“But however heedfully
thou hid it, if I here departed, fain in fear now to flee, in the fashion thou
speakest, I should a knight coward be, I could not be excused.” (105)
This passage bothers me.
Gawain is about to meet the Green Knight, and he is wearing the green girdle.
This girdle is supposed to protect him from harm, but he was not supposed to
keep it. The agreement he made with the king was that he would return all the
things he received each day back to him. His fear caused him to act dishonestly
and keep the girdle anyway. This is not courageous, yet he pretends
to have courage in this passage. He appeals to his honor, and refuses to let
his fear drive him from his quest. The problem is that he already lost his honor, and he
is wearing the gift that attests to his lack of honor. His pride leads him to
trick his guide (and maybe even himself) into believing that he is brave. I do
understand that he redeems himself and recognizes his mistake, but it still
irritates me that Gawain even acts heroic when he has done something that
so compromises his honor and bravery.
I commented on Darby and Dallas' posts.
I commented on Darby and Dallas' posts.
I think that he probably does even trick himself into thinking he is brave. It is amazing how we can trick our selves into believing something that is completely false. The heart is deceitful above all things.
ReplyDeleteDon't we hate admitting weakness?? Yes. How is this a situation that would remove itself from standard human nature? I feel that fear doesn't need to be presented for the sake of honesty at all times. Many instances we see where a brave face can be the difference between a breakdown leading to defeat and a victory. And i think in our fear and mistakes, we are going to be tempted to hide those things and trade them for glory and praise.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point - when you act poorly out of fear, it is not necessarily an act of courage or honor. I do not believe that an individual can truly be considered heroic when they compromise their morals or something in order to reach that point.
ReplyDeleteSuch great points and symbolism being brought out here. A passage that seems so arbitrary and only something that seems to move the story along holds such great meaning/reflection. I think this reflects back on the poem as a whole holding such greater meaning that the untrained even sees at first glance.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dallas on this one, I think that the Sir Gawain truly thinks that he is brave. It is hard to recognize your own faults when there is no example of righteousness. Relating this to my life as a Christian, if I don't first see the righteousness of God then how could I possibly see my unrighteousness.
ReplyDelete