Sir Gawain and Green Knight Essays: Allegory :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays

Allegory in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Discuss the representative significance of the following words of the Green Knight, You be so to the full confessed, your failings made known,/ And bear the plain penance of the point of my blade,/ I induce you polished as a pearl, as pure and as refulgent/ As you had lived free of fault since first you were born. These words are uttered by the Green Knight almost immediately aft(prenominal) he delivered the third blow on Gawains fare (l 2391-2394). They should be understood as referring to events which began with Gawains arrival at the Lords castle. The words confessed and penance appearing in the Green Knights utterance may lead one to connect them non entirely with events of the narrative, but also with the Christian idea of sin. According to Christian political orientation all human macrocosms are sinners, though- owing to Gods benevolence and kindness- sins may be for ordainn. But before this happens there is need for e xcuse and penance. Absolution is the final stage which may be reached only by those who pass the former ones. When Sir Gawain is looked at closely, the events of the story correspond to the sequence come-on -sin - confession - penance - absolution. The sin committed by Gawain was not being loyal to the lord by concealing the green girdle. This weakness of sheath resulted from the love of life - the girdle was to protect anyone who wore it. What happens at the Green chapel service are the later parts of the cycle confession - penance - absolution. The penance is the fight with the Green Knight during which Gawain receives a cut on the neck and absolution (granted by the Green Knight) is attained through blood, which makes it even more meaningful. On the other hand, a nick on the neck is not an extremely painful experience (although the way in which it was attained was definitely very stressful) and shows that Gawains sin was only a minor one. He did not sin against chastity as he did not give in to the ladys wishes. But still, in this interpretation Gawains character turned out to be faulty. There is a divergent possibility of interpretation - one which broadens the allegory even more. It may be said that Gawains primary fault was sinning against courtesy. If courtesy was in reality what he had been tested on, Gawain did not stand a fate of passing this test.