Sir Gawain and the Green Knight starts out in at a New Year's feast in King Arthur's court in Camelot. A man known only as the Green Knight comes and challenges the court to a game. Any knight can chop off his head as long as he gets to do the same in one year's time. Arthur accepts the challenge when Sir Gawain steps in and takes his place. Gawain chops of the mans head as he turns and picks it up and tells Gawain that he will see him in a year's time. On his way to meet the Green Knight Gawain meets up with some obstacles, before going before the knight. Through his actions Sir Gawain is a martyr.
             One aspect of being a martyr is to be modest. He first exhibits modesty when he takes the offer of the Green Knight as he states, "I am the slightest, the dullest of them all; My life the least, my death no loss - My only worth is you, my royal Uncle, all my virtue is through you." His modesty is shown again when dealing with the Lady of the castle as she tries to make advances to him. He countered her by saying, "How lucky I am, Lady, not to be the knight you speak of: To take that kind of honor for my own would be sinful; I know myself too well." The Lady also exploits this trait of Gawain's. She knows that he has a desire and obligation to be polite and courteous. So when she makes her advances he doesn't know what to do, "Urged him so near the limit, he needed either to take her love or boorishly turn her away. To offend like a boor was bad enough; to fall in sin would be worse, betraying the lord of that house." His modesty also stems from his relationship with Go!
             Gawain's dedication to god is also a sign of being a martyr. Before he leave to search for the Green Knight he took time to hear mass, "Ready in armor, he stood at the alter for mass to be chanted." He also carries a picture of the Virgin Mary on the inside of his shield for protection. His religious devotion is show in the description of Christmas, "On...