In reading this poem over the weekend, I was annoyed with the amount of times the book had Gawain's name printed "Wawain". It was ridiculous. Gawain is a knight of truly noble character. He is humble from the beginning when he volunteers to take the blow from the Green Knight. He is tempted three times by the Green Knight's wife. Sir Gawain is honorable enough to not be a "traitor" to the owner of the house he is residing in. He pleads for God's help to keep him strong. The third time, Sir Gawain is tempted by fear and cowardice to accept the lace from the Lady of the house. This lace is said to protect him. To me, this is not the dishonorable part really. When Sir Gawain does not hold true to the lord of the house's deal, that is when he becomes ignoble. Sir Gawain keeps the "love- lace that the lady had given" him despite the agreement to exchange whatever the other had won that day. I do believe Sir Gawain has redemption though. He is in a sense forgiven by the Green Knight and returns to King Arthur's castle to tell the truth of what happened. He does not hide what he has done, even though it questions his loyalty to what is noble. Sir Gawain admits to his sins and there is nobility/honor in that.
I commented on Daniel and Nate's.
I really like that Gawain doesn't deny what he has done. He isn't afraid to accept his punishment and I think that says more about Gawain's honor than the journey itself does.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Natalie. Being able to admit when you're wrong and to take on your punishment is an admirable trait in a society where many people are too arrogant to admit when their wrong and instead try to push the blame on somebody else.
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