The Poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” by Simon Armitage

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Honor and Revenge
Romance
Female Figures
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a fascinating medieval piece from the perspective of typical themes included in stories of the time. First, the author emphasizes the central place of revenge aimed at supporting morality which is deemed to be an attribute of knighthood (Thomas 116). Second, he writes about the romance laid in the basis of the story for interpreting the ideals of chivalry through its lens (VanArsdale 5). Third, the particular roles of Morgan le Fay and Bertilak’s wife are highlighted to reflect on the conflict between the above provisions, which are relationships and appropriate principles (Ghani 60-61). Therefore, this literary work incorporates several themes, allowing it to accurately portray the reality of the period.

Honor and Revenge

The first aspect of this poem is the focus on the conduct of the male characters from the perspective of honor. In the story, it is intertwined with all the essential events, starting from Gawain’s initiative to follow the Green Knight to save Arthur from “such a foolish affair” (Armitage 43). By saying so, the former insists on the feasibility of selecting him for the mission as the “weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit,” implying that his loss will not be critical for the country (Armitage 43). In this part, the theme of courage is highlighted, and the revenge is to be performed in such a manner that the king’s reputation is not affected (Thomas 131). In the end, the acceptance of “a bright green belt is worn obliquely to the body” by Gawain for his shame and the respect he gained from other knights for this decision confirm the role of values in the poem (Armitage 189). In this way, the moral provisions of this work are critical for its understanding.

Romance

The second idea, which is crucial for interpreting the story, is the romantic relationships of the main characters, influencing the tragic events. They are mainly presented by Gawain’s affair with Lady Bertilak, who tested him by giving him a green sash, which he chose to conceal from her husband (VanArsdale 7). When the latter confronts the knight by saying that the gift “was woven by my wife” and claims that “the belt you are bound with belongs to me,” it becomes clear to the reader that this theme was crucial for the ending (Armitage 179). Thus, romance is used in this piece as a tool for depicting deceit.

Female Figures

The third method for reflecting on the conflicting notions of chivalry and characters’ relationships is the focus on female figures, whose power explains the tragic outcomes. They are Morgan le Fay and Lady Bertilak, whose participation in the narrative is vital for contrasting the vice and virtue of knighthood. For instance, the former person is significant for creating the Green Knight while being described as an unpleasant woman whose “body was schort and thik” (Armitage 84). On the contrary, Lady Bertilak is the opposite of Morgan as she is more a victim of the evil plans of the witch. Thus, these figures’ capabilities differ, but they are still deceitful regardless of their motives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the examined poem efficiently incorporates the themes of chivalry, romance, and female power. The characters are greatly concerned about their reputation but still are misled by their feelings towards the women. In addition, the latter plays an important role in their development in the story while taking the central place of the narrative intended to display the positive and negative aspects of knighthood.

Works Cited

Armitage, Simon. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. W. W. Norton & Company, 2007.

Ghani, Hana. “The Feminine Other: Monsters and Magic in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” J-Lalite: Journal of English Studies, vol 2, no. 1, 2021, pp. 55-63. Web.

Thomas, Alfred. “Writing, Memory, and Revenge in Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Hamlet.” Shakespeare, Catholicism, and the Middle Ages, edited by Alfred Thomas, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018, pp. 113-147.

VanArsdale, Hannah. “The Gawain-Poet’s Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: The Most Epic of Romances and the Most Romantic of Epics.”The Alpha Kappa Phi Review, 2018, pp. 5-11. Web.

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The Poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” by Simon Armitage

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