Gawain Essays (Examples)

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Gawain the Two Sides of
PAGES 2 WORDS 671

Even in Mallory's work, Sir Gawain exhibits chivalrous and knightly behavior. When Sir Gareth arrives at Arthur's court unknown to the knights, Sir Gawain repeats his uncle's hospitality. Even though he was politely refused by his brother, whom he did not recognize, Gawain still extended a hand of hospitality to his brother Sir Gareth.
Despite his initial hospitality, Sir Gawain has a much more negative portrayal in Mallory's work. In this story Sir Gawain in transformed into a fool who fails to recognize his own brother on two separate occasions. When Sir Gareth first enters into Arthur's court, Sir Gawain does not recognize his own flesh and blood. Later, Sir Gawain engages in a joust with his own brother, "and there she cried all on high, Sir Gawain, Sir Gawain, leave thy fighting with thy brother Sir Gareth," (Mallory Chapter XXXIII). Later, after gaining his own recognition, Sir Gareth abandons….

As Pearsall indicates, in discussion on a French retelling by Chretien De Troyes, "Perceval's quest receives only 200 lines: he loses faith, meets some penitents on Good Friday who expound to him succinctly the meaning of Christ's sacrifice and goes to a hermit from whom he hears the explanation of the grail and from whom he himself receives communion." (Pearsall, 37) This may be perceived as a statement that Perceval had given his identity largely over to a quest that, once completed, had exhausted his purpose to either his world or the broader legend. One may also take the liberty of interpreting this to mean that the preoccupation of the Holy Grail was precisely that. Perhaps the diminishing relevance of Perceval with the passage of the grail story may be seen as a critical response to the religious aggression that is part and parcel to the crusades.
Indeed, Perceval is….

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The Unattainable Chivalric Code

Some Thoughts on Chivalry

The chivalric code is a paradigm that is both poorly understood and was even more poorly applied, not because the code was not clearly written down and able to be transferred among the people who it applied to but because of its very confusing historical development and even more confusing codification. The Chivalric code grew out of the desire by many to codify a new role in society, that of the knight. The knight though he had existed before did not previously have a role in society and therefore had only limited means of social control. In an attempt to respond to the lawlessness and brutality that arose from the development of this whole new class the, Christian mercenary soldier made up of individual men taught to fight mercilessly against his enemies and in consummate loyalty to their benefactor….

Sir Gawain
eligion features prominently in the 14th century text Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The story reveals the interface between indigenous pagan faiths and Christianity, especially as the two converge in the colonized Celtic regions such as Wales. As the story champions the hero, Sir Gawain, a Christo-centric message is being conveyed. Sir Gawain, although a problematic hero, is redeemed through his unwavering faith in Jesus and Mary. Christianity is presented as the prevailing social and religious order, replacing the pagan worldview. At the same time, the pagan worldview continues to provide a foundation and stability that is pervasive in the text. eligion in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is represented fully by Gawain's shield, bearing the image of Mother Mary on one side and the symbol of a pre-Christian Mother Goddess on the other. Christianity would express itself in Britain as a fusion of pagan and Christological….

This acceptance reveals the flaw in his moral structure as it is evidence that he has a certain amount of fear of death, which means that his faith is not entirely impervious to doubt and that he is not morally perfect
The subsequent encounter between Gawain and the Green Knight reveals much of the strength of Gawain's moral attributes. He is brave in the face of the Knight. The Green Knight however does not kill Gawain due to his strong moral stature in refusing to succumb to the seductive advancer of Bertilak's wife. However, the Green Knight does nick Gawain's neck and draws blood. This is a sign that Gawain is being punished for his moral failure in accepting the green girdle. It is also clear at this point that the seduction of lady Bertialk was a central moral test that would determine Gawain's fate. The Green Knight is in….

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" tells the story of Sir Gawain as he journeys to meet his supposed death at the hands of the titular Green Knight, having promised to appear a year and a day following their first meeting. Gawain's journey from King Arthur's court, across England, and finally to the Green Chapel serves to demonstrate and comment upon the chivalric code professed and practiced in King Arthur's court, because it sees Gawain enacting the kinds of deeds the narrator lauds at the beginning of the poem and that the Green Knight mocks Arthur's court for failing to live up to. The chivalric code of Arthur's court relies nearly entirely on appearance, and the narration includes extended sequences describing the act of dressing and clothing itself. The arrival of the Green Knight may be read as an effort to intentionally disrupt….

Dual Hunts in Sir Gawain and Green Knight
Hunting plays an extremely important role in the medieval epic, Sir Gaiwan and green knoght. In this poem, almost everything is symbolized and conveyed with the help of hunts, which makes the poem truly medieval in nature. It also says a lot about the author of this great piece of poetry. While we do not know much about the author and the poem is largely considered anonymously written, it is believed that he must have been a contemporary of Chaucer because of the language used in the epic. The story itself is also unique. It presents a colorful and rich image of courtly life and knightly adventures.

PETE J. LEITHAT (2003) Professor of theology and literature at New St. Andrews College Idaho describes the general nature of the poem in these words:

The anonymous alliterative Middle English poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is….

Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" are two tales which show striking similarities in many different literary aspects. These two tales, which were passed down orally from generation to generation in Northern Europe, include many elements of heroic legend and the epic hero. An epic hero, such as Beowulf or Sir Gawain, possesses the qualities of valor, military prowess, loyalty, generosity, and honor. These ideals are also associated with the Chivalric Code. The portrayal of heroism in "Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is similar in the way the heroes show valor and loyalty, but differs in the story of personal struggle and self-discipline.
The two main characters in each poem, Beowulf and Sir Gawain, are indisputable heroes of the Middle Ages. Both men fought valiantly against super-human creatures and both men underwent great journeys to partake in these battles. However, Beowulf was doing so to….

Beowulf and Sir Gawain as
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He expresses his misery to his uncle, Arthur, but publicly puts on a happy face for everyone else.
ut Gawain said with cheerful face:

Why shrink back from the quest?

Though fate bring glory or disgrace man must meet the test."

Gawain is bedecked in all kinds of martial finery, but is full of woe. This furthers the theme of Gawain putting on airs of valor without truly possessing any. His trip is one of misery and hardship and he begins to learn the error of his ways after some time alone in a harsh wilderness full of dangers. eowulf doesn't endure such hardships in the story, but the action he faces is from when he was younger and ended up adrift for five days at sea, fending off sharks and the like.

When Gawain enters a castle he comes to, he is greeted cheerfully but there is an undercurrent of mockery in his….

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written ca. 1375-1400, is an Arthurian tale that recounts a quest undertaken by Gawain after he accepts a challenge from a mysterious Green Knight. Under the terms of the challenge, Gawain will be allowed to cut off the Green Knight's head only if he accepts that in a year and a day, the Green Knight will reciprocate the action. The story is combination of two types of stories -- folklore and romance -- and is rife with symbolism. Additionally, the tale highlights change and transformation, particularly on behalf of Gawain as he not only proves he is a worthy and chivalrous knight, but that he is as worthy a hero as the heroes that came before him, such as Beowulf.
In the story, the color green is associated with the Green Knight. While the guests at King Arthur's feast are shocked by the appearance of….

Sir Gawain
Towards the end of the tale about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain tells the Green Knight's wife "this is the bond of the blame that I bear in my neck this is the harm and the loss I have suffered, the cowardice and covetousness in which I was caught, the token of my covenant in which I was taken." Gawain was talking about a piece of lace that the lady had given him to protect him from the blade of the Green Knight. Like many of the tales from that era, honor was Sir Gawain and the Green Knight's primary subject. The entire premise of the story is based on the fact that the Green Knight had heard so much about the honor of the Knight's of King Arthur's Round Table, that he decided to discover for himself whether that honor was warranted or not.

During that….

Sir Gawain and the Green Night
The Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight features a number of female characters, and when taken together, they manage to portray the entire (albeit limited) spectrum of sexist tropes and roles allowed women in the vast majority of literature. Though some of them serve crucial functions in the plot, for example by testing Sir Gawain or hiding the Green Knight's identity, the roles they occupy nevertheless reproduce the very limited opportunity, in fiction and reality, offered to women. hen examining each of the female characters in the poem, it becomes clear that they are merely detailed versions of more general sexist tropes, and while they function as key elements of the plot, they do not hold any genuine agency or subjectivity.

The first woman introduced is Queen Guinevere, and although she is a queen, she does not have any genuine authority in the story,….

Women in Sir Gawain and
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Sir Gawain cuts off the knight's head, and the knight leaves, with a promise from Gawain to extract his pledge next year.
Gawain, true to form, finds the Green Knight's abode and resides there, waiting and dreading the final strike. All the while, the Green Knight's wife makes attempts to seduce Gawain. Yet although the woman is apparently false (later, this is shown to be a deliberately staged test of Gawain's chaste honor to his host) Gawain is true to his values and the honor owed to even a less than hospitable host. For his valor of spirit as well as his manly courage, the Green Knight spares Gawain. But as inspiring as this story may be in terms of knightly valor, it is noteworthy that the female body, unlike the male body is never tested -- rather it is only a sexual test for Gawain, or a symbol of….

Sir Gawain
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Sir Gawain
Comparing Sir Gawain to the archetype character of a knight, similar to the knights in King Arthur's court, he possesses characteristics that define and at the same time provide a humane side to his knightly stature. As the archetypal knight, Sir Gawain is similar to King Arthur's knights in that he possesses the brave and resolute attitude of an honorable knight. He had shown these qualities when he met the Green Knight at the Green Chapel for a duel, where the impending threat and doom of death did not hinder him from courageously accepting his enemy's proposal. Despite the feeling that danger awaits him, Gawain mustered enough courage to at least face the challenge ahead of him: " ... If I turned back now / Forsook this place for fear, and fled ... / I were a caitiff coward; I could not be excused." These lines tells us that….

Arthurian Literature
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Pearl Poet's Sir Gawain
The Arthurian Legends are one of the most mysterious of Middle English literature. For many years historians have tried to match King Arthur to one of the Early Kings of Britain, however, all attempts have met without success. It is now generally accepted that King Arthur and the other Knights of the Round table represent a composite of the behaviors and attitudes of people of that time period. The same can be said of the character of Sir Gawain in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." As social attitudes changed, so do the ideal characteristics that exemplify virtue and purity. The character Sir Gawain appears in many versions of the Arthurian Legends. The characteristics and attitudes of Sir Gawain seem to shoe a shift over time. The most widely accepted version of the character of Sir Gawain is the version that is attributed to the poet known….

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2 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Gawain the Two Sides of

Words: 671
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Even in Mallory's work, Sir Gawain exhibits chivalrous and knightly behavior. When Sir Gareth arrives at Arthur's court unknown to the knights, Sir Gawain repeats his uncle's hospitality.…

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3 Pages
Essay

Literature

Gawain Perceval Gawain and Perceval

Words: 924
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Essay

As Pearsall indicates, in discussion on a French retelling by Chretien De Troyes, "Perceval's quest receives only 200 lines: he loses faith, meets some penitents on Good Friday…

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11 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Words: 4565
Length: 11 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The Unattainable Chivalric Code Some Thoughts on Chivalry The chivalric code is a paradigm that is both poorly understood and was even more poorly applied, not…

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3 Pages
Essay

Mythology - Religion

Illustrate Note Explain Roles Religion Sir Gawain Green Knight

Words: 1006
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Essay

Sir Gawain eligion features prominently in the 14th century text Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The story reveals the interface between indigenous pagan faiths and Christianity, especially as the…

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4 Pages
Term Paper

Business - Ethics

Beowulf Roland Sir Gawain Arthur

Words: 1346
Length: 4 Pages
Type: Term Paper

This acceptance reveals the flaw in his moral structure as it is evidence that he has a certain amount of fear of death, which means that his faith…

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5 Pages
Essay

Literature

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Words: 1799
Length: 5 Pages
Type: Essay

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" tells the story of Sir Gawain as he journeys to meet his supposed death at the…

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6 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Words: 1694
Length: 6 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Dual Hunts in Sir Gawain and Green Knight Hunting plays an extremely important role in the medieval epic, Sir Gaiwan and green knoght. In this poem, almost everything is symbolized…

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3 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Compare Heroism in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Words: 1051
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" are two tales which show striking similarities in many different literary aspects. These two tales, which were passed down orally…

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image
3 Pages
Term Paper

Mythology

Beowulf and Sir Gawain as

Words: 953
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Term Paper

He expresses his misery to his uncle, Arthur, but publicly puts on a happy face for everyone else. ut Gawain said with cheerful face: Why shrink back from the quest? Though…

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2 Pages
Essay

Mythology

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Words: 738
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Essay

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written ca. 1375-1400, is an Arthurian tale that recounts a quest undertaken by Gawain after he accepts a challenge from a mysterious Green…

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2 Pages
Term Paper

Government

Honor in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Words: 621
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Sir Gawain Towards the end of the tale about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain tells the Green Knight's wife "this is the bond of the blame that…

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2 Pages
Essay

Sports - Women

Sir Gawain and the Green Night the

Words: 757
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Essay

Sir Gawain and the Green Night The Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight features a number of female characters, and when taken together, they manage to portray the…

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1 Pages
Term Paper

Sports - Women

Women in Sir Gawain and

Words: 365
Length: 1 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Sir Gawain cuts off the knight's head, and the knight leaves, with a promise from Gawain to extract his pledge next year. Gawain, true to form, finds the Green…

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1 Pages
Term Paper

Other

Sir Gawain

Words: 343
Length: 1 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Sir Gawain Comparing Sir Gawain to the archetype character of a knight, similar to the knights in King Arthur's court, he possesses characteristics that define and at the same time…

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15 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Arthurian Literature

Words: 5193
Length: 15 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Pearl Poet's Sir Gawain The Arthurian Legends are one of the most mysterious of Middle English literature. For many years historians have tried to match King Arthur to one of…

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