"King Arthur was considered the most courteous of all." Line 26 of Part 1, one of the opening lines of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, reveals a society in which people are classified according to their adherence to a certain code of behavior: the code of chivalry. Indeed, the code of chivalry, derived from the Christian concept of morality, is an essential element of Sir Gawain's belief system as a knight in Arthur's court. Sir Gawain's behavior is governed by this code; indeed, it is what pushes him to accept the challenge of the Green Knight in Arthur's place, despite his initial hesitation. It is also what prevents him from granting the improper request of his host's wife. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Despite its divine origins, the code of chivalry is ultimately a human ideal. Chivalry is not a naturally occurring characteristic in man, but rather a concept constructed by humanity in its pursuit of Christ-like perfection. It has even been suggested that chivalry is at odds with man's nature. Despite the weakness of his human nature, however, Sir Gawain is expected to maintain the code of chivalry and must rely on his faith in God to do so. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the code of chivalry - or rather, the human ability to abide by it - is challenged by nature in many different ways. The challenges that nature presents to the code of chivalry are embodied by the Green Knight. The superficiality of the code is revealed in the reactions of the people of the court to the Green Knight's challenge. His proposal reduces "the noblest knights known under Christ" (Part 1, line 51) to cowering, trembling men (Part 1, line 315). The superficiality of the code of chivalry is further revealed by the poet's numerous references to the separations between the unspoken truth and what is actually said and done. This is especially evident in regards to the aforementioned "courteous of all", Arthur: the very embodiment of chivalry. “Though noble Arthur in his heart wondered, / He let no sign be seen, but spoke it aloud” (Part 1, lines 467-468). Despite their reputation, the knights are reluctant to accept the Green Knight's challenge. This suggests that humanity may not be able to live up to the idealistic standards it has set for itself. The Green Knight observes this hesitation and responds mockingly: Where now is your arrogance and your tremendous deeds, your valor, your victories and your boastful words? Now the feast and fame of the Round Table are overwhelmed by one word of one man's speech, For all to cower and tremble, and no felt cut! (Part 1, lines 311-314) Despite the court's initial reaction to the Green Knight's challenge, Arthur still insists, "No guest here is horrified by your great words" (Part 1, line 325). By verbally accepting the Green Knight's challenge, Sir Gawain supports Arthur's frivolous, if not dishonest, words, thus maintaining the integrity of King Arthur's court. He also unknowingly passes his first and most obvious test. It should be noted, however, that although there are numerous indications that what is said and done based on expectations is not always what is actually thought. It is suggested that Sir Gawain honestly believes in the brave words he speaks as he accepts the challenge: he is later described as "by his word the truest / And in speech the most courteous knight" (Part 2, lines 638-639). Indeed, Sir Gawain is more or less portrayed as the ideal knight, "deprivedof all wickedness, with virtues adorned/ in sight" (Part 2, lines 634-635). This quality is perhaps what makes him ideal for the trials at hand, for it reveals that human weakness can be found even in men seemingly more perfect. It is suggested that Sir Gawain manages to achieve the ideal thanks to his unshakable faith in God. This faith is physically represented by the ornament of his shield, which is adorned with a five-pointed pentagram representing the five plagues of Christ as well as the five chivalrous virtues, and, inside, an image of Mary:And all his faithfulness was fixed on the five wounds that Christ received on the cross, as the creed tells us and wherever this man took part in the fray, his only thought was this, beyond all else, that all his strength was founded on the five joys which the high Queen of heaven had in her son. And therefore, as I found, he had aptly depicted the image of her on the inside of his shield, so that when his gaze upon it illuminated, he never lost heart. (Part 2, lines 642-650) Sir Gawain's faith is confirmed when, while he is lost in the desert in search of the Green Chapel where he will surely meet death, he nevertheless finds himself forced to pray: And therefore sighing he said: "I beseech you, Lord , and Mary, you meek mother so dear, some refuge where perhaps I could listen to mass and your matins tomorrow - I meekly ask, and for this I offer and pray my pater and my creed (Part 2, line 753-759 ) When Sir Gawain prays, he does not plead with God to spare his life; even in such dire circumstances the knight remains faithful only for one last opportunity to celebrate mass before meeting death at the hands of the Green Knight Christian faith on the part of the poet is further supported when Sir Gawain's prayer is answered: after praying and crossing himself three times, he almost immediately comes across an inhabited castle. While at the castle, Sir's pledge Gawain's code of chivalry is tested by the seemingly simple agreement he makes with his host to exchange the day's earnings. While this initially appears to be nothing more than a joke, the course of events reveals that it has a much greater meaning. It is in the castle that Sir Gawain's ability to uphold the code of chivalry is tested by human nature, in the form of sexual desire. Sir Gawain, in obedience to the code of chivalry, may not sleep with his host's wife even in light of his availability and his obvious physical attraction to her: the beautiful colors of her flesh, her face and her hair, and the his body and his bearing were beyond all limits. praise, and excelled the queen herself, as Sir Gawain thought. (Part 2, lines 943-945) It is a test of Sir Gawain's pure will that he is able to deny his nature in the spirit of chivalry. However, here the superficiality of the code is once again hinted at, as this challenge reveals a contradiction: it is rude of Sir Gawain to refuse a lady's wish, but it is not proper of him to give in to her wishes:For this high- Born beauty surrounded him so, making its meaning so clear, man had to take his tender love for unpleasant waste. the lord of that house. (Part 3, lines 1170-1776) Although Sir Gawain grants her request for a kiss, he still manages to keep his agreement with his host. As promised, he gives his guest the "profits" of the day: as the Green Knight later recalls, "You kissed my beautiful wife – every kiss you returned" (Part 4, Line 2351). In this way, Sir Gawain manages to uphold the code despite the complicationspresented by this particular situation. Despite Sir Gawain's reputation as a noble and chivalrous knight of King Arthur's Round Table and his ability to uphold the code in difficult circumstances, readers are reminded that in the end, Sir Gawain is only human. As he later admits to the Green Knight, your cut taught me cowardice, care for my life, and desire came later, contrary to both the generosity and loyalty belonging to knights. Now I am flawed and false, who has always been afraid of disloyalty and lies, bad good luck to both of you! (Part 4, lines 2379-2383) Being only human, Sir Gawain is subject to failure. Like the Green Knight with his dismembered head, nature continually restores and regenerates itself; this is reflected in the cyclical nature of the changing seasons, as described at the beginning of Part 2. However, despite nature's regenerative abilities, humans are prone to escaping the specter of death. Sir Gawain's fear of death - or rather, his primal instinct for survival - is therefore in conflict with the idealistic virtues to which he must adhere as a noble knight. Facing certain death, Sir Gawain is finally convinced to break the code of chivalry. He keeps the belt despite his pact with the host because he believes it can allow him to escape an otherwise inevitable death: For the man who owns this piece of silk, If he wore it on his body, wrapped in the belt, There is no hand under heaven that could strike him down, for he could not be killed by any art on earth. take his reward: If he had escaped unscathed, the plan would have been noble! (Part 3, lines 1851-1858) Even Sir Gawain, "a far faultless man" (Part 4, line 2363) with "unmatched faith" (Part 4, line 2470), does not always fail to uphold the code of chivalry. Although he manages to honor the code of chivalry through a series of difficult situations, fear for his life is the final breaking point. As the Green Knight says: "But the cause was not cunning, nor wooing, / But that thou [Sir Gawain] loved thy life; much less, therefore to blame" (Part 4, lines 2367-2368 ). his agreement with his host, Sir Gawain violates the code of chivalry. In doing so, he reveals not only human weakness and cowardice, but also a lack of faith: he chooses to depend on the belt's supposed powers rather than have faith that God will save him. Since he does not appeal to God to save his life, it is evident that he does not believe that his faith will save him. This suggests that it is actually his lack of faith that causes Sir Gawain's downfall. The poem takes an interesting turn at this point. Throughout the story, Sir Gawain's adherence to the code of chivalry has been tested by what seems like natural and random elements; here, the Green Knight reveals that it was all a ruse devised by Morgan le Fay. Even before this is revealed to Sir Gawain, he cites several instances in which women caused the fall of men, from Adam and Eve to David and Bathsheba. He attributes his own entanglement in “their picturesque stilts” (Part 4, line 2412) to the Green Knight's wife and the other older woman, who turns out to be Morgan: “But if a dullard should worship, no wonder , / And through the wiles of woman be wooed into sorrow” (Part 4, lines 2413-2414). This only furthers the poet's Christian leanings. More importantly, however, this deception sets Sir Gawain up for inevitable failure. It is only the Green Knight's internal role in the plan that prevents Sir Gawain from getting away with his violation of the chivalric code. In fact, it is quite possible that he would have complied with the code by seeking out the Green Knight at the 2537-2530)