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A.J. Casadevall
Ms. Ruccolo
ENGL 2614
9 May 2014
A Discussion of Symbolism in
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight at its core is a poem about honor, chivalry, deceit, lust and
loyalty. The poem tells the story of Sir Gawain, a knight in King Arthur’s court, who enters into a game
with the Green Knight. Sir Gawain is given one blow at the Green Knight’s head and in return, Sir Gawain
must seek out the Green Knight to offer up his head just as the Green Knight did. It is quite easy to
understand the story during a first reading because of the fact that the story is told linearly, the story
never has any flashbacks and it is told through day to day events. Underneath the text that is given to us
though, there is a puzzle that gives a better explanation on the telling of the story. In order to
understand the story and the way that it works, one must become familiar with the symbolism that is
used in order to tell the story. Much of the symbolism is religious, seeing as at the time the story would
have been told, religion was a major part of life and could be seen in most writing. The symbolism in Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight comes in the form of colors, numbers and even the two main characters,
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
I fell in love with the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight after reading it for the first time.
It was only after hearing that there was a puzzle behind the story that made me even more interested in
understanding the simple yet complex tale. Because I enjoy solving puzzles I decided to try and decipher
the puzzle that is, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
The pentangle is the symbol that is on the front of Gawain’s shield, the one that he carries with
him on his journey to find the Green Knight. “This star is a traditionally non-religious emblem that was
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given magical and religious associations in medieval times. The symbol often ceased to be simply a
pagan emblem, and was instead said to represent the five wounds of Jesus during his crucifixion, thus
allotting it religiosity and transforming it into a religious emblem” (The Pentangle). In the story the
points on the pentangle represent the five virtues of knighthood which are: faultless in the five senses,
his five fingers never failed, the five wounds of Christ’s crucifixion, the five joys of Mary and lastly
generosity, courtesy, charity, fellowship and chastity. Gawain embraces and demonstrates each point of
the pentangle during the story. By giving himself up to the Green Knight, Gawain is in some ways
embracing the five wounds of Christ. Gawain sacrifices himself to show the loyalty and honor of King
Arthur’s court, just as Christ gives up his body to rid man of sin. The last of the five virtues are embraced
by Gawain throughout the whole story, starting in the beginning when he gives up himself to the Green
Knight so that King Arthur does not have to.
A few numbers come up quite a bit in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and they have symbolism
in Christianity. Three, five and eight are some of the numbers that appear in the story and their
symbolism makes their significance in the story that much greater. The number three represents perfect
harmony, the holy trinity and also goodness (Pearl and Number Symbolism: the Mathematics of
Meaning). When Gawain stays at Bercilak’s castle, the two play a game in which Bercilak goes out
hunting each day and Gawain stays in bed while attending to Bercilak’s wife. At the end of the day the
two exchange what they have won from the game. The game goes on for three days, each day
Bercilak’s take from the hunt becomes less and less while Gawain’s prizes tend to be in his favor. Three
also appears when it comes time for Gawain to receive blows from the Green Knight. He is struck three
times and it is only on the third strike that Gawain receives a cut on his neck. It seems that inSir Gawain
and the Green Knight, most of the events that take place after Gawain sets out for the Green Knight are
associated with the number three.
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The number eight appears once in the story and it represents eternity, Christ, resurrection, and
stability (Pearl and Number Symbolism: the Mathematics of Meaning). After the three day game
between Bercilak and Gawain, Gawain has received eight kisses from Lady Bercilak. It is also on the third
day of the game that Lady Bercilak gives Gawain the girdle that saves his life. It seems to be no mere
coincidence that the day Gawain receives an item that will protect him from death, he also receives his
eighth kiss, which may also represent his eternity, not so much a true everlasting life, but instead, his
story being told throughout eternity. Gawain is also able to resurrect himself after lying to Bercilak, after
receiving the third blow, which cuts his neck, Gawain apologizes to Bercilak for deceiving him. Gawain’s
apology reinstates him as the most moral and honorable knight in King Arthur’s court.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s characters also parallel the characters from the biblical story
Job. After reading the poem once, it is quite interesting to see that at the beginning of the poem, the
Green Knight knows all that is going to happen to whomever steps up to play the game. By keeping the
events of the game hidden, the reader is able to watch as Gawain undergoes a test of his morals.
According to Edward Byrne, by taking a biblical stance on the story you can see that Gawain’s character
mirrors that of Job and the Green Knight mirrors both Satan and God (From Where do you Come?).
Because religion was a major aspect of life in the middle ages, it would make sense that a story that
takes place in that era would have similarities to a religious story. It seems strange to think of the Green
Knight as mirroring both God and Satan, it almost does not make sense, but if you look at his character’s
changes throughout the story this double sidedness is easily seen. At the beginning of the story the
Green Knight plays the role of Satan, imparting a game that will test one’s morals. It is also a game of
deceit and Satan is as Christianity has shown us, a great deceiver. Even when the Green Knight becomes
Bercilak, he is still mirroring Satan. While Gawain is staying at his castle, Bercilak tempts him every day
to see just how strong Gawain’s morals are.
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Gawain, just like Job has his morals tested throughout the story. Gawain is also like Job in the
sense that if they were to die, people would mourn, but it would not be a terrible loss to mankind. The
Green Knight also mirrors God, although this character change comes at the end of the story. When
Gawain apologizes, confesses, to the Green Knight about the girdle that he was given, the Green Knight
forgives him for what he has done, just as God forgives man for sinning. By having the main characters
mirror religious characters, the story becomes easily relatable to anyone who reads this and also knows
the story of Job. Having parallels to well-known texts may also make the story more understandable to
someone who is not able to follow what is happening in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
The color green also plays a major role in the story, being that the Knight is green and the girdle
that is given to Gawain by Lady Bercilak is also green. Green in the Christian religion represents hope
and the victory of life over death (Color Symbolism in Christianity). The color green also represents
faeries or the use of witchcraft, which in the case of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, makes more sense
(Anti-Christian Themes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight). The green girdle given to Gawain prevents
his death because of the magic that the girdle holds. Whoever is wearing the girdle will not be able to
die from the strike or blow of a weapon. Although Gawain makes it through the Green Knight’s game
alive, he is left with a constant reminder of his lack of honesty because of the green girdle that he took
from Lady Bercilak. If Gawain, the most moral of King Arthur’s knights, could pass the game, perhaps he
could teach others to be like him.
It was difficult trying to find credible sources on the topic of Christian symbolism Sir Gawain and
the Green Knight. There were a few sources that I did not use because of the redundancy in the research
that I found. If I had to make a presentation on the topic of symbolism in Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight, I would most likely broaden the research that I have already completed to allow for more
speculation on the topic. Rather than focus specifically on the religious symbolism in the story, I would
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focus on symbolism in general, allowing for contrasting research and different perspectives on the
puzzle behind the story.
In the end it is impossible to tell whether or not Gawain came out the victor in the Green
Knight’s game. Even though the girdle does save his life by not allowing the Green Knight a fair swing at
killing Gawain, he is still left with a mark that would not have been there had Gawain turned over the
girdle to Bercilak on the last day of their game. The poem may show us how easily men will become
selfish and deceitful when their lives are on the line, but it also tells the reader that being honest and
sticking to your morals will always make you a better man in the end. The poem is fairly simple to
understand, and the symbolism used throughout the story only broadens one’s understanding of why
the story is told the way it is. Although trying to understand the puzzle that is Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight is an interesting task, it should be left up to scholars. The poem is too linear for any casual reader
to delve into the underlying symbolism that makes up this wonderful poem.
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Works Cited
Byrne, Edward. "From Where Do You Come?: Complexity, Theology, and
Paradox in the Green Knight." Scholars' Day Review 1 (2013). Web. 05 May 2014.
Available at (URL) http://web.monroecc.edu/scholarsday/SDRhome
“Anti-Christian Themes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Religion Among the Laity.Web. 11 Apr.
2014. < http://sitemaker.umich.edu/religiousobjects/anti-christian_themes>
“Color Symbolism in Christianity.” N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
<http://www.wou.edu/provost/library/exhibits/exhibits2004-05/color/Images/christianity.pdf>
"Pearl and Number Symbolism." Pearl and Number Symbolism. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
< http://faculty.goucher.edu/eng240/pearl_and_number_symbolism.htm>
“The Pentangle.” Religion Among the Laity. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
<http://sitemaker.umich.edu/religiousobjects/pentangle>