FREE ESSAY ON SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT

SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, courtly love is used to test the loyalty and faith of
Sir Gawain. One definition of courtly love was a "code of behavior that defined the
relationship between aristocratic lovers in Western Europe during the Middle Ages.
Influenced by contemporary chivalric ideals..." (Encarta Encyclopedia). Although courtly
love was a part of chivalry, it also helped to define it. Since this was during the time
of the Crusades, strict adherence to Christian morals was required of a knight. 
Chivalry was the code of conduct by which knights were supposedly guided. In addition to
military prowess and valor and loyalty to God and the knight's feudal lord, it called for
courtesy toward enemies and generosity toward the sick and oppressed, widows, and other
disadvantaged people (Encarta). Incorporated in the ideal of chivalry was courtly love,
which was romantic devotion for a sexually unattainable woman, usually another man's
wife. It was a way of defining adultery in a time when marriages were primarily arranged
for profit or military advantage. 
Courtly love was a strong element in the Arthurian legends, which Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight is a part. The Arthurian legends also had very strong moral conflicts
between Christian and pagan beliefs. This is evident in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
by the Gawain's act of putting his trust in a pagan charm and not in the Virgin Mary.
Chivalry itself is a conflicting concept since it consists of both pagan and Christian
principles. Although on one hand, chivalry promoted virtuous actions towards others such
as kindness and compassion, but chivalry also promoted the sin of infidelity. At the
time, society encouraged knights to become involved "platonically" with married women,
but with the rise of the Catholic Church, these ideals were being challenged. This may,
in fact, be the primary cause for this work. When the dilemma of whether or not to give
Lord Bercilak the Green Girdle arises, Gawain, an ideal knight who remains fallibly
human, is torn between the codes of courtly love and the other ethics of chivalry. 
In addition to the battlefield, the tournament became an arena in which the virtues of
chivalry could be proved. The test of chivalry placed on Sir Gawain was administered in
two parts; the first is to behead the Green Knight and let him retaliate a year later at
the Green Chapel, and the second was being tempted by Lord Bercilak's wife into an
committing adultery. Although these events seem unrelated, they are joined by the fact
that, unknown to Sir Gawain, Lord Bercilak is the Green Knight. In the end, Sir Gawain
wears the girdle to remind him of his shortcomings, but the court also wears a green sash
to represent his courage. 
In understanding the concept of courtly love and how it is important to understanding Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight, adoration of the Virgin Mary also played a part. Mary on one
side represented spiritual love, chastity, obedience, and life. The Virgin Mary is a
prime example of the model of female behavior. She represents humility and obedience to
God. She is virtuous and untainted by sexuality, chaste, but also a mother. She is a
giver of life without sin. 
It is evident that Sir Gawain has a special relationship with Mary. It seemed that as
long as Gawain is facing dangers that grow out of his agreement with the Green Knight,
which does not test his opposing loyalties in love, his spiritual faith is clear and
unwavering. When he was on the journey to find the Green Knight, he encounters several
challenges and is finally at the point of utter hopelessness. From the pit of his despair
he prays to Mary that she may bless him with shelter and a place to go for Christmas
mass. 
Lady Bercilak was an archetypical of courtly love and a biblical temptress. Given this
mistrust of women by the church, the placement of the women in the story must be a
critical medium for delivering this message. Interestingly enough, the women in this
story appear to wield great power. Bercilak's wife has become the hunter and aggressor.
Morgan is the instigator of the event with which the story begins and is given
supernatural powers that can cause Lord Bercilak to defy death. Nevertheless, I don't
think the author intended to present women as powerful, but rather these women embody an
allegory for the dangers and anti-social forces outside the control of feudalism and
chivalry. The medieval world gave this idea the feminine gender because of biblical and
classical models of all things dissident to be female.
She persuades him to make a bargain with her, but now this bargain is with a woman rather
than a man, and his ability to please her with his talk is being tested rather than the
other bargains that test his loyalty, valor and truthfulness. In the game of courtly
love, a man is forced to leave his dominant role and stand on equal footing with a woman.
Unlike the other tournaments, established by men, where the rules are clearly defined,
the Lady's game is ambiguous. We can see this as the seduction progresses. The author is
setting up the different bargains, or games, to ask the question, which is the most
important value of chivalry? If you were to ask the Lady, it would be courtly love.
In my opinion, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a metaphor for the constant tug of war
that went on between the Church and the pagan ideals still present in society. Since
courtly love is in itself a sinful act, it is the part of chivalry that represents the
pagan, or evil side, and the loyalty and faith and trust in God, and or a Lord,
represents the Christian influences surfacing. The basic struggle that Gawain has in this
story is that between good and evil. Courtly love is the representation of lust and
immorality in the game of love. Spiritual love is the good, or the holy. I believe the
function of courtly love in understanding Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is to
demonstrate the need for change in the fabric of the social order, and how putting your
trust in objects that are of magic or of the devil will only bring about destruction, not
to mention the blatant statement that woman are inherently evil and can not be trusted.
Courtly love was a good avenue for this intention because it embodies all that the church
is fighting to remove from the medieval society. 
Bibliography
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia - 2000