At the outset of Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight, it is readily apparent that the challenging
Green Knight is not an entirely mortal figure. The poet assesses that “I should
genuinely judge him to be half a giant, or a most massive man, mightiest of
mortals” (140-141). By challenging the
worthiness of the round table, he provokes an interesting discussion leaving
the knights “totally foxed” (301). It is
the most extreme logical test of chivalry. The knight has mentioned all the
necessary concepts (courtesy, honor, the fame of the Round table, etc.) to
incite a challenge, but do the rules of courtly behavior apply to someone who
is clearly not human? Arthur notes that
the proposition is “quite insane” (323). But chivalry applies universally; the
knights cannot discriminate based on green eyebrows. He has properly challenged
the court, and Arthur is impelled to disregard his better judgment and meet the
challenge.
Gawain intercedes, resolving that “this moment must be
mine.” He is not, as one would assume, trying to seize the moment and expand
his own honor and glory. He knows it is a fool’s errand and that “the loss of
my life will be grieved the least” (355). He is sacrificing himself, willingly thrusting
himself into a challenge he knows will lead to folly. Gaiwain’s test in this
story is thus not one of physical valor or outward courage, it is instead a
test of his internal mettle. Physically, he appears to win the absurd contest
easily, but because of the supernatural power of the Green Knight, the
challenge was deceptive. Gawain is a hero because he displays the resolution
and decision making which make a true knight when the exterior world around him
has been perverted, in this case by the dark magic of Morgan le Fay.
The conflict in this story is rather dull because it
consists of Gawain’s internal struggle to stave off temptation. The majority of
the story seems like a big distraction from the actual conflict with the Green
Knight. The actual drama consists of
Gawain staving off advances from his host’s wife while he stalls before his
battle with the Knight. The only outward evidence of this internal struggle is
his constant prayer. The most pointed example occurs before he goes to meet the
green knight (2120-2170). Ultimately, it is his saltwort internal disposition
which saves him. Apparently his only sin was stealing the green girdle. When a
knight is at the mercy of the powers surrounding him, he will triumph by devoutly
giving himself over to God and trusting in Christian values. As it is revealed
that Morgan le Fay was behind this plot, the temptation and deception of her
magic is allegorically associated with the temptation and deception of women in
general. His enemy in the story was truly the “honorable ladies who kidded me
so cleverly with their cunning tricks” (2410). Gawain’s initial decision to do battle with a
supernatural foe which he knew would lead to folly can be seen as a parallel for
a Knight’s decision to entertain romance. It is a tenuous decision beset by
temptation and sin, but devotion to Christian dogma is what sees him through it.
Can you find any other examples in the text where Gawain’s refusal
of female temptation seems motivated by a specifically religious perspective?
The scenes where the lady of the castle seduces Gawain happen while her lord is off hunting. Activities of courtly love and of bravery were major components of the chivalric code and Gawain’s actions in the castle offer examples of how even the finest knights ask for divine intersession when chivalry gets put to the test. In the story, it takes supernatural interference to test Gawain’s values and he looks to Christianity to help him withstand its allures.
ReplyDeleteThe hunting scenes do not feature any prayers, but the seduction scenes do. Although hunting is simultaneously a sport and a display of skills, navigating courtly love is also an important component of a knight’s life and the plot of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” During the first hunting scene, the poet describes the lord’s reactions as he corners deer, “The lord’s heart leaps with life./Now on, now off his horse/all day he hacks and drives” (1174-1176). The lord of the castle clearly enjoys his pastime and the language of these episodes mirrors that of battle scenes we’ve read earlier in the semester. Meanwhile, the lady of the castle makes advances on Gawain, which throw him off guard. His position does not offer the same straightforwardness as a hunt or a battle, so he thinks, “Instead of this stealth/I should openly ask what her actions imply” (1198-1199). He tries to simplify a situation that only becomes more muddled, “[T]o snub a noblewoman was not in his nature” (1661). He has no other way out than to ask for God’s help, or else he has to forsake his value system and trade virtue for vice. In this way Christian dogma guides Gawain through his one-on-one moments with the lady of the castle. It also helps him during the scene where he finally arrives at the Green Chapel. In this way, we see Christianity helping Gawain maintain physical and mental fortitude while external interference tests the very core of his being, the chivalric code.