Gawain to some readers, if they have the idea of commitment in their mind already, may see Gawain as a committed man. I could even give in a little bit to that, but if you break down his commitment to find the reasoning behind it, you see loyalty. Loyalty to his king, loyalty to his own oath he has sworn to his knighthood. Up until the end where the Green Knight is chopping at his neck. This is a very pure profession of his loyalty.
His hair and beard are long and his presence demands of the attention of everyone in the room. He enters the feast of King Arthur on a large and strong steed with a quest to test the court for their loyalty and integrity. He is confident and lays out an offer for the challenge expecting King Arthur to take him up on it. The game is that the challenger gets a chance to hit the green knight, but in a year and a day, he must go to the Knights chapel and then the Knight will test him and if he fails the test, the green knight will hit him. The green knight has no fear and he even lowers his neck to make it easier for Gawain.
He didn’t fail any of his battles but dies in his last battle and the dragon as well. “Hail King Beowulf!” Beowulf was a Geat warrior who faced Evil monsters. In his first battle, he is the good because he fought the evil he sailed to Hrothgar’s kingdom to fight the monster. The battle with the evil mind of Grendel’s mother who seeked revenge for her son. It was Good vs.
This trait is shown heavily throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Gawain in the beginning of the story accepts the task of playing the Green Knight’s game because in all of the land, he is the strongest knight. It can also be inferred that Gawain accepted this challenge because one of the biggest factors in obeying the chivalric code was to show loyalty to the king. When the time comes for him to go on his search for the Green Knight his true character starts to show. He feels scared and sick to his stomach but that doesn’t stop him from going.
Though Gawain pridefully upholds the highest perfection of moral codes and Christian knighthood, he comes to recognize a painful lesson; that all men are merely human, and thus imperfect as nature created him. Gawain’s first test is exemplified by Green Knight’s challenge to exchange blows with an axe. The Green Knight presents a most fearsome sight to the Christian court of King Arthur, for his vigor
The chapel represents the honesty of Sir Gawain. He was determined to get to the Green Knight to prove himself; but yet he was not blinded by the green knights’ wife. The Green Knight tries to intimidate Sir Gawain about returning the favor with an axe in one year and one day. Sir Gawain is aware of his state of being in a year and a day, and is nervous and scared yet also determined. This quote explains the significance of Sir Gawain’s character: bold, honorable, and respectful.
In his trials, Gawain faces a moral battle throughout the text. “True to the chivalric code, Gawain has not betrayed the lord; however, he feels guilty about keeping the green scarf” (Sir Gawain 83), this statement points out the moral trials and battles that Gawain faced, instead of the physical ones Beowulf did. In the outcomes, Beowulf kills his monster, however Gawain chops his monster’s head off but doesn’t kill him, “The knight did not falter or fall, but at once he sprang up on his strong legs and jumped into the crowd and snatched up his head by the hair and held it high for all to see” (81). Gawain isn’t able to kill his monster but later, destroys his monster with his morals. The monster being his pride and selfishness.
At the beginning of the book, Gandalf tricks Bilbo into hosting a party for Thorin and his band of twelve dwarves, who sing songs of old, which spoke of reclaiming the Lonely Mountain and its vast treasure from the dragon Smaug. When the music ends, Gandalf shows them a map showing a secret door into the Mountain and nominated the speechless Bilbo to serve as the expedition's "burglar". The dwarves make fun of the idea, but Bilbo, annoyed, joins despite himself. The group travel into the wild, where Gandalf saves them from trolls and leads them to Rivendell, where Elrond (an important elf), reveals more secrets from the map. Passing over the Misty Mountains, they are caught by goblins and forced to march deep
A mysterious knight shows up at the king’s castle and calls himself the Green Knight. The Green Knight then challenges one to play the “beheading game” which means to strike him with his axe if one will take a return blow in a year and a day. Sir Gawain then proceeded to accept the challenge for King Arthur when nobody else in the castle would. He took the King’s role in the game to protect him from the Green
Whether they are deployed or serving in the United States, the pressure of protecting his/her country comes with the territory. The poem, Beowulf, connects with such conflicts by telling of the battles Beowulf faces throughout his life. Beowulf does not let the danger of battling Beowulf stop him, much like soldiers do not let the dangers of the battle field stop them from going to war. This is seen in the poem when Beowulf proudly states: “And may the Divine Lord/in His wisdom grant the glory of victory/to whichever side He sees fit.” (lines 685-687). Through this quote, the reader sees Beowulf’s bravery as he is about to face the monster Grendel.