Gawain The Hero

(Note: I have a different edition of the text so the page numbers will probably not match up)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the premiere text in analyzing the figure of Gawain. His honor and valor as a knight are tested throughout, and the main focus of the story is to exemplify his chivalric, knightly prowess.

In Professor Stanton's class last semester, we spent two class periods dealing with the religious imagery found throughout the text, as it features quite prominently. The seventh section of Part Two is a direct example of the theological imagery the Gawain poet relies on. He writes that Gawain "was always faultless in his five senses, and secondly he never failed in using his five fingers, and his earthly faith was founded upon the five wounds that Christ suffered on the Cross, as the Creed informs us.." (418). This is a direct testament to Gawain's character. There is no better way to describe someone's honor than to compare them to the Son of God. This would've been received favorably in the medieval period, as it demonstrates Gawain's pure nature. That isn't the only allusion to Christ found throughout, though. The reference to the Crown of Thorns at the very end is also interesting. I took this to mean that Gawain, initially embarrassed after what occurs with Sir Bertilak ("This band symbolizes the blame I bear on my neck", becomes redeemed of sorts. It is in direct parallel with the story of Christ: the crown of thorns symbolizes both Christ's humiliating shame of dying on the cross but also his eventual triumph. However, this is not the only instance where Christianity comes into play.

Gawain encounters various tests of his faith throughout his journey. He becomes lost on his journey and prays to the Virgin Mary to guide him along his way. He resists the temptations of Lady Bertilak's wife; a good thing, too, as it proves to Bertilak that Gawain is indeed an honorable knight, and the game they are playing upon him won't have a fatal outcome for the eponymous hero. An interesting point occurs after Lady Bertilak offers Gawain the girdle. Gawain faces grief as he prepares for his meeting with the Green Knight. He doesn't consult the Virgin Mary this time; he places his faith in the girdle, which, it can be argued, leads him to reevaluate his own faith upon meeting the Green Knight. \

Besides the religious imagery is the importance of numbers. There are numbers that appear numerous times in key scenes throughout the tale: three kisses are exchanged between Gawain and Bertilak's wife, Gawain is tempted by her on three separate days, Bertilak goes hunting on three separate occasions, and the Green Knight swings at Gawain THREE times. Does the Gawain poet do this on purpose to symbolize the Trinity? Or is he just attempting to create symmetrical balance throughout the story? The Pentangle is also an interesting facet of the tale. It appears on Gawain's shield, and the poet discusses how the five points of the Pentangle represent Gawain's virtues: he is "faithful five ways and five ways each" (414). The Pentangle also helps illustrate the facets of chivalry Gawain represents.

One final question: What genre does this poem fall under? Many scholars argue that it is a medieval romance. What characteristics of the story attest to this? Does the story align itself completely with the romantic genre? What other genre could Sir Gawain and the Green Knight be?