Sir Gawains Code Of Chivalry English Literature Essay

Sir Gawain took the Green Knight ‘s challenge as this was portion of the gallantry codification of award of all knights. He asked to take the challenge himself as King Arthur was being mocked by the Green Knight. Gawain does his moral responsibility by standing up for his uncle King Arthur and demoing him his trueness by stating that his life would be less missed. Gawain took on the challenge to continue his ideals of how a existent knight should move. At that minute, Gawain did n’t recognize that by accepting the Green Knight ‘s challenge he was being tested for his existent knightly award and that his gallantry codification would be farther tested in along his journey to run into with the green knight, though, in the terminal of his journey he realized that he could non ever live up to such high ideals since he was human and like all human, capable of doing errors.

The gallantry codification that Gawain strives to populate up to is one of trueness, bravery, and courtesy, a codification of behaviour expected of knights. Throughout his journey, Gawain remained brave and weather at all times. He felt that award and heroism were of import qualities in a knight so he ever strived to continue them. In fact, Gawain demonstrated his courage when he accepted the challenge that no 1 else dared to. Then he showed his courage by cutting off the green knight ‘s caput and by maintaining his word to return in one twelvemonth. To sum up, he had adequate bravery to make up one’s mind to travel on the journey on his ain instead than holding other knights come along. His determination was so an apparent presentation of his courage and bravery as a knight. Gawain besides emphasized how devoted he was to courtesy by taking the challenge and by seeking to be gracious with the host ‘s married woman, although, he knew that it implied his moral values. “ For Gawain, both as a Christian and single knight the agencies used to derive his victory are primary. No sum of good achieved for society at big can warrant his behavior in its winning, for he is faulty of his actions. ” ( Margeson, 23-24 ) .

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Furthermore, Gawain ‘s morality is tested farther when he gets to the Green Knight ‘s palace. Gawain and the Green Knight agree to interchange anything each adult male obtains while the Green Knight is out runing. At that minute, Gawain did n’t cognize that the green knight and the host were the same individual so he agrees to the treaty. “ Gawain ‘s action is a legitimate response to his fortunes, since Bertilak imposes upon him a trial of gallantry as an impossibleness by planing a state of affairs in which Gawain can non be true ” . ( Martin, 319 ) . The trial follows with the host ‘s married woman efforts to score Gawain but, he is constrained by his moral codification so, he settles for some busss alternatively. The host ‘s married woman continues with the seduction therefore, Gawain is required to be gracious to ladies, but if the lady is transgressing and doing him to transgress, by all agencies, be ill-mannered. take her from the bed and set on some apparels. In the same mode, Gawain should hold known instantly that she had something in head as her seductions continued to be more aggressive.

Gawain ‘s a dishonorable action was an declarative mood of a deficiency of moral virtuousnesss. Gawain should hold told the host about the married woman ‘s efforts to score him, alternatively of concealing the truth from him. Although it seemed unjust because he was tricked into it by lady Bertilak in conformity with the host who subsequently came to be the green knight. Nevertheless, Gawain should hold told the truth about the girdle which the host ‘s married woman had in secret given to him. Alternatively, he kept it and agreed to ne’er uncover it. Gawain was non merely un-loyal in snoging the host ‘s married woman, but besides about lying about the girdle, although he still maintained some morality by non kiping with her. He concentrated so difficult on being gracious and staying true that he fell into her fast one of seduction and resulted in treachery. “ No 1 would hold known if Gawain had rebuffed the lady impolitely, to whom could she hold complained? . ” ( Margeson, 23-24 ) .

On the other side of the affair, the host revealed his agreement with his married woman to score Gawain to which Gawain ‘s reaction of shame is inevitable. As a affair of fact, Gawain ‘s ruin was non due to crave for a adult female, but to love for his life. ” One of the of import inquiries to inquire about Gawain ‘s credence of the girdle is to whether it was incorrect itself or merely in so far as it led to interrupt jog with Bertilak. “ ( Allen, Valerie ) . His cowardliness and shame led him to warrant his false behavior for he entirely is responsible for his repute and his scruples. “ By demoing that even the best of knights is non perfect, the poet reveals that the balance between knightly ethical motives, courtliness, and ideas of selfishness is able to be breached ” ( Martin, 321 ) . In this instance, Gawain forced himself into actions that would ensue in ineluctable catastrophe and he ended up neglecting himself and his codification of gallantry therefore, he knows he has failed, by all agencies, his strive to continue his award.

In contrast, Sir Gawain undergoes many tests of bravery, award and courtesy, but failed to go through his major trial of morality. As a consequence of his failure to continue his codification of gallantry, he is clearly affected with deep compunction ashamed with cowardliness. Therefore, Sir Gawain was liberally forgiven for his un- trueness, he was left with religion and hope despite his actions. In decision, Sir Gawain learns that no knight is near being perfect without doing any errors.

Maria Cruz

Beginnings Cited

Trask, Richard M. “ Sir Gawain ‘s Unhappy Mistake. ” Poetry Review 16.1 ( Winter1979 ) : 1-9.

Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 September 2012.

Martin, Carl Grey. “ The Cipher Of Chivalry: Violence as Courtly Play in the World of Sir

Gawain and the Green Knight. ” Chauser Review 43.3 ( 2009 ) :311-329. Academic Search

Complete. Web. 26 September 2012.

Allen, Valerie. “ Sir Gawain: Cowardice and the Fourth Pentad. ” Review of English

Studies43.170 ( May1972 ) :181-4. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 September 2012.

Margeson, Robert W. “ Srtucture and Meaning in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. ” Poetry

Review 13.1 ( Winter1977 ) :9-16. Academic Sear4ch Complete. Web. 26 Septemeber 2012.

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