Chivalry in "sir Gawain and the Green Knight"

Chivalry in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"

When reading literature, a person is often provided with different insights into the cultures that had created them. When looking at literature written in the middle ages, such as "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", each reader can view the poem, while also gaining insight into the ideals of that time period. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" was written during the period of Romance, and gives that kind of insight on the ideals of the code of chivalry. It also helps in showing how men who are imperfect and destined to sin can achieve such great things as honesty and realism. Throughout this poem, Sir Gawain struggles to protect and maintain his knightly virtues of friendship, loyalty, chastity, courtesy, and piety (SparkNotes Editors) and his adherence to these virtues and is tested throughout the poem, as he struggles to keep his pacts with the Green Knight and his host.

The codes of chivalry seems contradict each other and challenge natural human behavior. The rules of chivalry bring forth a concern of courage (SparkNotes Editors), which also plays a role in recognition of a Knight's battle prowess and keeping up a good reputation along the way. Courage can be defined as the virtuous mean between being fearful and being recklessness. Courage cannot exist in the absence of fear because it would then be recklessness. We notice this in Sir Gawain, as he tries to achieve this balance of keeping to the codes of chivalry (SparkNotes Editors). Throughout the poem Sir Gawain centers himself on the idea of courage, and only briefly shows a sense of fear or recklessness in his duties to the King.

Sir Gawain gets his first opportunity to display his courage during King Arthur's Christmas feast when he receives a challenge from the Green Knight. Sir Gawain does not recklessly rush forward to meet the Green Knight's challenge but, instead he inches his way slowly, to step forward to protect the King's honor. Sir Gawain is neither fearless nor reckless as he faces the Green Knight, and takes hits from the Knight's axe. Sir Gawain is not a fearless character because he flinches when he glances at the menacing blade that is poised to slice his head from his shoulders.

Just as Sir Gawain struggles to maintain a balance between fear and recklessness he also struggles to find a balance between the demands of religious chastity and the demands of courtly love (SparkNotes Editor). The heroic Knight is bound by the ideals of religion and courtly love in the same way he is bound by the rules of feudal chivalry. Where these rules contradict each other, Sir Gawain struggles to find the virtuous mean. The challenges of chastity and courtly love are clearly visible in the scenes concerning Lady Burdilac.

With each encounter Sir Gawain is tempted to have a sexual affair with the beautiful woman that could and would possibly break more than one of the rules after which Knights are supposed to model their lives. In lines 1489-1491, The Lady explains her job by saying, "'this counsel I gave you: wherever favor is found, defer not to claim them: that becomes all who care for courteous manners'", which