Davidson 1
Kathleen Davidson
ENG 310A
Medieval Paper 1
February 25, 2008
Material Objects in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the poem tells the story of Sir Gawain and his deal
with the Green Knight. The tale begins with the Green Knight making a deal with Sir Gawain at
a New Year’s Eve feast. The deal states that Sir Gawain can strike the Green Knight with his
axe but a year and a day later the Green Knight may return the blow. Sir Gawain accepts the
deal and uses the axe to cut off the Green Knights head but even after he does this the knight
picks up his head and rides away reminding Sir Gawain of their deal. Almost a year later Sir
Gawain begins his journey to find the Green Knight but on his way he stops at a castle to pray on
Christmas Day and the lord of the castle invites him to stay. The lord of the castle also makes a
deal with Sir Gawain. Their deal states that everyday when he comes back from hunting he will
exchange his winnings with what Sir Gawain received while staying at the castle. Everyday
when he leaves to hunt his wife, Lady Bertilak, tries to seduce Sir Gawain. Everyday she gives
him a kiss and on the third day she gives him three kisses and her girdle. When the lord comes
home from hunting everyday he exchanges his winnings with Sir Gawain but on the last day Sir
Gawain only gives the lord the three kisses and not the girdle. He does this because Lady
Bertilak told him that the girdle would protect whoever is wearing it from death. When Sir
Gawain leaves and finds the Green Knight he is ready to take his blow. When the Green Knight
hits Sir Gawain with the axe he barely makes him bleed. The Green Knight explains that he is
really the lord of the castle and the only reason he even made Sir Gawain bleed was because he
was not honest about having the woman’s corset.
Davidson 2
This tale presents the major theme of chivalry and courtesy and how they are challenged.
Chivalry and courtesy are a composite of military, religious, and social qualities that define how
a knight or any person of a king’s court should act. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,
chivalry and courtesy are shown and challenged in many different ways. Through the colors and
symbols on Sir Gawain’s armor and Lady Bertialk’s girdle, the theme of the challenging of
chivalry and courtesy can be seen.
Sir Gawain’s armor gives the reader an introduction to his views on chivalry and
courtesy. Sir Gawain’s shield is described in great detail in the poem to show how significant
the shield is to Sir Gawain’s personality. The shield has many important features on it. The first
description of the shield includes that it is red. The poem also states that the shield has a gold
pentangle on it. Finally, on the inside of the shield there is a picture of the Virgin Mary. All
three of these descriptions give great insight into the personality of Sir Gawain.
The colors on Sir Gawain’s shield represent his views on chivalry and courtesy. The
color red is the background color of his shield and it is the color of blood. In religious terms, it is
used for the commemoration of martyred saints. In the beginning of the poem, Sir Gawain acts
as a martyr for the cause of chivalry. When the Green Knight comes into the gathering hall and
asks someone to make the deal with him, King Arthur steps forward first to take the deal. Sir
Gawain knows that he should take the challenge in place of his king because he lives by a code
of chivalry and courtesy. By taking his kings place in this deal in a courteous way he becomes a
martyr for the cause of chivalry and courtesy. The gold hue that comes off the pentangle also
represents one major part of chivalry which is religion. In religious terms, gold is used to
represent god’s glory and divinity. The pentangle is gold to represent that Sir Gawain uses
religion in his life to live up to the code of chivalry.
Davidson 3
Another very important symbol on Sir Gawain’s shield is the pentangle. The pentangle
on Sir Gawain’s shield represents many different things to him and what he stands for. In Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight, it describes the Pentangle being named the “endless knot” by the
English. It symbolizes unity and perfection because it is never ending. These qualities are
important qualities to a knight if he is living up to the code of chivalry. The five points of the
pentangle also represent his character as a knight because they symbolize his five senses and his
five fingers. Both of these things Sir Gawain uses to be a good knight and to live up to the code
of chivalry. He needs good senses and his five fingers to defend the honor of his king. The five
points on the Pentangle also have a religious representation to Sir Gawain. They represent the
five wounds of Christ and the five joys of the Virgin. The code of chivalry and courtesy has a
major element of religion routed in it. Sir Gawain tries to be a good Christian throughout the
poem, even with the many obstacles he faces. Even while making his journey to find the Green
Knight he tries to stop at a church on Christmas day to pray. To Sir Gawain, committing a sin
would be breaking the code of chivalry and courtesy.
Finally, the picture of the Virgin Mary on the inside of Sir Gawain’s shield shows how
passionate he is about his religion and his connection to chivalry and courtesy. Faith in God is a
major part of the chivalric code and for this reason Sir Gawain has a picture of the Virgin Mary
on the inside of his shield. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight it states, “For which cause the
knight had in comely wise on the inner side of his shield her image depainted, that when he cast
his eyes thither his courage never failed” (648-650). Sir Gawain believed that if he were to look
at the Virgin Mary that was painted on his shield during battle he would never fail. He wants the
shield to protect him when he returns to the Green Knight and by looking at her on his shield he
believes that he will be saved.
Davidson 4
The challenge against Sir Gawain’s beliefs in chivalry and courtesy can be symbolized by
Lady Bertilak’s girdle also. Lady Bertilak tries to seduce Sir Gawain from the time he meets him
but cannot successfully get him to stray from his code of chivalry and courtesy until she offers
him her girdle. Lady Bertilak’s girdle has many significant characteristics in its description. The
colors of the girdle, the material, and the qualities that it possesses all help to show the
significance of the girdle to Sir Gawain’s downfall from his code of courtesy and chivalry.
Lady Bertilak’s girdle is made out of green silk and gold finish. The color green in
religious terms is used to symbolize the triumph of life over death. The girdle is the color green
to represent how it is supposed to save Sir Gawain from the Green Knight. When Sir Gawain
accepts the girdle from Lady Bertilak it shows that he is no longer putting his faith in God like
his chivalric code says that he should. Sir Gawain accepts the girdle and at the same time he
loses his faith. The gold finish on the girdle further represents how Sir Gawain feels about
religion. At the beginning of the poem Sir Gawain has great faith to his God but at this point in
the poem he is abandoning his faith by using Lady Bertilak’s girdle. The color gold in religious
terms is used to symbolize divinity. It is ironic that the color gold is on Lady Bertialk’s girdle
because by accepting this gift from her and not telling her husband what he received he is
abandoning the chivalric code and one main component of the code is religion.
The girdle is also made of silk which also symbolizes Sir Gawain discarding his chivalric
code. Silk is a material that is smooth and inviting. It often is used in a seductive manner. Lady
Bertilak uses her silk girdle to try to lure Sir Gawain away from his religious values. She tries
seducing Sir Gawain from the first time she meets him and cannot successfully get him to stray
from his values until she offers him her silk girdle.
Davidson 5
Lastly, the girdle has a value behind it that finally gets Sir Gawain to abandon his
chivalric code. When Lady Bertilak first tries to give Sir Gawain her girdle he refuses it. It is
only after she tells him what the girdle can do that he accepts it. Lady Bertilak states, “For
whoever goes girdled with this green riband, while he keeps it well clasped closely about him,
there is none so hardly under heaven that to hew him were able; for he could not be killed by any
cunning of hand” (1852-1855). The girdle possesses the power to save anyone who is wearing it
from death. By accepting the girdle that will save his life he is abandoning his faith and his
chivalric code. He no longer believes that God will save him and he now believes that in order
to survive his encounter with the Green Knight he must use the girdle.
The colors and symbols on Sir Gawain’s armor and Lady Bertilak’s girdle show Sir
Gawain’s challenge to stick to his code of chivalry and courtesy. In the beginning of the Poem
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain sticks to his faith in the chivalric code. He stands
up for his leader and sticks to his faith in God. After his journey to the Bertilak’s castle, his
temptation from Lady Bertilak and his upcoming encounter with the Green Knight causes him to
stray from his chivalric values. With the story of Sir Gawain the reader is left pondering the
question of is chivalry dead or was it really never there to begin with?