Character Analysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

After reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain’s identity is left undecided. At the conclusion of the narrative, the Green Knight restores Gawain’s knightly virtues of the pentangle and continues to praise Gawain for his virtue. But Gawain returns home unsatisfied with his restoration only to find his court full of admiration for his return home and victory, even though he now wears the green lace (4.2489-505). The physical journey Gawain to the Green Knight demonstrates his outward courage and devotion, but what is truly going on in his heart? Gawain’s moral character is at stake because he must decide between his valued pentangle or his gifted green lace as his true identity. During his encounter with the Green Knight, Sir†¦show more content†¦The courage and loyalty from his armor allows Gawain to travel through the dark and cold forest to reach an unknown castle. Here, Gawain—unknowingly—takes his first steps to uncover his t rue identity. At the entrance of the castle, he â€Å"bore away his broad sword and blazoned shield† (2.828) and took his helmet off (2.825). This initial removal of his highly decorated clothing opens up Gawain’s body to be susceptible to outside attack of sin and lust. His armor usually protects from external harm and serves as a reminder to uphold the duties of a knight. Once removed, Gawain loses his one external reminder of who he must be. He continues to trade â€Å"His war-dress of weight and his worthy clothes† (2.861) for beautiful and luxury soft robes (2.862-871). Gawain’s public appearance disappears more and more for the desires of himself, like greed and extravagance of life. His beautiful pentangle is no longer in view as he is determined to relax and cherish every moment before his anticipated death. Once inside this castle, Gawain loses sight of his mission and slowly finds an identity closer to human nature than he wishes. The contract given by the King tests Gawain without his armor. The king of the castle offers Sir Gawain a new contract where he gains everything the King wins during a hunt and Gawain must give everything he earns back to the king (2.1106-107). This contract tests Sir Gawain’s fidelity and knightly virtues the most because he cannotShow MoreRelated A Character Analysis of Sir Gawain as Presented In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight1426 Words   |  6 PagesA Character Analysis of Sir Gawain as Presented In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the character of Sir Gawain is skillfully brought to life by the unknown author. Through the eyes of numerous characters in the poem, we see Gawain as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. As the story progresses, Gawain is subjected to a number of tests of character, some known and some unknown. 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