Sir Gawain

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Prompt 1)

“Most noble knights were afraid to respond, so stunned by his voice that they stayed there stock-still” (Gawain, p. 9). Fearful should not be the first word that comes to mind when describing a noble night. Nevertheless, not one of King Arthur’s knights had enough courage to respond to the towering green knight. They were all too afraid to accept his challenge. King Arthur’s knights had a reputation that at that moment they were failing to uphold. Sir Gawain and the rest of the Knights were at this moment struggling between upholding their reputation and their natural fear. This is probably something these knights have to do often. The knights are fighting against their natural human instincts and desires because they have such a strict set of standards.

The reason that a man would put himself through the struggle of being a knight is simple; there are some well desired perks that come with the job. In the feudal system a knight ranked higher than peasants, so they got to enjoy things a peasant would not. The story begins with celebrations being held at Camelot by King Arthur. These celebrations lasted “the whole of a fortnight with all the feasting and pleasure that people could think of” (Gawain, p. 4). This type of celebration is probably a common occurrence and something that the knights probably take great joy in. There is also the fact that Sir Gawain and the rest of the knights were Christian. To live by the standards of a knight also meant to be pious. A person who lives a holy life is supposed to be rewarded by god in the afterlife, according to Christianity. This shows that there are incentives that make being a knight worth it.

Gawain was clearly to some extent fearful of the green knight, but since he is a noble knight he felt it was necessary to be the one to accept his challenge. “My only worth is that you are my uncle; my body’s sole value that your blood runs through it” said Gawain to King Arthur...