Themes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

             There are many major themes in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," some more present than others, for instance, honor and pride which lead to manipulation (domination) and finally, the game itself. These are three themes that get the audience interested in the story and give them an appetite for more of the story.
             Honor and pride play a big part in the game the Green Knight is playing because it is what he trusts will cause one of the knights to accept his challenge. The knight insults King Arthur and his court deliberately to trigger a response, which he gets. King Arthur is a proud king but this moment in the story is an example of foolish pride on his part. Before he even knew the clauses of the "contract" with the green knight, who stayed vague enough to let him believe that he was seeking a challenge, Arthur says: "Sir courteous knight, if contest you crave, You shall not fail to fight." At this point, the audience wonders why he uses the word "courteous" as an adjective for this insolent knight who burst into the dining room armed, on his horse and asked for "the captain of this crowd". This is the first example of Arthur's foolish pride. He answered this way to save the face of his knights and his court and it will lead him to trouble.
             The knight exposes the rules of the game and the audience wonders who will take on the challenge, why isn't any of the knight of the round table getting up and accepting the challenge? He goes even further by insulting the king and his court directly, calling them cowards, laughing loud to their face until Arthur blushes, - "The blood for sheer fame shot to his face and pride" - gets up and takes the challenge on himself. Now the crowd is inquisitive. They wonder what will happen to Arthur because surely there is a catch in the knight game and Arthur in foolishly falling into his trap. Now Sir Gawain stands and takes Arthurs place and is asked, by the Green Knight, to swear to seek him o...

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Themes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:18, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/54174.html