Chivalry in sir gawain and the green knight Essay Example For Students

Chivalry in sir gawain and the green knight Essay During the Middle Ages, knights lived their lives following the chivalric code. In an essay, define the chivalric code and prove how Gawain , in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is both a laudation and a condemnation of the chivalric code. The code of chivalry is a collaboration of virtues including loyalty, honesty, courteousness, obedience, chastity, prowress, courageosness, valor, and truthfulness. When a Medieval man becomes a knight, he vows to follow the code of chivalry. This code evolved from the values of the Christian religion and exemplifies perfection to the utmost extremesA knight abiding by these rules does not fight for man, but for mankind, an ideal, or an abstraction, including fighting for women. Sir Gawain is known as the epitome of chivalry. He abides by the chivalric code at all times. Gawain carries a sheild with a pentangle on the front and a picture of Mary on the back. The pentangle itself represents Gawains character and his beliefs by representing strength, chivalry, Christianity, joy, and faultlessness. The author states: The five of the five fives followed by this knight Were beneficence boundless and brotherly love And pure mine and manners, that non might impeach, And compassion most preciousthese peerless five Were forged and made fast in him, formost of men. The chivalric hero rarely fights in defense of man, but mostly for defense of mankind, an ideal, or an abstraction. Sir Gawain steps up to the Green Knight to defend the chivalry of King Arthurs court when the embarrassed king attempts to participate in the Green Knights game, a game in which the king had no place to play. He obeys his knightly code of honor, loyalty, courage, valor, and courtesy by volunteering and by using the most courteous words to release Arthur of this knightly duty. Gawain says: I am the weakest, I wot, and the feeblest of wit, And it will be the less loss of my life if ye seek sooth. His humbleness is of his heart and he knows that he is giving his life away for the sake of his king. This obedience to the chivalric code shown is more than any of the knights at the Round Table. The tasks Gawain must face on his journey to find the Green Knight include long traveling nights, sleep on hard grounds, lack of sufficient food, cliffs to scale, solitary travel, serpents, wolves, wild men, bears, bores, bulls, bitter cold, sleet and rain. These trials prove his honor to the code of chivalry through his courage, obedience, valor, and also his will to go forth on the journey. This will comes from Gawains Christian aspect of the chivalric code. He displays purity, chastity, and charity, not only as a Christian, but as a true knight of the chivalric code for Christianity is intertwined with the chivalric code of loyalty, honesty, couragousnesses, etc. The introduction of Bercilak and the very beautiful, very cunning, wife of Bercilak begins Gawains tests of his honor to the chivalric code. He makes a promise with the host that they will exchange gifts that they are allotted each day. In the meantime, the hosts wife tries to provoke him to fail at upholding his code of chivalry with sexual advances. It is very difficult for him to deny the wife without being unkind to her, but he succeeds in not accepting her advances in a courteous manner, therefor restoring his chastity and his honor to his host. The author describes Gawains success after two days of advances: Thus she tested his temper and tried many a time, Whatever her true intent, to entice him to sin, But so fair was his defense that no fault appeared. Consequently, Gawain fails to live up to the chivalric code in the latter part of the tale. He is more vulnerable at this time than he was before, now that it is the eve of the beheading. His hostess comes in with a gift for him, a girdle. Gawain tries so hard to be courteous and remain true to Brecilak, but he is eventually persuaded into accepting the gift and keeping it a secret when he is told it has magic powers which will protect him from any craft on earth. .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 , .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 .postImageUrl , .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 , .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6:hover , .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6:visited , .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6:active { border:0!important; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6:active , .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6 .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub464a84b4d6aa0f83870257a8e36d5a6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Unemployment Essay By doing so he becomes guilty of breaking the chivalric code. He is now guilty of cowardice, for he feels he needs magic to protect him, and covetousness, for he has .