Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay

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Sean Mehigan Mrs. Nixon English-D December 7, 2011 Sir Gawain: An Underrated Knight In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain, of Arthur’s high court, shows, even when under pressure, that he can maintain his knightly duties and chivalrous acts. He upholds his promise to the green Knight even though it most likely meant that he was going to be killed. Also, Gawain is faced with the lustful desires of Lady Bertilak, who tries to seduce Gawain in an attempt to reveal his flaws during his time in the Castle. First off, the mysterious Green Knight visits Arthur’s high court around Christmastime, striking a dangerous scenario with Arthur. However, Gawain offers himself to the challenge because he feels he will be least missed…show more content…
While there, he meets a beautiful woman named Lady Bertilak. She tries to seduce Sir Gawain by sneaking into his bedroom every so often and asking “favors” of him in an attempt to reveal Gawain’s weaknesses. Gawain resists these temptations when he says, “But people often form judgments on rumor, / and I do not deserve the claim they give.” (1265-1266). Here, Gawain is alluding to the fact that he is truly not that amazing of a knight as people say the knights of Arthur’s Court are. Lady Bertilak only seems to want Gawain because of his reputation and stories she had heard about Arthur’s knights. Gawain remains modest and lets Lady Bertilak down gently, thus Gawain remains chivalrous towards women even though he is denying her request. In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain shows bravery, modesty and chivalry, as a knight should even in times of great adversity. When the Green Knight scams him into a fateful game where Gawain is doomed for death, he still fulfills his end of the bargain. Also, when Lady Bertilak tries to reveal his flaws by seducing him, Gawain remains chivalrous because he knows that giving into her could mean serious
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