Sir Gawains Green Knight Character Analysis Essay Example for Free

Sir Gawains fountain Knight Character outline EssayWhy did the author of Sir Gawain and the cat valium Knight include a character with a bizarre complexion and magical abilities? Why do most people do weird things? Unfortunately, there is no obvious reason for the latter however, there atomic number 18 quite a few explanations for the former. The Pearl Poet, as the unknown author is referred, wrote the poem around the late 1300s in Englanda time and place in history in which knights, kings, and castles were not just parts of fairy-tales. One of the most important aspects of English edict in the late 1300s was chivalry, or the i go on traits of a knight, which included royal courtesy, generosity, and ro human racece. From the poets advanced literary techniques, many scholars consider him to be an educated man who had a purpose in creating such a gay character. Bertilak de Hautdesert, or the atomic number 19 Knight, is a major character in the story for he serves as the opp onenessnt to Sir Gawain. His counterbalance of circumanstances when deciding the challenges present the protagonist of the story with the main difficulties passim the poem.Although he has multiple personalities end-to-end the poem (not only is Bertilak this fabled knight with abilities people rump only dream that they take hold, but excessively The Host of the castle that Gawain stays at until the time comes to meet his own doom), which makes him a round character. The Green Knight is also definitely a static foil to Gawain. His entire character does not motley throughout the poemhe has to the highest degree complete control of the eventsand presents a contrast for the protagonist of the story. Although Gawain appears to be seen as possessing civilized characteristics, it is actually the obstructionist of the story that possesses these traits. The Green Knight is not just a character with magical abilities, for he represents some of the most coveted human qualitiesa fri endly, well-rehearsed response to almost every(prenominal) situation and a bulletproof desire to maintain the chivalric duties of hostel. From the start of the story, it is clear that the Green Knight possesses quite a few godlike qualities.His description presents him as the toughest knight in existence. Lightning the likes of he seemed /And swift to strike and stun /His dreadful blows, men deemed, /Once dealt, meant death were done. He is strong enough to carry a helmet-smasher with a four-foot long axe blade. Everything about his description in the fountain points to him being this freak of nature. His green hue, his green hair, the Green Chapel, and even his green horse represent the pictorial world. Like a tree being able to grow the same limb multiple times, Bertilak claims the superpower to regenerate body parts. As Gawain is pretty confident that he has dealt with this mysterious force by touch off its head, the Green Knight, while bleeding from the deathly blow, pi cks up his own head and tells Gawain to meet him in a year for an equal strike.These magical characteristics set the stage for what seems to be the most formidable foe to the protagonist. As the antagonist to Gawain, readers should be terrified and repelled by the Green Knight, but many people are haggard to this mysterious stranger. For what reasons does Bertilak draw the attention of readers? Is it the same reason that many people are drawn to Iago from William Shakespeares Othello and to the Joker from The Batman Comics, or is there another reason than being pure evil, which he is not, that the antagonist of this story is so popular? There seems to be no comment that can anger the Green Knight. It seems he is unaccustomed to any negative feelings such as hatred or revenge. His emptiness of irrittability is seen throughout the poem. In the context of the time period, lordship and chivalry were important aspects of the cultural norm. As a member of the court of Arthur, the kings n ephew, Gawain, is committed to following Arthur.When Gawain enters The Hosts house, he is expected to be liege and obedient to his temporary lord. Gawain receives kisses from this mans wife. The Green Knight (The Host of the castle) is either unphased by this high treason or very good at hiding his emotions as seen by the following quote I pretended one stroke, a affright, a joke, /But left you whole I had the right, /Because of our other agreement, in my castle /You kept it faithfully, performed like an honest /Man, gave me everything you got. /Except that you kissed my wife I swung /For that reason but you gave me dressing her kisses. /So all you got, for that, was a puff /Of air. /An honest man /Need never fear.No man would consider another an honest man when secretly kissing his wife, and not many people would do well when put in a situation like the one Bertilak is in during the poem. This is just one example of the Green Knights will to respond well to any kind of stimulus in the environment. The stealing of the girdle by Gawain presents the character foil of Sir Gawain as none other than Bertilak when he does not act violently as a result of Gawains non-chivalric behavior. Using magic would have been cheating, and cheating was strongly prohibited in the rules of chivalry.Chivalryreaders hear of this word every day when discussing knightly Europehad a strong influence on knighthood in the society in which the Pearl Poet lived. In the poem, Sir Gawain is supposed to represent this perfect knight, but his foil comes up the victor in almost every test of chivalry that Gawain is put in by the Green Knight. The Green Knight maintains his chivalric duties to society in almost every situation in the story. He might be a superhuman freak of nature who mysteriously appears at just the right time to King Arthurs response for a marvelous story by someone in his court and demands for someone to play a game, but he does all of this in a well-behaved manner that seems to represent the most harmless knight.As The Host, he is also seen as a respectable, noble man who clearly fits the definition of a civilized man. The most important aspect of all his characteristics is the fact that he is this immortal creature that determines the rules, that he abides by the rules even when his foil tries to cheat and manipulate the circumstances so that he can win. It is this noble distinction that clearly sets the fine line between artificial knighthood seen in Sir Gawain and the real deal seen in the personality of Bertilak de Hautdesert.As is shown in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, misconceptions of reality can pose a threat to the naked eyes perspective. Gawain definitely is not a chivalric knight he steals kisses from a lords wife, he cheats when attempting to use the magical girdle, and he succumbs to his instinctual fear of mortality when put in the events of the poem. The Green Knight, on the other hand, represents not only the divine traits of nature but also the admittedly representation of what a knight should be his well-mannered response to stimulus and his duty to maintain the canon of chivalry. Readers should take some time to examine the situation at a microscopic level. Even though he is an immortal force of nature that can design his own circumstances, he abides by the rules set fourth by himself and by society, which is why people are so attracted to him.