Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Stanza 74 - 1376 Words

In stanza 74, fit III, the lady of the castle offers a magical, green girdle to Sir Gawain and explains to him that the wearer of this corset quot;cannot be killed by any cunning on earth.quot; Sir Gawain, amidst an ethical dilemma, accepts the gift and chooses to conceal it from Lord Bertilak. This passage contains three of the main themes of the story Ââ€" the inner and outer conflicts between Sir Gawains ethics and desire to live, and the test of religion. When Sir Gawain is offered the girdle, his knightly principles are questioned. The honorable thing would be to reject the offer or bring it to the lord of the castle, but Gawain places the preservation of his life ahead of chivalry. The knight has withstood the ladys constant†¦show more content†¦Gawain is let off the hook and sent on his way. When Sir Gawain returns to Camelot, he recalls his story, humiliated and humbled. The members of King Arthurs court, however, feel that Sir Gawain has done well and attempt to cheer the knight up. They do not feel that Sir Gawain has done anything immoral and let it pass as they continue their revelry. The third of the primary themes of the poem is the test of Sir Gawains faith and devotion to God. Gods presence is prominent throughout the entire poem, as he helps Sir Gawain and leads him on the correct path. Sir Gawains acceptance of the girdle shows his lack of faith in Gods protection; he sees himself as a Christian knight, but, rather than trusting in Gods protection, commits a sin to protect himself. At this point in the story, however, there is no reason to doubt God - God had protected Sir Gawain during his journey, God had directed him to the area near the Green Chapel, and when Gawain needed a place to worship on Christmas Eve, God led him to the castle in the woods. Gawain remained pious as he refused his hostesss constant advances, but when he is given the easy chance to save himself from the blade of the Green Knight, he forsakes God and forgets all that He has done to help him. In this aspect, Morgan represents Satan; using the lady of the castle as her puppet, she end eavors to tempt Sir Gawain and lead him away from God. When her original, sexual attemptsShow MoreRelatedEssay Sir Gawain And The Green Knight: Stanza 741332 Words   |  6 Pages In stanza 74, fit III, the lady of the castle offers a magical, green girdle to Sir Gawain and explains to him that the wearer of this corset amp;quot;cannot be killed by any cunning on earth.amp;quot; Sir Gawain, amidst an ethical dilemma, accepts the gift and chooses to conceal it from Lord Bertilak. This passage contains three of the main themes of the story – the inner and outer conflicts between Sir Gawain’s ethics and desire to live, and the test of religion. When Sir Gawain is offeredRead More The Role of Women in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight Essay1612 Words   |  7 PagesThe Role of Women in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is an example of medieval misogyny. Throughout Medieval literature, specifically Arthurian legends like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the female characters, Guinevere, the Lady, and Morgan leFay are not portrayed as individuals but social constructs of what a woman should be. Guinevere plays a passive woman, a mere token of Arthur. The Lady is also a tool, but has an added role of temptress and adulteressRead MoreThe Metrics Of English Literature4721 Words   |  19 Pagesaspirations. Set within Denmark and Geat the warrior slays monsters and goes on to become King of Geatland, however, meets an unfortunate end when slaying a dragon threatening his country. This being a similar comparison to today’s well-known medieval knight in literature: King Arthur. However being separated by hundreds of years, the style of writing has significantly changed. Arthurian stories and tales are based on chivalry with characters that may have been seen as believable in nature besides the