Sir Gawain, the Pure or the Corrupt
Harmonizing to the pearl poet, Sir Gawain used the pentacle as a symbol of truth, the star has five points that link and lock with each other, organizing what is called the endless knot. Each line of the pentacle passes over one line and under one line, and joins the other two lines at its terminals. Each point of the pentacle stood for virtuousnesss Sir Gawain aspired to hold his flawless five senses, five fingers, the five lesions of Christ, the Five Joys, and the virtuousnesss of free-giving, friendliness, celibacy, gallantry, and piousness. Gawain ‘s five quintuple virtuousnesss combine to do him a powerful, absolutely balanced knight, like the pentacle he strives to merit. Ever alert, he is “ immaculate in his five senses. ” Adept, he ne’er is “ found… to neglect in his five fingers ” . Gawain ‘s primary trueness is to God, for “ his allegiance… was fixed upon the five lesions that Christ got on the cross. ” He keeps focal point in conflict, for “ all his force was founded on the five joys / That the high Queen of Eden had in her kid. ” In fact, he displays “ on the interior portion of his shield her image… that when his expression on it lighted, he ne’er lost bosom. ” Finally, he possesses all five virtuousnesss needed in societal scenes: “ beneficence boundless and brotherly love / And pure head and manners… and compassion most cherished ” ( 640-54 ) .The sides of this star combine in a individual unit to do the pentacle a symbol of strength, an “ eternal knot ” ( 630 ) . Their flawless combination makes them strong, for each side “ is linked and locked with the following / For of all time and of all time ” ( 628-9 ) . The the pearl poet ‘s linguistic communication describes the strength of the pentacle as if the pentacle ‘s sides are rings of a strong coat of mail. However in the terminal of the verse form, Sir Gawain does non look to follow the virtuousnesss the pentacle represented. Its as if the pentacle begins to unknot as Sir Gawain ‘s quest progresses through the narrative. It as if the shield with the pentacle symbol had a cleft in its forepart stand foring the unraveling of the strong pentacle.
The unraveling of the pentacle begins at Sir Gawain ‘s sudden effusion in King Arthur ‘s tribunal. The sudden onslaught on the Green Knight showed that Sir Gawain ‘s forgot about holding a “ pure head and manners… and compassion most cherished ” ( 640-54 ) . This begins the down autumn of the pentacle because one point on the pentacle represented that the fact that Sir Gawain had to maintain a unagitated head regardless of person mocking them. Sir Gawain ‘s inability to maintain cool causes people, particularly the Green Knight to doubt that Sir Gawain deserves to utilize the aureate pentacle shield. Sing that Sir Gawain could non understand the fact that the Green Knight was proving his ability to utilize his 5 senses to understand the state of affairs. Normally when a individual understands the state of affairs, they can do a wise determination. When Sir Gawain decided to fall in in on the game, if he had understood the state of affairs should hold merely nicked the Green Knight ‘s cervix. This would do it look as if Sir Gawain had opportunity of life, alternatively of decapitating for decapitation, it would a abrasion for a abrasion.
As Sir Gawain began his pursuit, he had to utilize his “ five fingers ” to contend his manner through many monsters to make his finish. The usage of “ five fingers ” refers to the strength and manual power was used to finish his quest. Unlikely, the first point of the pentacle, Sir Gawain fulfills the following point without interrupting the Pentangle. However, when he reached the Godhead ‘s castle his 3rd point is tested. The 3rd point is trustworthiness, or truthfulness. In this palace, Sir Gawain is tested both by the Godhead ‘s married woman and the Godhead himself. The Godhead and Sir Gawain play a game, in which he was to give the Godhead whatever he won in the palace, while the Godhead was to give Sir Gawain whatever he won in the wood. So on the first twenty-four hours, the Godhead ‘s married woman greets Sir Gawain personally in his sleeping room. When Sir Gawain eventually realizes that she in the sleeping room, he instantly realizes that she is seeking to score him. However, Sir Gawain uses his humor and intelligence to acquire away with merely snog. At the terminal of the twenty-four hours, he gives the Godhead a buss. Every twenty-four hours for the three yearss of competition he gave the Godhead more busss each clip. However, on the last twenty-four hours, Sir Gawain was given a girdle, which the Godhead ‘s married woman said had as if by magic powers to protect him. Sir Gawain does non give this to the Godhead because Sir Gawain still feared for his life. This act breaks more than one point of the pentacle. It breaks the ideal of trustiness, every bit good as the five joys of Mary, and the societal virtuousnesss point.
When Sir Gawain eventually confronts the Green Knight, it makes sense that he feared for his life. His ideals or ethical motives that was based on the pentacle was about wholly unraveled. On one his pursuit, he had broken about every ideal that he represented. The pentacle holding five points on it, represented the mediaeval figure symbolism signified incorruptibility, Gawain ‘s pentacle represents his ageless incorruptibility. ( Arthur ) However, with about all of his virtuousnesss already broken, about nil was forestalling Sir Gawain go forthing his ideals or interrupting every gallantry regulation. With one pursuit, he broken many different gallantry regulations that were imbedded into the ideals of the pentacle, such as a knight should non steal or lie from another fellow adult male, or a knight should try in courtly love, ne’er matrimony. During the medieval ages, courtly love was an act of rip offing on the partner. With pentacle unraveled, the shield becomes an ordinary shield, which meant Sir Gawain went from an extraordinary individual to an ordinary knight.
