Universidad de Costa Rica
Sede de Occidente
Tatiana Torres Alfaro ID # A65718
Jessenia Orozco Romero ID # A54066
M.Ed. Tamatha Rabb Andrews
IO-5510 British Literature
July 5th, 2010
Knightly Values: Mere Illusion?
“A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion,
a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true”1 (Socrates).
Our values must be founded on a solid basis no matter what the circumstances are because
they determine who we are. However, a fragile and changing moral code is worthless and
reveals that those values never existed. Sooner or later our values will be tested by a life
event to lay bare their authenticity. Sir Gawain experienced this in a short period of one year,
which began in the setting of Camelot during the Christmas celebration held by King Arthur.
Camelot was and is famed for its legendary Round Table that King Arthur had made to
symbolize the equality between each and every man and where justice was evoked based on
the chivalric code of honor. The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, from the Romance
genre is about a romantic hero who has a sense of religious duty and seeks to pass a test of
character but in the end finds only shame. The Pearl Poet’s poem was written toward the end
of the Middle Ages with the ideals of the knightly conduct, which included courage, fidelity
and sexual morality, but at the time these codes were beginning to deteriorate. Sir Gawain
and the Green Knight illustrates how a knight's values of integrity and modesty changes from
1
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/values.html
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one year to another as seen in juxtaposition of the two settings found within this literary work
during the Christmas/ New Year Holiday Seasons.
The first of Gawain’s chivalric values that is noted to change from setting to setting
concerns a knight’s integrity. Integrity which is defined as the “steadfast adherence to a strict
moral or ethical code”2 is one of Gawain’s values that is contrasted between the first
Christmas at Camelot and the next year at Barcilak’s castle during Christmas Eve
Dancing nights, lords and ladies
Rejoicing in their rooms, and in Arthur's castle,
Coming together in the height of delight,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It was springtime in Camelot, in the Christmas snow… (48-50, 54)3.
The above quote is a paradox to the moral integrity of what Christmas norms should consist
of as the “lords and ladies” (48) took sexual pleasures during the commemorational season of
Christ’s birth. This “rejoicing in their rooms” (49) was not the bases for celebrating
Christmas at Barcilak’s castle as Gawain observed from the onset: “On that morning when
men remember God’s birth,” (995) “The world rejoices for His sake [Christ Himself]. . .”
(997). Brave men celebrating in proper style” (1000) . This selfsame religious pursuit was
strangely sought after by Sir Gawain as he searched in vain for the Green Knight and fell into
despair “of hearing Christmas mass and honoring / Mary’s son, born to end / Our sorrow . . .
(751-753). The basis of the principle character’s integrity seem to be deeply ingrained within
2
3
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/integrity
All quotes within this work unless otherwise noted, are from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
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him as he turns to more religious principles while sheltering at the castle of his host:
. . . . And priests went walking
To their chapels, and rang out loud and merry
Chimes, as rightly they should, calling
Holiday vespers for the faithful to hear.
And the lord came, and his lady, . . .
.........................................
And Gawain hurries happily after them; (929-935)
The second Christmas celebration, at the Green Knight’s castle, is the antithesis to the one
depicted at Camelot where one expects the norms of the Round Table to prevail under a
Christian banner of values. But instead one found more Christian integrity within the pagan
castle of “Barcilak de Hautdesert” (2445) and his lady “. . . Morgana / Le Fay . . . a famous /
Witch, with wonderful magic . . .” (2445-2447) who rejoice in God’s name and not in earthly
pleasures and excesses. However, this mere allusion to knightly integrity is laid bare when he
voluntarily accepts the green girdle from the Green Knight’s wife, symbolizing this pagan
item his sin and his failure to maintain a knightly integrity. It was assumed that the green
girdle had magical properties which would keep Gawain away from harm as the lady claimed
“For any man bound with this belt, this green lace locked around him, can never be killed,
here under God’s Own heaven…” (1851-1854), although he finally found out that it did not
have such powers. The action of accepting the belt represents his lack of faith on God’s
protection and his strong love for his own life, he certainly hesitated at the beginning
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…his heart reached for protection, like a thief for a gem:
He could come to that chapel, and take that stroke,
And with this glorious device walk off
Unharmed (1855-1859).
But he finally put aside his previous Christian values and surrendered to the pagan amulet.
The second of Gawain’s chivalric values that is noted to change from setting to setting
concerns a knight’s modesty. Now Sir Gawain deals with another value which contrasts
throughout the first Christmas at Camelot and the next year at Barcilak’s castle during
Christmas Eve. Modesty is define as “lack of pretentiousness; simplicity”4
Camelot, institution that involved the qualities of the chivalry code, also held humongous
feasts with excesses and gluttony. Besides the sexual amusement, lots of food and drinks
were served to each individual as well in the castle “All ate as they pleased and as much as
they wanted, a dozen dishes apiece, and beer and wine flowed free.” (126-129) Sir Gawain
undoubtedly participated in all these activities with no regrets. Unquestionably modesty
should embellish Sir Gawain’s traits. However, it is exhibited his unrestrained behavior as
well as the rest of the knights “For Camelot’s Christmas feast was fifteen days, as full of food
and laughter as feasting could be made, loud and happy…” (44-46) unfortunately the
previous quote shows those noble gentlemen’s unawareness of the rest of the people out of
the castle on such a holy celebration. Sojourning at Barcilak’s castle his perspective was
transformed, it is shown in his response when dealing with the Lady of the castle when she is
flattering him “How lucky I am, Lady, not to be the knight you speak of: To take that kind of
4
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/morality
4
honor for my own would be sinful; I know myself too well." (1241-1244) this new setting
symbolizes Sir Gawain’s renewal as seen in last quote. His modesty is greater in the sense
that he does not have a superiority feeling but he cares about keeping away of pretentiousness.
Sir Gawain’s one year journey demonstrated a wicked moral code that could not face
the moral challenges on his way; however we could see how time and context built up a
different viewpoint on this character. This fact affected not only Sir Gawain’s life but was a
clear example of the transformation that the chivalric code was suffering at that time. When
an individual changes, the people surrounding are also influenced by this transformation, it
happened in Camelot: “…each of them wear a slanted belt around their waists, woven of
green, to keep company with their well-loved Gawain.” (2516-2518), every knight decided to
wear that “sign of sin” (2433) as a reminder of the failures in their code in Gawain’s own
words: “to remember the weakness and error of my feeble flesh, how easily infected with the
filth of sin -And if ever pride my feats of arms Stirs me, this belt will humble my
heart.”(2433-2438) Finally, the Green Knight’s plan was executed, he lessoned Gawain and
he let him know about it in this way: “for I planned it all, to test you” (2362). Both settings
presented through the essay involved two different positions, on one side was paganism
(Barcilaks’castle) and on the other Christianity (Camelot), the Green Knight tried to prove
that Christians could not live based on their code. Nevertheless we must highlight that every
human being can get a moral lesson in life journey from his/her errors.
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Works Cited
Anderson, Robert. Elements of Literature. Chicago: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc,
1993.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” SparkNotes.com.
SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 29 Jun. 2010.
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