Sir Gawain

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that chivalry refers to the moral code that was an intrinsic part of the world of Sir Gawain and King Arthur's court. The writer discusses that chivalric ethics and moral code also play an essential part in showing the difference between the higher values of a civilized Christian world as opposed to the " fallen" natural world. In the poetic narrative of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" one is presented with the efforts to maintain these higher moral values, as exemplified in the Chivalric code, through the test that Gawain has to undergo. This moral code is seen in the way that Sir Gawain responds to the various moral tests that he is exposed to. The writer concludes that the poem shows the importance of higher moral values and also the difficulty of maintaining perfect virtue in a fallen world.

From the Paper:

"One of the essential aspects of the poem in terms of morality is that the tests that Gawain undergoes are essentially meant to show that the chivalric values that he represents are real and not merely an appearance of virtue and morality. In other words they are tested against the real world of nature. Furthermore the moral trials that he has to endure are intended to show the strengths, and weaknesses, of his values as opposed to the world of nature and desire. This can be seen in the way that Gawain has to face up to the threat of his own possible death. The bravery that he shows in facing the Green Knight proves the enduring value of his moral beliefs. On the other hand the fact that he fears death also shows that he fails in terms of moral perfection to a certain extent."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Allen Valerie. Sir Gawain: Cowardyse and the Fourth Pentad" in The Review of English Studies, vol. XLIII (1992), pp. 181-93. R.E. Alton, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992.
• Development of British Christianity in Sir Gawain and Pearl. March 1, 2007. http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=6907
• Conrad, Peter. The Everyman History of English Literature. London: J.M. Dent and Sons, 1985.
• Newhauser Richard. "Sources II: Scriptural and Devotional Sources" in A Companion to the Gawain-Poet, pp. 257-75. Derek Brewer and Jonathan Gibson, editors. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 1997.
• Sir Gawain and The Green Knight: Text Analysis: Passages 203-278. March 1, 2007. http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projs3a/sggk01.html

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