Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay -- essays research papers fc

Sir Gawain and the Green knightSir Gawain Faces Temptation     Sir Gawain was cognise as a appalling and honest man who was willing to descry death in the face to protect exponent Arthur. However, the courtly Sir Gawain is submitted to the unanticipatednot to the test he expects, but to one he does not expect (qtd. in Spearing). The underlying theme throughout the entire poesy is temptation, which, is Sir Gawains greatest challenge because he is not aware of it.      He faltered not nor feared          But quickly went his way,           His road was rough and weird,          Or so the stories say. (qtd. Stone 47)     Sir Gawain stands up just as the Green Knight challenges King Arthur. Gawain saves his uncle from the humiliation the Green Knight imposes on the King from his badgering for this Gawai n is really brave. He has no fear in approaching the Green Knight and tolerateing the game. Sir Gawain was a man who was held in high esteem onward the people at Camelot. Thus, he was given the title Sir Gawain, which sealed his noble existence. A knight is a man who, for some achievement, is given unearned rank and thus entitling him to use Sir before his given name (qtd. in Websters pg. 747). Berry 2King Arthur was a very honourable man, one with boyish spirits and youthful persona. The King also displays his pocket-sized nature when at the table, he refused to begin eating before any of his guests. However, when the Green Knight confronts him he does not cower before him.          He raged as roaring gale          His followers felt the same.          The King, not one to quail,           To that monarchist then ca me.     The Green Knight was described as a handsome, goodish man. Because every article of clothing the Green Knight wore was green, including his skin and hair, he is reminiscent of a fertility divinity fudge. This idea of a fertility god plays a role when introducing the theme of temptation on the behalf of the Lords wife... ... of his fault must itself be viewed with amusement, as part of his human fallibility. (Borroff, Introduction)He expects (and we expect with him when we first read the poem) that the real test he has to hardiness himself for is meeting the Green Knight at the Green Chapel and receiving a presumably mortal blow from his axe. But when, after a dangerous effort of will, he does bring himself to face the Green Knight and accept the blow, it turns out that this is not the test itself. This test is only the symbol of a previous test which was carried out by the Green Knights wife, and which Gawain has already failed, marked by the girdle he accepted as a gift.      Berry 5Works CitedAbrahms, M.H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York W.W. Norton & adenine Company, Inc., 1993.Borroff, Marie. Sir Gawain and The Green Knight A New Verse Translation. New York W.W. Norton & antiophthalmic factor Company, Inc., 1967.Spearing, A.C.. Patience and the Gawain-Poet. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Ed. F. Denton. Englewood Cliffs Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.Stone, Brian. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. New York Penguin Group. 1959.