Courtly love in medieval literature and culture

Chivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Although Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is considered to be a romantic poem because of its nature and the era in which it was written, it does not represent romance in the traditional sense of courtly love during the medieval times. It is worth mentioning that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight does not substantially represent any of the conventions listed in "The Art of Courtly Love" by Capallanus, but instead focuses on the chivalrous nature of an honorable knight who struggles when his chivalry comes into conflict with his basic need for self-preservation.

This paper will examine Gawain's character, which is clearly very noble, and how this conflict between morality and mortality becomes almost a mockery by the poet by the end of the poem. Through satire, the poet is able to show the reader how even the noblest and most honorable knight can fall victim to the basic instincts of humanity and come into conflict with moral code of chivalry.

Upon closer inspection, the reader is left to wonder if the poet is doubting the values of the chivalric court by playing within the bounds of the romantic genre. This could certainly answer the question pertaining to the romantic genre. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is "one of the latest and certainly the best of the Middle English romances; yet its greatness lies in the fact that, without ever ceasing to be a romance, a fiction full of the most comic touches, it is something much larger, one of the really significant literary achievements of the Middle Ages" (Abrahms 242). The poem belongs to the Alliterative Revival, an emergence of a body of poems in the alliterative meter of Old English verse (232).

The poem takes place in Arthurian England during the New Year's celebration at Camelot, known to be a place of adventure and bravery. King Arthur has established a court of chivalry and nobility with brave knights and lovely ladies. At the celebration are King Arthur and Queen Guinevere surrounded by knights, including Gawain.

It is interesting to note that the poet does mention the darker side of British history, in saying that war and misery have played their part in British history as well as British prosperity. Another point worth mentioning is the elaborate description of Camelot, which seems to border on the excessive. One could argue that such a talented poet would not need to go to such lengths to describe Camelot unless there was an underlying reason to do so. Could the mention of the dark side of British history along with the almost laborious description of Camelot a subtle hint of things to come?

In addition, the poet, with the description of the merriment at the New Year's feast, implies perhaps a certain amount of corruption or perversion in Arthur's court. The reader is also given the impression that Arthur is immature when he is described as being "light in his lordly heart, and a little boyish" (235) and also when he demands some form of entertainment before the feast.

The stranger from the beginning can be viewed as an obvious object of opposition. He seems to represent everything Gawain does not. It is not difficult for the reader to imagine this, especially knowing the end of the story. The stranger could also be seen as a symbol of the Devil, as he is opposing good (Gawain).

The poet spends quite a bit of time in describing the stranger. If the poet is indeed criticizing the chivalric court, that would explain his mocking tone. Another hint that the poet might be slighting Arthur's court would be the silence of the court as they "sat stunned at his strong words" (239) with the stranger mocking them.

Gawain's offer to accept the Green Knight's challenge in the palace of Arthur, is the reader's first real indication of his nobility. He steps forward to risk his life so Arthur would not have to risk his. The noble knight wins the beheading game and the date is set for an exchange blow at the Green Chapel.

In the second part of the poem, the reader experiences a very detailed description of Sir Gawain as he prepares for the next day and the ensuing journey. He and his horse are richly attired; Gawain is suited with a veiled helmet topped with a diamond-studded crown. He also has a shield, which has a pentangle, or five-pointed star on one side. The poet pays close attention to the pentangle, describing it as a "sign by Solomon sagely devised to be a token of truth, but its title of old, for it is formed with five points and each line is linked and locked with the next for ever and is called in all England, as I hear, the endless knot" (247). An image of Mary was on the other side of his shield, which gave him courage.

Gawain is described as "good in works, as gold unalloyed, devoid of all villainy, with virtues adorned in sight" (247). The poet goes on to describe Gawain as being faultless in his five senses, his five fingers unfailing, his faith fixed upon Christ's five wounds, and his strength is found in the five joys Mary had through Jesus, and lastly, he embodied, more than any other living man, the five virtues. These five virtues were friendship, fellowship, cleanliness, courtesy, and charity (248).

As Gawain travels to the Green Chapel, the reader is shown the strength of his character as he encounters so many tribulations and finds comfort in talking to God. It is important that Gawain never questions whether or not he should take this journey -- he just goes to honor his agreement. Nor does he turn back, which would have been easy enough to do. Those two points alone attest to Gawain's own personal belief system. He accepted the Green Knight's challenge and insists on keeping his side of the bargain because he was chivalrous. The reader is shown the depth of Gawain's morality as well as the breadth of his convictions. Gawain shows himself to be the strong and noble knight.

It is on Christmas Eve, alone in the forest, that Gawain prays to God for guidance to a haven where he may attend mass and pray on Christmas morning. This was granted to Gawain; almost immediately, he stumbled upon a beautiful castle within a moated fortress. Gawain is greeted by the lord of the castle and when he learns who Gawain is, he is delighted that "father of fine manners is in our midst" (254).

It is after dinner when Gawain meets the lady of the castle, whose beauty and bearing "excelled the queen herself" (254). The reader is introduced to another aspect of Gawain's character when the lord of the castle challenges Gawain to a game of gifts where the lord will exchange whatever game he catches during the day with whatever Gawain happens to gain during that day.

The third section of the poem reveals Gawain's biggest challenge of all as he is confronted with temptation of the worst kind. No sooner than morning breaks than he is greeted by the lady of the castle on his bedside. Diplomatically and very tastefully, Gawain dodges her sexual advances. She is persistent and threatens to hold him prisoner, then admiring his greatness as a knight, offers herself to him, assuring him that anything that happened between them would be secret. Gawain finds her "beneficence noble" (261), but tells her he is not worthy. She still persists and tells him she would choose him for a husband and he tells her that she "is bound to a better man" (261). The two continue in a pleasant conversation, but it is clear that he has successfully resisted her and remained honorable. Nearing the end of their conversation, however, the lady asks for a kiss, which Gawain obliges. When the lord of the castle returns, he dutifully gives Gawain his catch for the day, and Gawain gives the lord a kiss but does not tell the lord who the kiss is from.

The second day begins much like the first, with the lady of the castle greeting him in his bedroom at dawn. She flirts with him more and again, Gawain is able to withstand her temptation, but not without two kisses. After hunting, the king gives his catch for that day to Gawain and Gawain kisses him twice. Gawain is convinced to stay for a third day with the lord telling him that he has "tested you twice, and true I have found you" (270). This is significant because it tell the reader (and Gawain) that there is more going on than meets the eye. It also reinforces Gawain's noble behavior.

The third day the lady greets Gawain in the morning the same way she has done before. Her advances are more forceful and tempting than ever but Gawain is able, once again, to fall back on his faith and resist. She tell him she wants something to remember him by, as this is his last day at the castle. Gawain has nothing to give her and that prompts her to offer him her green silk sash. He refuses to accept it until she tells him that whoever wears it cannot be killed. Of course, this appeals to Gawain's basic desire to live and he accepts the sash along with the lady's wishes not to tell her husband. She kisses him three times that morning and the day comes to an end as the two previous days, with the lord of the castle exchanging his catch of the day with what Gawain gained during the day. As promised, Gawain gives the lord three kisses as the lord gives Gawain his catch.

During these days, the poet illustrates two very different hunts taking place. One is the lord hunting animals and the other is the lady hunting Gawain. This is an important analogy, and by comparing the artful pursuit of Gawain to the primal pursuit of animals, the poet has reduced the chivalrous nature to the very basics. The lady is counting on Gawain to fall victim to a very basic human emotion, which is lust. Though she exhibited extreme talented in her attempts to seduce him and even though they had engaging dialogue, it still all came down to something very basic.

Gawain is able to resist the lady's very cunning behavior through his system of beliefs. It is Gawain's strength that allows him to make the right choices, which are very complicated. An honorable knight does not reject the wishes of the lord or his lady, but Gawain had never encountered such a situation before. It is his strong sense of morality and his faith in God that saves him.

However, Gawain does not escape the temptation completely. When he accepted the lady's sash, he in essence broke the agreement he had with the lord. That in itself was a violation of the code of chivalry Gawain was so used to following. Granted, it is not adultery, but it still violated Gawain's moral code.

The lady may not have been able to seduce him with lust but she was able to seduce him with the desire to live. This refers back to aforementioned reduction of chivalry being reduced to a basic instinct and it tells the reader that while Gawain can fight one form of seduction, he may not be able to fight another. This is critical because Gawain will have to face this reality about himself.

The next morning finds Gawain preparing himself for the exchange with the Green Knight, for which he does not forget the green sash. He sets out to meet the Green Knight and they encounter each other in the ominous woods. It is with the Green Knight's three strikes that Gawain must face the truth about his actions. Not only is the knight the lord of the castle, but that the entire thing was arranged. The lord, however, isn't angry; he is rather understanding and tells Gawain that he has "great good faith" (287). The lord invites Gawain back to the castle for New Year's celebrating, but he declines and reflects upon his weakness. It is then that the lord reveals who he is, Bertilak, servant of sorceress Morgan Le Fay, who masterminded the whole scheme from the very beginning, to make fools of Arthur and his court.

Gawain travels back toward Camelot feeling very disappointed in himself. He had fallen into a no-win situation because accepting or rejecting the sash would have resulted in an insult to either his host, his honor, or his life. Perhaps for the first time, Gawain faces his own humanity, or mortality. The realization of his humanity instilled fear within him and fear is not a characteristic of a noble knight. In fact, his fear is cowardly and plays right into Morgan's plan.

He is greeted cheerfully when he arrives and he tells the story to Arthur, Guinevere and the others. He feels shame when he recounts the part about the green sash but the others see the sash as a token of honor. He calls his own heart "cowardly and covetous" (287).