Lessons taught by the Green Knight
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain meets an immortal being known as the Green Knight. From the moment the Green Knight breaks into King Arthur’s court, Sir Gawain is not only forced to embark on a journey that will define him as a knight, but is also exposed to several important lessons, all of which are taught by the Green Knight. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Green Knight teaches Gawain lessons of respect and achievement, deadly humility, and the virtue of understanding a challenge before accepting it.
The first lesson GreenKnight taught Gawain is one of respect and achievement. At the moment when the dual with the Green Knight is first proposed, Sir Gawain is one of the lesser knights of King Arthur’s court, without having had a chance to prove himself. In considering the Green Knight’s challenge, he accepts, acknowledging: “I am the weakest, I know, and the least wise, / and I cling less to my life, if anyone wants the truth, / but as you are my uncle with whom I live. Praise / … I have asked you this first, and I beg you to grant it to me “(Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 354-356, 359). In saying this, it is evident that Gawain understands that strength and wisdom are acquired through the tasks of knights (as a double with the Green Knight) and respect and honor are bestowed upon a knight if they praise the court and the name of King Arthur. This same kind of honor can be seen within the ritual of Gawain’s departure one year after the challenge was accepted. His armor is more a work of art than a tool of war, with “The least of his clasps gleamed with gold” (591) and his departure is such that “it reaches the King and his companions., He formally says goodbye to lords and ladies. , and they kissed him and walked with him and entrusted him to Christ. ”(594-596) The task that Gawain accepted has been noticed by the entire community, and everyone honors him at his departure.
Perhaps no action more clearly reflects the honor bestowed upon a knight for participating in a great task than the way the court reacted to Gawain’s return. Once Gawain tells his story of the Knight and informs the court about the green belt he wore, “Every knight in the brotherhood, must have a baldric, / a bright green sash in a bow around him / worn for the good of the brotherhood. gentleman, the way you did it “(2516-2518). By performing the great task of fighting the Green Knight and returning alive, Sir Gawain has earned the respect and praise of King Arthur’s court. Honor and historical immortality are not bestowed on knights, they are earned. Gawain could not have learned or accomplished this without the GreenKnight.
The second lesson the Green Knight taught Gawain is one of deadly humility. During his trip to the Green Chapel, Sir Gawain rests for several days in the castle of a lord who tells Gawain: “leave us an agreement, / what I take in the forest will be yours / and in return you give me what you can buy” (1105-1107). Sir Gawain remains faithful to this agreement for the first two days. However, on the third day of his stay at the castle, the castle lady presents Sir Gawain with her belt, saying: “For if a man has this green belt fastened around him, / as long as it is knotted around his waist / there is no knight under heaven who can bring him down “(1851-1853). Sir Gawain takes the belt and, with his duality with the Green Knight first and foremost on his mind, does not offer it as a gift to the lord of the castle.
Upon arrival at the Green Chapel, the Knight struck Sir Gawain’s neck three times. With the first two changes, he stops just short of striking Sir Gawain, forgiving him for each of the two days that he fulfilled his pact at the castle. However, on the third blow, the Knight cuts Sir Gawain’s neck with the ax, saying: “You missed number three / so they cut you off. / Because the braided belt you are wearing belongs to me” (2356-2358 ). However, the Knight later proclaims: “I am now convinced / that you must be the most perfect knight who ever walked the earth” (2362-2363). The Green Knight realizes that being chivalrous does not require being suicidal. Sir Gawain has the deadly instinct to wish to stay alive. Although Sir Gawain is ashamed of his actions, his human deficiency in dual with the Green Knight provides him with the humility necessary to truly be one of the greatest and noblest nights of all time.
The final lesson, and perhaps the most obvious and “applicable to real life,” that the Green Knight taught Gawain is to understand the challenge ahead before diving headfirst. When the Green Knight entered King Arthur’s court, his appearance was peculiar, to say the least. Not only was he standing at an enormous height, but “he was not wearing a helmet or chain either, / or breastplate, or fasteners on his arms, / he had no spear or shield to push and strike” (203-205). If his appearance alone wasn’t strange enough, the nature of his proposal was very different from that of a normal dual. Instead of extending the challenge of a typical fight on the court, the Green Knight says, “I’ll take a hit. [the challenger] on this floor, undeterred. / Then you must grant me the right to give him one in exchange / without resisting “(294-296). The nature of the Green Knight’s appearance and proposal should have prompted Gawain to ponder some questions about the challenge and challenger before he accepted the task so enthusiastically. If Sir Gawain had asked the proper questions before committing himself to combat with the Green Knight, he might not have found himself in the strange situation of having to take a hit. of an immortal knight.
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Green Knight illustrates to Gawain the importance of respect and achievement through action. Through their encounters, he teaches Gawain the existence (and necessity) of mortal humility. By accepting the Green Knight’s challenge without asking any of the necessary questions, Sir Gawain is taught the lesson of understanding. These three lessons, while painful and morally crushing at the time of their teaching, will help make Gawain a better, stronger, and more chivalrous knight. Through the Green Knight acting as an antagonist to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the lessons he teaches Gawain make the experience far more positive than negative. Gawain’s experience with the Green Knight helps shape him. Who knows what Gawain would have been if he refused to stand up.