wife and his desire to pull out of the relationship. Yet he keeps succumbing to the pressure and temptation. The lady plays her role in the courtly love as she fulfills the expectation bestowed upon the ladies in courtly love by constantly piling the pressure upon Gawain and making every attempt to make fall in love with her.
In the end, the villain compares himself to Biblical villains who fell victim to courtly love but fails in his comparison as he hardly shares traits with the figures. His final pick is David, who ended up getting punished through the loss of his son with Bathsheba. However, all the Biblical figures also bear heavy blame for the repercussions that they had to face after giving to temptations of lust. As such, Gawain’s attempt to draw a comparison to any of them is not credible. The theme of medieval love is used to add turns and twists to the poem and keep it alive, and action packed as we await the return of the green knight (Wollock, 58).
The Role of Women as Romance
Ladies play a magnificent role in the relieving of tension in literary development as they are oft used to develop a facade in the mental imagination of readers (Whetter, 91). One could say that this novelty has failed in that aspect in a huge sense. However, consideration should be made to analyze the manner in which shameless ladies are used to spice up the fighting event hosted jointly by Camelot and Hautdesert. The kissing and flirting during the event gives it a new course as the villain of men forget their quests for a while to indulge in the activity (Porter, 51). Women not only play their role here as Eros beholders, but also as characters who spice up the plot the poem thus making it ‘romantic’ in the literary aspects. That aside, this romantic gesture serves to inspire some knights as they marvel at winning before the crowd of feminine admirers. However, to other fighters it is more of an obstacle as they indulge in flirtatious actions and abandon their course (Whetter, 91).
Feminine romance and manipulation are further projected when reference is made to the Biblical women who used their influence to romantically manipulate great men (Porter, 49). The writer portrayed the women as people with the greatest weapon that can subdue even the greatest of men, which is romance. Their bodies are used to unveil aspects of weakness, the kind that make villains vulnerable, not only to their loving, but also in war. King David is the loudest projection in this sense as Gawain makes every attempt to draw a comparison between him and the nobility (Sadowski, 26). It is amazing to note the extent that men go just so bed the ladies who either steal their hearts or bedevil their aspirations with romantic gestures that inspire lust and confuse chivalry (Whetter, 92).
The most significant role of romance in the poem has been played by Lady Bertilek, who acts as the architect of Gawain’s confusion and submission of matters he does not want to be party to (Whetter, 92). Her romantic gestures are loud and eminent as she makes all attempt to lure Gawain to engage sexually with her. In a way that portrays courtly love, she assumes the role of Gawain’s guide to loving a woman. She oft kisses and presents him with the temptation of bedding her. Though Gawain later manages to overcome her aggressive nature and approach, her role in subjecting him to romance is somewhat achieved to some extent (Porter, 50).
Sir Gawain Honoring the Chivalric Code
Sir Gawain lives up to the codes that made all knights in Camelot. The chivalric code required the knights to be the greatest bearers of loyalty, courtesy, and courage. When Gawain is challenged by the Green Knight, he is obviously expected to exhibit the knightly courage that all look up to as they are the chief protectors of the kingdom (Wollock, 58). Gawain takes the challenge and fights the Green knight and even beheads him. The stepping up to the challenge not only restores pride within the King’s castle, but also keeps the dignity of the chivalry contact (Harding, 152). in more than one fighting occasion, Gawain does not show the slightest signs of a coward and wins his duels with the skill and expertise of a villain.
The other instance in which Gawain exhibits Chivalry is when he feels guilty after failing to tell the Green Knight of the charm that he posses, the green girdle. He feels that it would be courteous as a knight to inform his challenger of the girdle. Courtesy appears to be a virtue that defines Gawain in an exceptional way. Out of courtesy, he fails to turn down the advances made toward him by lady Bertilek (Harding, 152). He feels that telling on her would harm her reputation in significant volumes, a factor he is not ready to live up to. Courtesy is thus the level of chivalric discipline that the knights should exhibit.
The most significant Chivalric exhibition by Gawain is his loyalty to King Arthur. He fights to protect the king as it is in the knights’ codes. Through his fighting, his loyalty to Camelot is also proven. He even manages to turn away the most tempting approach of lady Bertilek, who seeks to love him. As he believes that it his knightly duty to stay loyal to the king, a duty he does not aspire to fail in, he manages to free himself from the erotic his taunter was seeking to keep in. Loyalty becomes the path Gawain chooses when he is bedeviled by factors that are sighted to plot his downfall (Wollock, 55).
Conclusion
Sir Gawain and the Green knight portrays several aspects of the medieval ages (Sadowski, 25). The courtly love, chivalric code and the free world in which men allow manipulation by women are all explicitly covered in the poem. The poet delivers a classics as he attempts to unveil the struggles that knights had to go through to fulfill their duties and live up to the Codes of Chivalry (Brewer, Derek, and Jonathan Gibson, 70). Women are endowed with a high status and men strive in their endeavors to please them, sometimes even forgetting their true purpose (Porter, 49). Sir Gawain’s outstanding desire and ability to live up to the codes of chivalry and fulfill other quests portray him as the greatest character in the poem.
Cited Works
Brewer, Derek, and Jonathan Gibson. A Companion to the Gawain-Poet. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 1997. Print.
Harding, Wendy. Concepts of Chivalry in “sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. Norman: Okla, 1987. Print.
Porter, Pamela. Courtly Love in Medieval Manuscripts. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003. Print.
Sadowski, Piotr. The Knight on His Quest: Symbolic Patterns of Transition in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1996. Print.
Whetter, K S. Understanding Genre and Medieval Romance. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2008. Print.
Wollock, Jennifer G. Rethinking Chivalry and Courtly Love. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger, 2011. Print.
