As a Knight of the medieval time period you had to live by the Chivalric Code. This code was a code of conduct and stated that knights or nobles must be brave warriors, virtuous Christians, and must fight selflessly for justice. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain attempts to live up to the Chivalric Code but falls short at moments not only for fear of losing his life but also because of his individuality. In the beginning of the legend Gawain is nothing more than the nephew of King Arthur and his life is not greatly valued. A mysterious Green Knight rides into Arthur’s hall and challenges anyone who is willing to a simple contest.
They were required to be brave and noble. This poem tells of the story of one such knight who was tested to the seams based on the Christian and moral ideals of chivalry. The knight is called Sir Gawain (In this case will only be referred to just as Gawain). These tests are carried out through games and temptations. The games begin when the king according to his nature refuses to eat at the New Year’s banquet until he is told a story of a marvelous knightly deed.
During the Anglo-Saxon Period. Both warriors who fight evil and delivering good to all those around them. Beowulf, a man who fights evil and helps the helpless. Sir Gawain, a knight for King Arthur who holds its honor when facing the Green knight, keeping his promise. Both also commit sins (According to Chivalry) by not honoring women.
In the poem Beowulf, the main character, Beowulf is an incredible person who was willing to defeat anyone to keep his people safe. When Beowulf heard about the evil monster (Grendel) terrorizing King Hrothgar's town, he stepped up and agreed to fight Grendel without hesitation. By doing this, we see that Beowulf lacked no bravery and that he had a great love for human kind. Numerous times throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain showed honor towards other people. One such example occurred at the beginning when Gawain accepts the Green Knight's challenge.
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, good morals are emphasized when Gawain valiantly steps forward to challenge the Green Knight, unlike in Boccaccio’s Decameron where different characters are placed in situations where they react not according to God’s will but secularly. In the story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Green Knight comes and disrupts a dinner with King 2 Arthur and asks anyone to challenge him. When no one does, King Arthur offers himself to go but in a display of bravery, King Arthur’s nephew Gawain steps up and says, “I am weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit, loss of my life would be grieved the least.” (p.43 l. 356). Here Gawain demonstrates chivalry, a valued character trait that honors God. This is an example of a medieval value that emphasizes how people sought out God and how it was reflected in their decisions.
Furthermore, it will attempt to explain what makes one hero more heroic than another, and why some heroic qualities are liable to change – while the foundation of the journey stays the same. Beowulf’s motivation to sacrifice himself on behalf of the Danes comes from two places. It starts with his father’s unpaid debt to the ruler of the Danes, Hrothgar, which was left behind after his father passed away; also from his intrigue with the monster that cannot be defeated, Grendel. They have seen my strength for themselves, / Have watched me rise from the darkness of war, / Dripping with my enemies'
In Beowulf’s case, he loses his life in the battle with the dragon, but for Gawain he symbolically offers his life to the Green Knight to take, and only through the Knight’s generosity does he let Gawain live. Had Gawain been dishonest in giving him anything at the town, then he would have surely died, but because he was so virtuous (with the exception of the girdle), the Knight decides to spare him out of respect. The characters share similar characteristics as well, such as bravery and courage, along with a capacity to be personable and friendly to their fellow man. The hero’s journey is similar as well, with both men doing their deeds alone and without aid. Only in the last part of Beowulf’s tale does anybody come to his rescue, and this is after he has done most of the
When the Cyclops ask Odysseus replies saying on page 1118 “ My name is Nohbdy(nobody) , mother, father, and friends call me Nohbdy.” This quote shows that Odysseus is very clever, knowing that when he blinded the Cyclops, he was say Nohbdy did it. He is also heroic when he makes Circe think that her spell will work on him, even though, after the God told him to eat the grass then there was no way for it work, on page 1120 he says “ the enchantress desired me and detained me in her hall, but in my heart I never gave consent.” This explains that though everyone has fallen for her tricks Odysseus didn’t because of the magic that the God put on him. What makes Odysseus strong though is that he didn’t know if that grass was honestly going to help him and he still went to her hall and denied her after she fed them. This is also Cleverness as well. These quotes show that Odysseus will doing anything to protect him and his
Please explain your answers in detail. The Commitment was to face the green knight, Another would be his refusal to sleep with the seductive wife of his host. I probably wouldn't commit myself to face the green knight but I wouldn’t slept with the seductive wife either. At the end of the story, Sir Gawain comments that many great men have met their demise because of a woman. What does he mean by this?
By showcasing the common experience of acting courteous, the author makes courtesy the most emphasize virtue in the text out of the five virtues: friendship, generosity, chastity, courtesy, and piety. Gawain's knightly courtesy is evidenced by the act of aiding his lord. Gawain does not say that he wishes to accept the challenge because he is better than Arthur but rather, Gawain says he wants to accept the challenge because he is the "weakest, well I know, and of wit the feeblest"(Page 1651, line 355). Gawain then says to Arthur: "My body, but for your blood, is barren of worth" "(Page 1651, line 357). By saying this, Gawain is able to replace Arthur in the challenge without insulting him or degrading the king's position among the knights of the court.