FREE ESSAY ON SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT ESSAY

SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT ESSAY

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem written by a poet (name unknown) approximately
6000 years ago in the late 1300's in the medieval times. This story was originally
written in medieval literature with a real unique rhyme scheme, but was translated later
in time to regular English for high school students and researchers to study and read. 
The story begins during the New Year's feast in King Arthur's court. Then a green knight
enters asking all of the knights in the court if they would like to play a game. The game
is he will allow which ever knight that chooses to challenge him one swing with a battle
ax to try and chop off his head, but in order to play the game, the accepting knight must
meet the green knight one year later at the green chapel. The brave knight Sir Gawain
accepts to the challenge of the green knight. Sir Gawain takes one swing and chops off
the head of the green knight. Right after the green knight's head is chopped off he gets
up immediately, picks up his head and leaves. 
Once a year passes, Gawain sets off on a journey to find the Green Chapel. He arrives at
a castle in which a lord welcomes him to stay for several days (Gawain only needs to stay
there for three). The next morning the lord makes an agreement to share everything he
gets during these three days with Gawain, but Gawain must agree to do the same. During
days one and two the lord's wife tries hitting on Gawain, but he only allows her to give
him a few kisses. At these days Gawain shares what he got to the lord for what he has
hunted those days. On the third day, Gawain finally accepts to take a magic girdle from
the lord's wife, but he didn't share it with the lord. This magic girdle helped Gawain
survive the three fatal swing's of the green giant's ax, only leaving him with a little
nick. After Gawain survives these 3 swings at his neck, the green knight then reveals his
identity and explains that he is Bercilak, the lord of the castle. He also said that the
three blows were taken at him in regards to the three days of their agreement. The first
two days he stayed truthful and shared what he received (this resembles the two swings
taken that were misses). On the third day when he received the magic girdle, in which he
should of returned to the lord, is why he received the little nick on his neck. 
Afterwards the lord asked Gawain to come back to the castle to celebrate, but Gawain said
I must return at once to Arthur's court. 
Throughout this whole poem there are quit a number of knightly virtues that Sir Gawain
demonstrates such as bravery, courage, courtesy, and honesty. 
The first knightly virtue that Sir Gawain demonstrates in the story Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight is bravery. The way in which Sir Gawain demonstrates bravery is when the
green knight says to Gawain (pg.81, line-2274) Did I flinch, or flee from you when your
blow felled me? (pg.81, lines-2280 & 2281) Gawain replied: Enough! I won't flinch when
you hack! This shows bravery, because the second time the green knight swung to chop off
his head (another miss) Gawain didn't flinch a bit. Even though Gawain knew he wasn't
going to be picking up his head, it still took a lot of bravery to just stand there and
remain still while you got this big green knight getting ready to swing at you with a
battle ax.
The second knightly virtue that Sir Gawain demonstrates in the story Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight is courage. The way in which Sir Gawain demonstrates courage is when the
lord leaves him and is telling Gawain that the knight of the Green Chapel is fierce and
deadly, and that he kills every man he meets. He also tells Gawain that he will swear not
to say a word about what happened, Gawain thanks him and tells him that he must be brave
and continue on with his quest. As the lord is leaving Gawain, (pg.71, line- 2156) Gawain
says I'll neither groan nor weep. This shows courage in Gawain, because after all of
these things that the lord was telling him, he put it all aside and built up the courage
to continue on his quest and face the green knight. Another demonstration of courage is
when Gawain faces the green knight in the beginning of the story also. 
The third knightly virtue that Sir Gawain demonstrates in the story Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight is courtesy. The way in which Sir Gawain demonstrates courtesy is after the
lady giving Gawain the gift, she starts preying on his desire and knightly obligation to
be polite and courteous. (pg.63, line-1771 to 1773) Urgently, spurring him to the brink,
and he thinks: 'I must accept her affection, or refuse, and offend her', concerned with
courtesy, less he be thought a boor. This shows him having courtesy by him not wanting to
stop her in the middle of prey over him. Gawain knew he was doing something wrong by
accepting this gift in which he had no intentions to share with the lord. Even though he
sinned, he wasn't going to stop her from preying and offend her. 
The last and final knightly virtue that Sir Gawain demonstrates in the story Sir Gawain
and the Green Knight is honesty. The way in which Sir Gawain demonstrates honesty is by
when the lord and himself make the three day agreement. The first two days he was honest
and shared what he got. On the third day while the lord was hunting his wife gives Gawain
this magic girdle that she tells him it will save him from the green knight. Gawain takes
it and doesn't share what was rightfully the lords. (Pg.84, lines-2358 to 2363) For that
woven garment you wear is my own girdle. My wife wove it, *so I know it well. I have
missed no facts concerning your acts and kisses, Nor my wife's wooing of you; I brought
it all about. I sent her to test you. You withstood her stoutly. You're the most
faultless solider who walks on foot! This is explaining how the lord set up this trap for
Gawain to fall into. This was to test his honesty and see if he would share this magic
girdle that would save his life. Gawain was to the point were he wasn't looking to be
honest with the lord and give him back the girdle. He knew if would of given up the
girdle the green knight would of killed him.