Sir Gawain: an Honorable Hero

Sir Gawain makes King Arthur's knights look good. Among all the other brave, courageous men, Gawain was the only one that would protect the king; he gave himself up so the king would not die. He is truly a man of loyalty and honor...or is he? Yes, he remains loyal to the king by taking his place in the game, but he doesn't always remain loyal throughout the story.

Upon Gawain's quest to reach the green knight, he runs into a castle. When he kindly asks if he can lodge there, he is granted permission. During his sojourn there, the lord of the castle wants to play a game. They agree that the lord will go out and hunt in the morning, while Gawain stays at the castle and rests. At the end of the day they will give each other what they have obtained. While the lord of the castle is out slaying vicious animals, Gawain is back at the castle kissing his wife (that just doesn't seem like a fair trade). Though, Gawain does remain loyal to the lord by giving him the kisses he received when he comes back from hunting. However, the third time they make this deal, Gawain conceals the girdle he was given; breaking his promise by doing so. This is not the only time that Gawain is not loyal. When the green knight is about to chop his head off, Gawain flinches (who wouldn't flinch). Seeing this, the green knight stops his weapon and makes fun of Gawain for being a coward. After hearing this, Gawain regains his strength and allows the green knight to continue. I bring these two scenes up because these are the two times that Sir Gawain does not remain loyal. However, these two scenes are the key to Gawain's honor.

Gawain's biggest accomplishment was not protecting the king, but instead uniting the king and his knights (even though he wouldn't have been able to unite them if he didn't take King Arthur's place). Some time after Gawain returned, every knight wore a girdle (uniting them as one). This represented the honor that Sir Gawain had, but how can he have such great honor when he broke his promise not once, but twice? The green knight forgave him for his sins, but Gawain did not forgive himself. This is what gave him his honor. If Gawain had thought he did nothing wrong, the green knight would have killed him. There is no honor in dieing a self-centered fool, but there is honor in living a man of your word.

Sir Gawain was one of two men in the court when the green knight interrupted the celebration; King Arthur being the other. He protected his king and stayed true to his word by going on a journey to find the green knight. He made a couple mistakes on his quest, but he admitted his wrong doings. If Gawain had made it back alive and had not admitted his faults, the knights of the court would not have honored him. They would have respected him for saving King Arthur's life, but they would not respect a man who was full of himself. Gawain is an honorable hero. He protects his king, admits when he is wrong, and stays loyal to his word. He is the knight that every other knight should look up to.