Themes in Sir Gawain
and the Green Knight
Temptation and testing
 “A trial of Gawain’s fidelity to his host and of his
loyalty to the chivalric ideal of truth.”
 A typical temptation fable of the medieval
period presents a series of tribulations
assembled as tests of moral virtue.
 The Green Knight tests Gawain’s ability to
follow the virtues represented on his shield.
 The five points of the pentangle denote the five
moral virtues of the code of chivalry: friendship,
generosity, chastity, courtesy and piety.”
 Sir Gawain’s devotion to the code of chivalry is
constantly being tested by the Green Knight
 King Arthur’s court- friendship and courtesy
 Generosity and courtesy is seen during his visit
at the castle
 Gawain’s piety and chastity are tested by the
host’s wife-must accept girdle according to his
code
 The green girdle tempts him to abandon the
code of chivalry
 He later repents to the Green Knight – he
becomes aware of his mortality and weaknesshe rises above his mistakes and achieves
growth through his experience
Hunting and seduction
 There are parallels between the hunting
scenes and the seduction scenes
 Deer- unspecific and nonviolent like the
seduction scene- there is no apparent danger
 Boar- more detail and more difficult to hunt- the
host’s wife is more forward
 Fox- most easily connected- resorts to trickery
to save his skin- Gawain accepts the girdle to
save his life
Nature Vs Chivalry
 The Green Knight invades Arthur’s peaceful
hall
 Nature can be seen as force that keeps man
from the code of chivalry.
 It may also be seen as an inevitable ruler over
man.
 Richard Hamilton asserts, “ the author creates
a dark world of potential failure and warns of
‘powers of evil which may corrupt even the
most virtuous men and institutions’”
 “Gawain is truly imperfect and it is through his
lesson of humility that he finds redemption”
Games
 An exchange of beheading
 An exchange of winnings
 The hero’s survival of the first game
depends on his honesty, the second on
his purity
Symbolism
 Color green- nature, rebirth, witchcraft, the
fading away of youth (when combined with
gold like the girdle)
 The Green Knight- a manifestation of the devil,
a fusion of two deities- good and evil or life and
death
 The Pentangle- infinity, the 5 virtues in the
Code of Chivalry, the five tasks
 The girdle- a replacement for his trust in God to
save him from the axe wound, a symbol of
feminine power, a sexual symbol???
 The wound- Gawain’s sin-his desire to
preserve mortal life. Eventually the wound
heals which is symbol of his forgiven sins.