The Middle Ages Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

â€Å"The Middle Ages designates the time span roughly from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance and Reformation† (â€Å"The Middle Ages†). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in the thirteenth and fourteenth century, along with Morte D’Arthur. Both medieval epics exemplify bravery and courage as their themes. â€Å"The only universal European institution during the Medieval Era was the Catholic Church which had all the local power within the local bishops† (Sagona). The church saw itself as the only spiritual place of Christian believers, thus it had a large amount of influence on Medieval people, including knights. Christian roles and the act of chivalry played a part in becoming a knight in the Medieval Era that can be seen in†¦show more content†¦To be a knight, his fitness level had to be exceptional enough to last through a long, intense battle. Knights had to face a variety of challenges and were expected to handle th em as any knight would. For example, some battles would last long periods of times, so these knights were expected to handle different weather changes, tiredness, and hungriness. The most important qualification that a knight had to have was modeling bravery due to the extreme battles that would be fought. Through these long battles, knights had to stay positive and not give up for what they are fighting for. â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, perhaps the most perfectly wrought of all medieval English romances, has called forth a wealth of scholarly commentary, in regard to its main symbol, the Pentangle† (Beauregard). Christianity is evident in this epic poem. â€Å"Some knights in the Medieval Era would carry a shield symbolizing bravery and battle; Sir Gawain is symbolized by the Pentangle that shows his morals† (Beauregard). The pentangle symbolizes the virtues to which Gawain aspires: to possess brotherly love, courtesy, piety, and chastity, â€Å"First he wa s deemed flawless in his five senses;/ secondly his five fingers that were never at fault;/ thirdly the five wounds Christ received on the cross/†¦The fifth set of five which I heard the knight followed / including friendship and fraternity/, purity and politeness that impressed at all times/, and pity whichShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight1200 Words   |  5 Pagesbeen expressed and implemented through the depiction of the heroes’ experiences on their journeys and the knowledge they gain by the quest’s end. For example, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a chivalric romance written in the Late Middle Ages, Gawain epitomizes a knight with the characteristics that knights from the Late Middle Ages were expected to possess according to the requirements outlined in the rules of chivalry, such as honor and valor. Likewise, Beowulf, the hero of the folk epic BeowulfRead MoreThe Cultural Values And The Archetypal Patterns Of The Nove l Hero With A Thousand Faces 1331 Words   |  6 PagesAs the heroes make their way through the journey, the reader learns the culture through the character’s actions and mistakes. For instance, in the early Middle Ages, women were seen as inferior and were not put on a pedestal, unlike their deception during the Late Middle Ages after the advent of chivalry and courtly love. On that note, Sir Gawain and Beowulf both reflect the cultural values and the archetypal patterns found in Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces which are expressed throughoutRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green1627 Words   |  7 Pages11/25/14 Sir Gawain and the Girdle In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is presented a green girdle by Lady Bertilak after their sexual encounter (1830-1835). There have been many differing opinions on what the girdle represents, but I believe the most pertinent symbol that the green girdle stands for is the temptation that Gawain faces several times throughout the story. The girdle not only stands for the temptations that Gawain faces, but ultimately shows the ignorance Gawain exhibits throughoutRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight1218 Words   |  5 Pages The alliterative poem â€Å"Sir Gawain and The Green Knight† is a story of bravery, yet fearfulness of a young knight and his willingness to stand up out of respect for his king. This Middle Age poem, originated in the late fourteenth century by an unknown author called Gawain’s poet, follows the journey of King Arthur’s nephew, Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain is a knight for the royal court during the time and when the Green Knight questio ns the loyalty of King Arthur’s court, Gawain is the only person to standRead MoreSir Gawain and the Green Knight, and One Thousand and One Nights1097 Words   |  4 Pageswork. â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† and â€Å"One Thousand and One Night† both are marvelous works. The similarities between these Arabian tales and Sir Gawain and the Green night are very striking. The scholar Edward L. Risden in his analysis of â€Å"One Thousand and One Nights,† mentioned â€Å"Sir Gawain and Green Knight† and some of the main subjects of both of these tales. After reading Norton’s â€Å"Sir Gawain and Green Knight† and Geraldine Mccaughrean’s â€Å"Arabian Nights,† I intend to show that â€Å"Sir GawainRead More Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essays847 Words   |  4 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight As with so many stories written in the Middle Ages Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is filled with wonders, magic and knightly pursuit of fame and nobility. It combines folklore and romance as does, according to The Norton Anthology, no other known work. The character of the Green Knight fascinates and amuses. Most people would not think of it as an Arthurian-time creature. The Green Man in fact, is a part of an ancient folklore where the beheading of a green manRead MoreImportance Of A Pentangle And Their Long Uses And The Past History Associated With It1534 Words   |  7 Pagesthis paper, my approach and analysis will be based on the pentangles meaning coming from the days of Solomon, who took the Jewish star and modified it in such a manner that the symbol began to be associated with the five virtues and, protection for knights and royalty. Pentangles began as crude drawings as diagrams that were found scratched into the walls of caves. From this point onward the assumption is, they began to have a belief encompassing some realm of spiritual significance but, the real meaningRead MoreSir Gawain and The Green Knight Essay1109 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a very interesting and stimulating narration, filled with mystical creatures and wonderful details, the author known as Gawain-poet did a wonderful job in portraying the characters throughout the story. During the story, The Green Knight challenges King Arthur to a game, which Sir Gawain accepts. Gawain participates in the game by chopping the head off of the green knight, who picks it up and leaves, Gawain is to meet the greenRead MoreSir Gawains Shield and the Green Night: A Semiotic Analysis1378 Words   |  6 PagesIn the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain must go on a quest to find the Green Knight from whom he accepted a challenge a year earlier. Because Gawain lives the chivalric code, he must keep his promise to the Green Knight and let him get one swing of the axe one year and a day after he swung the axe on him. Before leaving for this quest, Gawain was given amazing armor and a descriptive shield. This shield was more th an just a shield; it had a much greater meaning like many otherRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight Chivalry Essay796 Words   |  4 PagesKnights and shining armor, is a modern day description of knights. These knights road on horseback, jousted, but more importantly, served by a code. This was a code dealing with chivalry, in which knights obeyed by. The article Nighthood and Chivalry, defines it by, â€Å"In modern English, chivalry means the ideals, virtues, or characteristics of knights,† (Velde). There is one specific knight who shows this code in the story, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. The knight is Gawain, a noble and courageous