Shirley Crow
The Man inside the Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is a poem of the struggle of the high expectations a man can place on himself, and the struggle against his base humanity. Many knights ride out to face their possible death on the battlefield. Not many ride out in search of the instrument of their death, and yet Sir Gawain does that very thing when he leaves King Arthur’s Castle, seeking the Green Knight’s chapel, to fulfill his duty.
In his travels, Gawain finds a castle and seeks shelter among its people. There he is given the good news by his host that the Green Knight’s chapel is not far, and is begged to stay until the day of his appointment. There he meets his host, Bertilak of Hautdesert, the host’s wife, and the knights of the castle. His host then strikes a bargain with Sir Gawain that anything the host wins is Sir Gawain’s and anything Sir Gawain wins are forfeit to the host. This bargain eventually results in Sir Gawain’s crisis of faith, when the host’s wife tries to seduce him repeatedly. He successfully maneuvers out of each seduction attempt by the host’s wife. On the last morning, when the host’s wife comes into his room, she strongly suggests that they have a physical relationship. Gawain falls back on his knightly virtues by humbling himself and taking a passive aggressive attitude. He finds himself in a situation where there is almost no right or wrong. The narrator says “To offend like a boor / Was bad enough; to fall into sin / Would be worse” (1773-1775). When she doesn’t succeed in her seduction, she offers him a magical sash that will preserve his life. Some may argue that when Sir Gawain lies and only gives the kisses as his forfeit and keeps the sash for himself, and that it is his final downfall. However, he still goes to his appointment with the Green Knight, and not truly believing that the sash will save his life. The narrator says, “He tried to seem / Fearless, but his knees / were weak” (2257-2259), as he kneels before the Green Knight’s blade.
He stays kneeling through three swings of the Green Knight’s blade; the first he flinches. The next time the Green Knight pretends to swing and last Sir Gawain is just nicked. Learning that the Green Knight and his host are the same person, as well as learning that the knight knows about his deceptions, he is even praised by the Green Knight. The knight says to Sir Gawain “I hold you cleansed” (2393). The Knight bids Sir Gawain to keep the sash as a token, and it acts as a physical reminder of the humanity inside his knighthood.
The facts that he left knowing he is seeking his own death, that he does not succumb to the repeated seductions of his host’s wife, and additionally he stays kneeling for the Green Knight’s blade, are signs that Sir Gawain has never lost his knightly status; it could be said that his status is even higher than his fellow knights for his struggles. Sir Gawain’s sash becomes a requirement to his fellow knights.
Work cited
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Translated by Burton Raffel.New York: Signet, 1970. Print
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