Examples Of Chivalry In Sir Gawain

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Sir Gawain and the Impossibility of Chivalry: How Sir Gawain Fared Against the Chivalric Code
The Knights at Camelot that were ruled by Author are hailed as some of the greatest knights ever for their bravery and their ability to uphold the chivalric code. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (SGGK) when the Green Knight barges into Gawain’s christmas feast and requests that a knight come take his challenge, Gawain feels compelled to take the challenge for his king and venture into parts unknown to fulfil it. Gawain goes through many trials and tribulations just to get to the place where the Green Knight resides. Gawain does all of this just to prove that he and the rest of his people are the best and that they could live up to their name. His …show more content…
For this reason, some say (including Gawain) that Gawan failed as a knight. When Gawain was at the castle for the third day, he accepted the belt which was his flaw. “He could come to that chapel, and take that stroke,/And with this glorious device walk off/Unharmed” (SGGK 1857-1859). Gawain made a mistake of taking the green belt. This would not be such a big deal if Gawain did not agree to the king that “Whatever you win will be mine in exchange” (SGGK 1107). Since Gawain did not tell the king that he received the green belt and he did not give him the green belt he is breaking the chivalric code. Since he was not being moral, he broke one of the most important points of the chivalric code, the five knightly virtues. This is made even worse by the fact that the kind did give gawain all of the things he got in the woods and held up his end of the deal. While Gawain did make this flaw, it is worth noting that Gawain acknowledges this flaw, “Fear of your blow taught me cowardice,/Brought me to greed, took me from myself” (SGGK 2378-2380). Gawain realizes that he was being a coward for accepting the belt just out of fear of dying. Gawain knows that this one flaw could potentially devastating to his reputation, and since a knight's reputation is everything, Gawain takes this really badly. Gawain eventually pledges to wear the belt at all times to remember his sin forever. While Gawain did have a flaw in his chivalry, it is not enough to make him a bad
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