The Importance of a Believable Main Character
The most important aspect of a literary work is typically the central figure. When the personality of the main character is made believable, a literary work can become genuinely magnificent. As a result, the reader will be more drawn to the work because they will be able to connect to the character on a more personal level. Three fundamental but distinct methods exist for a character's personality to be revealed to the reader: what the character's actions will reveal about them, what the main character thinks of themselves, and what other people think and feel about them. When the author is able to define a character by all these three methods, then the character is brought to life as a real individual. However, authors can make a mistake of making the character look too perfect without flaws and in the process, the phantasm of reality is lost as is the case of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The only way this can be avoided is when the author lets some of the aspects of the character get out of sync like a glitch in personality. This can only be brought to reality when the character is pushed to the verge of his ultimate personality. In this literary work, Gawain begins his journey to greatness when he decides to take part in a challenge that is given by an apocalyptic figure known as the Green Knight. The character is described as honest but his flaw is revealed when he is tested in the gift-giving bustle that can make him lose his life. The true nature of Sir Gawain is therefore brought to light when his life comes at stake.
Introduction
In the story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is made out to be the best of all the knights. Sir Gawain is described as humble and honest. he is supposed to embody the virtues of knights “These five ways in which Gawain is virtuous are in the dexterity of his five fingers, the perfection of his five senses, his devotion to the five wounds of Christ, his reflection on the five joys of Mary in Christ and, finally, five virtues: generosity, fellowship, chastity, courtesy, and charity.” In this story, he is not perfect though. If someone was told they were about to watch the best tennis player in the world, and the player does exceedingly well but ends up losing, the entire narrative will be ruined. Viewers would be upset to see they were deceived, even if the player was the second best player in the world. Gawain, in this book, has not made out to be PRETTY good at being a knight, he was perfect and failed. If our savior was ALMOST sinless, pretty humble, but not perfect, he would not matter. No one would care, and the story would inspire no one. Gawain is supposed to be what all the other knights strive to be like, but he fails. He makes every other knight along with King Arthur look within and say, “It’s okay if we mess up, even the greatest knight is not that great.” If the narrative of Gawain’s character had been he is a great knight but not perfect, then the other knights would not slip into such a mindset of complacency when he fails. Gawain is hardly human in this story, everyone knows they can never be as good as Jesus, every knight knows they could never surpass Gawain because he’s “perfect” but now they still know they can’t surpass him, even with his mistakes.
Body
As the poem starts, readers are familiarized with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight during the time of Christmas in the King’s court. The Green Knight then storms in the dining hall with his big figure and complete green color. The Green Knight then challenges the knight to a game of beheading. The Knights are expected to cut off the head of the Green Knight and then after twelve months and a day, the one who accepts the challenge is required to set out on a mission to look for the Green Knight who will then cut his head off. Presumably, none of the knights seated at the round table agrees to the challenge as they all look at him with no response. This stirs up a mockery from the Green Knight who starts to taunt the knights with questions like; “Is this really Arthur’s building? Where is all the pride and magnificent deeds that you claim to have done? Are all your victories and honor a bunch of braggadocio acts? Is there no cut felt because of your cowardice and quake?” The Green Knight’s mockery and words anger the King, Arthur who stands up to take the Green Knight’s challenge. It is in this instance that the central character, Sir Gawain is brought into the light. Sir Gawain then intrudes and he boldly asks the King to let him take the challenge instead. At this point, Sir Gawain portrays his character to the King and the knights from what would later turn out to be great. Sir Gawain then tells the King that he should let him take the challenge since he is the weakest of all the knights in the house. He then adds that if by chance he ends up losing his life, then it would not be a big deal to anyone as compared to if the King lost his.
This shows that Sir Gawain thinks little of his personality and that the only logic why he is a knight is because he is related to the King. Ideally, Sir Gawain in this literary work is portrayed as the King’s nephew. This action is seen as one not of ego or pride but of noble character. It is ironic that Sir Gawain thinks little of himself yet among all the brave knights seated at the table he is the only one who is brave enough to save their King from the Green Knight. His actions, therefore, end up portraying him as one of the greatest knights among all. Gawain then ends up chopping off the Green Knight’s head, and his journey begins. By doing this, he takes one of the hardest challenges that a knight could ever do yet he believes that he is the least of all. At this point, the reader and the knights as well start seeing the greatness that Sir Gawain has. Before he leaves, Sir Gawain is seen putting aside all the fears that he may have. He motivates himself that he is on the path of destiny and that there is no solid reason why he should not go. When the time comes for Sir Gawain to set out for the quest, all the knights in the King’s square gather around to watch him leave as they bid farewell to the Knight. Gawain then puts on his excellent armor as he mounts his horse. He is then given a shield which symbolizes truth and has five-pointed stars of Solomon. Sir Gawain is depicted as being worthy of it. He then leaves Camelot in search of the Green Knight and never looks back. This portrays the character as dedicated.
In his quest, the character meets all kinds of beasts as he agonizes over cold and hunger. With time, the character is seen to grow more desperate. Christmas day then reaches and he bows to pray to the Lord for a place. Just as he is done praying, he looks up only to see a castle from a distance. This castle is where he is destined to acquire directions for the Green Chapel. He then goes to the chapel which seems to have magically appeared. As he enters the place, he is received warmly, but he never reveals his identity. It is at the time of supper that he is questioned about his identity. However, after the Lord of the castle knows Sir Gawain’s identity, they end up laughing with joy along with the men in the household. Sir Gawain’s appearance to the lord of the castle that day is praised by the author as an act of continuous courage by Sir Gawain. As the two relate, Sir Gawain’s actions might easily deceive some of the people’s perception of him as respectful and well-mannered. However, the real truth is brought to light when two women enter the room. Sir Gawain then bows down to greet one of the women who ideally an old witch but he goes on to take the other woman into his arms and he gives her a kiss. Even with his rank as a knight, he still greets the royal lady in a wrongful manner since he got blinded by her beauty and charm. Sir Gawain accepts a challenge by the Lord of the Castle whereby the lord agrees to give him whatever he amasses during the day while he should give the Lord whatever he yields during the daytime, and he should also reside at the chapel. He uses this as a bargaining chip to get directions for the Green Chapel. Basically, this was a test of Sir Gawain’s honesty. On the first day, the lady of the castle then seduces Sir Gawain, but he is able to get out of harm's path, and he ends up getting a single kiss from the lady. The Lord of the castle returns with a deer that he caught and he gave it to Sir Gawain as it was expected of him. Sir Gawain then gives the lord the kiss that he had received from the lady.
The following day, the lady shows up in Sir Gawain’s room and the seduction begins again. This time they engage in a seductive talk, but Sir Gawain is able to push away the advancements that the lady makes at him. He avoids being rude to the lady during the seduction, but he still ends up getting two kisses from the lady of the castle. Later on in the evening, the Lord of the Castle returns with a boar as his catch for the day. He then hands it over to Sir Gawain while Gawain gives the Lord the two kisses he received from the lady. So far, Sir Gawain is seen to be honest and truthful to the Lord and to the readers as well.
Terror looms on the third day when Sir Gawain lies in bed asleep and Bercilak’s wife gets in the room half-naked. She then gets on top of Sir Gawain, and the two start kissing, but it then hits Sir Gawain that whatever he was doing was wrong. He then resists the temptation, and the lady starts questioning him whether he has a lover back at home. Sir Gawain replies that he does not have any girlfriend and neither is he planning to have one in the near future. Bercilak’s wife adamantly accepts Sir Gawain’s refusal, but she then offers to give the knight a ring as a gift from her and a remembrance. Surprisingly, Sir Gawain refuses the offer, claiming that he has nothing valuable that he can give back to the lady since he is just an ordinary man. Bercilak’s wife gets intrigued by Sir Gawain’s character, and she then decides to give Sir Gawain her green belt. She then tells Sir Gawain that whoever wore the belt could not be killed by anything or anyone that lives on earth. Earlier in the night, Sir Gawain is seen to be having nightmares concerning his meeting with the Green Knight. This belt then erodes his upright character, and he starts thinking to himself that perhaps he could escape death from the Green Knight if he took the green belt from the lady. The Lord of the Castle then returns to the castle with a fox. He then gives Sir Gawain the fox, and Sir Gawain gave him the three kisses that he got from the lady. However, Sir Gawain does not give him the green belt that he was given by the lady as a gift.
This is when Sir Gawain’s greatness is lowered to that of a simple man who fears for his life other than a perfect figure like Jesus Christ in the Bible. By doing this, the author makes the character more real than he ever was since any ordinary human being will bargain for his life in such a situation. Sir Gawain is seen to have a lot of pressure concerning his actions and dishonesty. He openly says his fate will be enough payment for what he has done. The Lord of the Castle then allows Sir Gawain to leave, and he gives him a guide who will take him to the Green Chapel where he will meet the Green Knight. The guide is portrayed as Sir Gawain’s last test in his quest. Sir Gawain then puts on his armor and garments and rides off on his horse, Gringalet. They travel with the guide across hills and pass through forests and mists until they reach a valley on top that overlooks the Green Chapel. This is when temptation sets in to tempt Sir Gawain. The guide tries to convince Sir Gawain that whoever lives there, The Green Knight, is ruthless and will not spare him. The guide describes the Green Knight as mighty like no other man, fierce, strong and discourteous. Sir Gawain refuses to change his mind and he tells the guide that he must complete his mission. The guide then tells Sir Gawain he will not continue the journey with him even if he is given all the gold in the world. This is meant to shake Sir Gawain’s stand, but he still stands his ground brave. Sir Gawain tells the guide that God always has a solution for his soldiers. The guide then tells him to drop down to the bottom of the valley and go left.
Sir Gawain then drops down to the valley and he ties his horse on a tree. He doesn’t see the Green Chapel and only sees a large hillock rising from a stream. As he stands there looking at the overgrown grass, he starts thinking of the place as where the devil is going to destroy him. Just as he stands there lost in his thoughts, he hears the sound of an ax being sharpened. The author describes the sound as barbaric, but Sir Gawain, surprisingly, is not shaken with fear. Sir Gawain then calls out to the Green Knight, and he gets a response from the destroyer himself. The Green Knight, and Sir Gawain then meet to accomplish the mission. When the Green Knight raises his ax to take his first swing, Sir Gawain looks at the Green Knight saying that he would neither flinch nor run away but if his head is chopped off then that would be the end of him. By doing this, Sir Gawain is making efforts of being brave, but deep down in his heart, he knows that he is a mortal man, and he fears to lose his life. He, however, speaks in an indirect but honest manner to the Green Knight. The Green Knight then raises his ax for the second stroke but as he is about to drop it down, he hesitates to ridicule Sir Gawain telling him to pull over the hood on his neck. This act angers Sir Gawain and it makes him let out the fear in him by using a hard tone. Sir Gawain openly calls out the Green Knight a tyrant shouting that he is not threatened by him and all he does is to create a scene of fear in people. The author brings out a side of Sir Gawain that nobody thought he had. This is no longer the love-worded Gawain that readers are used to but is a simple and real man fighting for his life. The Green Knight then raises the axe for the third and final strike. He delivers the strike which slightly grazes Sir Gawain’s neck, and blood oozes out a bit. Sir Gawain then quickly stands up, takes off his helmet, shield, and draws out his sword, saying that he would fight back since he had met his pledge by withstanding the blow from the Green Knight hence had successfully completed his mission. To Sir Gawain’s surprise, the Green Knight puts down his axe and starts talking to him. He told him that he was conversant about the green belt that the lady of the castle had given him who happens to be his wife. The big man goes ahead to tell Sir Gawain that he had intentionally sent his wife to test him. The Green Knight, who happens to be Bercilak, then goes ahead to explain to Sir Gawain about the three strikes of the ax. He tells him that the first strike was for the first night when they had a game of giving gifts, and he ended up getting one kiss from his wife. The second strike was for the second night when Sir Gawain got two kisses from Bercilak’s wife, and he was honest. Both the first and second instances, Sir Gawain is depicted as completely honest. However, his honesty falters on the third day when he does not give the green belt that he is given by Bercilak’s wife to the Lord of the Castle. The big man then applauds Sir Gawain as the most faultless knight ever by being honest and not falling for the trap he had set for him but condemned him for loving his life more than being completely honest as he had been in the first and second accounts.
Sir Gawain is seen feeling ashamed of himself, and he then removes the green belt and gives it to the green knight. Sir Gawain then rebukes his actions, saying he could have his falsehood and what has made him fall short of glory. Sir Gawain then accepts his misdeeds and apologizes to the Green Knight, saying that if he would accept his apology he would become the most loyal knights of all. The Green Knight laughs and accepts Sir Gawain’s apology, saying that he had openly confessed all his wrongdoings. The Green Knight then gives the green belt back to Sir Gawain as a gift and a reminder of the deception and frailty that befalls men and not just men but even great men like Solomon and David who were seduced by women. The Green Knight then reveals his identity as Bernlak.
The Green Knight, Bernlak, then invites Sir Gawain to the castle where he is received with open arms by everyone. The whole mystery is explained to him by the Green Knight who says that everything was planned by Merlin’s mistress. Bernlak tells Sir Gawain that his terrifying look was created by the magician who had sent him to test if the Knights of King Arthur had honor. Sir Gawain refuses more offers from the man and leaves.
Sir Gawain then rides home, where he tells the story of his adventure. Importantly, he does not hide any detail concerning his flaws. He openly tells the King that the mark he has on his neck is because of his covetousness and cowardice that he had during the quest. Ideally, the knights and women show support to him, and they start wearing green belts to the opposite from the shoulder then back to the shoulder.
Conclusion
The author depicts Sir Gawain as one of the greatest knights, but his last actions on the third day prove otherwise. Contextually, this character has been made more real when he fears for his life and does what is good for him at the end of the day and not what is more important. However, Sir Gawain is indeed not the greatest knight. His true nature was revealed when he was threatened with his life, as explained above. His "made-up" greatness comes in when he chooses to step in for the King when the Green Knight shows up. This action makes him stand out as one of the bravest, but in the real sense, he is nowhere near greatness.
Annotated Bibliography
Blackwell, Alice. “Submitted in Triplicate: Gawain's Three Confessions in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Medieval Perspectives, vol. 27, 2012, pp. 69–98.
In this article Black well focus on the three confessions Gawain makes throughout the poem. It touches on what many have mentioned before about the “fake” confession and how it makes it almost sacrilegious. Gawain is still pretending to be perfect even after his obvious mistake. He believes too much in himself that he’s perfect until he finally almost dies because of his mistake, that ironically he thought was going to save him. She, obviously based on the title, talks about the three times Gawain “confesses” with the priest, the green knight, and to his fellow knights. Each confession is much different. One is false and for peace of mind, one is meaningful and he admits his mistake, the last is almost not even acknowledged by his comrades.
West, Kevin R. “Tokens of Sin, Badges of Honor.” Renascence, vol. 69, no. 1, 0 Jan. 2017, pp. 3–16., doi: 10.5840/renascence20176911.
West is talking mainly about SGGK and how Robert Blanch and Julian Wasserman discuss it and how the view of Camelot can change its reading. Julian claims that other sinners like David and Peter so on, are redeemed sinners and their sin is almost a token or badge of honor because they learned from it and experienced redemption. This is used to compare Gawain and the scar he gets on his neck as his sign of redemption for his sin. West argues that Gawain was only perfect in the title and not in reality, but reaches closer to perfection through redemption and trials. I argue that though this may be true of Gawain in a vacuum, his comrades are not aware of any of this. They believe he’s perfect because everyone says it, even if it’s only nominally, and this is what makes his title so bad. Titles were very important to knights, even the word knight is a title and is taken seriously.
Works Cited
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