Analysis Of The Sir Gawain And The Green Knight - Essay Example

Analysis Of The Sir Gawain And The Green Knight In the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain creates a covenant with the Green Knight, the use of the word covenant establishing that the agreement is ethically bound and must be honoured. This is also a reflection of the ‘new covenant’ that is seen in the New Testament. As time passes, the youthful outlook that Gawain has at the beginning becomes more sober as he realizes he is facing his death in this bargain. He is tempted by ways to get around his fate, challenging his code of chivalry and the ethics on which he bases his role in life.The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knightis based on the challenges that are made against his ethics in terms of being a knight and the changes that come through age that refine those ethical considerations. The heart of the tale begins as Arthur asks for a story to be told that would inspire him to eat his dinner. At this point, the Green Knight appears and wants to talk to Arthur. He comes to challenge the court because he wants to know whether or not the court and its knights can live up to their legend. The challenge is that one of the knights can take one swing of his giant axe and in exactly a year the Green Knight can return that swing. Sir Gawain uses the axe to cut off the Green Knight’s head when the Knight has offered his neck for the blow. For most people this would be the end of the game, but the Green knight speaks and reminds the assembly of the deal they have struck before taking his head and riding out of the celebration. Use of the word covenant appears frequently throughout the book, creating a sense of obligation between characters in the story. When the Green Knight first faces Sir Gawain who is to be the person with whom he exchanges strokes of the axe he says “Make we our covenant ere we go further”, suggesting that the agreement is the lynchpin on which the entire ‘game’ is based (Weston 14). This creates a foundation of ethics on which the events that unfold can be examined. It is the ethical and moral character of Sir Gawain, as well as that of Arthur's court, which is being examined through honouring the idea of a covenant. There is a description of the changing of seasons that occurs within the poem. The changing of the seasons can be equated with the idea of the change that occurs over time as a person begins to mature. The seasonal changes are reflective of the cycle of life in which Sir Gawain believes he has come to an end. This is also true of the two women that appear in part two with the lady of the castle representing youth and beauty and the other being an old woman who is a reminder of impending death. In part three, Sir Gawain’s virtue is tested by the lady of the castle entering into his bed chambers and bargaining for kisses and then by offering him a green girdle which supposedly can keep the man who wears it from death. The lady of the castle enters Sir Gawain's room on three different mornings. On the first two mornings he refuses to sleep with her. On the third he also refuses to sleep with her, but she presents them with a different temptation. He accepts the green girdle from her in order to avoid this fate that he is agreed upon in his covenant with the Green Knight (Weston 66). The lord of the castle is out hunting, creating a contrast between his own predatory desires and the predatory way in which the lady of the castle is trying to entice Sir Gawain.The result of the hunt that the lord undertakes is based on killing his prey, but the lady is using temptation which is a way in which to challenge the core of Sir Gawain’s vows as a knight. He has constructed his life based on chivalrous principles and therefore his ethics are challenged by the actions of the lady. In essence, the death of his knighthood is at stake rather than the death of his body. Sir Gawain continues to be challenged in terms of his ethics. The squire that is leading him to the Green Knight suggests that Sir Gawain can turn around and run and no one would be the wiser (Weston 75). Sir Gawain refuses to be a coward, but once again he has been given an opportunity to find a way around his fate. As he faces the Green Knight he flinches twice as the axe descends near his neck. On the final blow, the Green Knight only scratches his neck, leaving a mark that indicates the sin of having worn the green girdle and depending on it as a loophole to get out of the fate that he agreed upon. It was the act of confession that freed Sir Gawain from his sin of having worn the green girdle and as a tribute to this act he declares that he will always wear the green girdle as a reminder that he is subject to failure and to keep him humble. At the centre of this story is the idea that honouring one’s ethical and moral principles are the way in which to sustain life. Even though Sir Gawain commits the sin of trying to find a way around his fate, he confesses and therefore finds forgiveness and compassion. His confession establishes that he understands his failures and can admit that he can be tempted. This establishes the idea of confession as a way to eternal life as opposed to perfection. Even though he gives into sin by violating his own ethical code, his ability to admit his failures provides a way in which to overcome the fate he believed would come. This shows a sense of growth in terms of, not only Sir Gawain, but of the Christian church where contrition and not deeds determine whether or not a person can right themselves with God. The story reveals an important core idea about the difference between the new religion of Christianity and the old ways which emphasized works rather than the heart. Works Cited Weston, Jessie L. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Mineola, N.Y: Dover Publications, 2003. Print. Read More