Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

 

Most children know of the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. They are known for their chivalry, bravery, integrity, and impeccable manners. Sir Gawain does in fact possess all of these characteristics. He resists the temptations of women and the cowardly thoughts of flight from the promise he made to the Green Knight. He is honorable in every sort of the way, except, as the he himself points out, at the end of the book, for he deceives the lord with regards to the belt and believes that this token can save him. Gawain says that “cowardise and covetyse that I haf caght thare” (line 2508 – “the cowardice and covetousness that seized me there”) marred his reputation forever. Why should he be accused of covetousness when he took the belt out of neither greed or desire?

As I read through the discussion posts of my classmates, I found it odd that Gawain instantly became evil because of his value and concern for his life. Had he put other’s lives in danger to save his own, he would have been guilty of evil. However, he did no such thing. Yes, he did break the covenant he made with the lord and did not give him the belt, but he was acting based on the value he placed on life. I for one would find it DIShonorable if Gawain had had no regard or value for his life, throwing it away for the sake of his word. To me, it seems foolish and insensible to reject a gift that would save him from being “dynegez hym to dethe with dynt of [the Green Knight’s] honde” (line 2105 – “battered to death by the force of [the Green Knight’s] hand”).

 

 

This scenario reminds of the old story about the man who stood on a roof during a flood, professing that God would save him and in the process, rejecting the help of three rescue teams. When the man dies he asks God why his absolute and unyielding faith in Him did not cause God to save him. God replies, “What more did you want? I sent you three rescue teams.” One of the virtues that the knights of this time period valued so highly was that of faith. Gawain himself calls upon God countless times in the poem, including a plea for lodging, saying “I beseche the, lorde, / And Mary, that is my mildest moder so dere, / Of sum herber ther highly I might here masse, / And thy matyne to-morbe, merely I ask, / And therto prestly I pray my pater and ave and crede” (lines 753-758 – “I beg of you, Lord, / And Mary, who is gentlest mother so dear, / For some lodging where I might devoutly hear mass / And your matis tomorrow, humbly I as; / And to this end promptly repeat my pater and ave and creed”). How was he to know that this belt was not a gift of God? They say that hindsight is always 20/20, and Gawain could only see in retrospect that his stay with the lord was a test. In my opinion, Gawain is no less brave or valiant for his acceptance of the life saving gift. In fact, he becomes even more honorable because he shows true regard and value for human life, and does not proceed unaffected and headstrong into a death trap.