The Challenges of Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Knight and has to face him again in 12 months at the Green Chapel. He didn’t know what to expect, he put his whole trust on God and the Virgin Mary for his journey. Since he is known to be a generous knight and one of the best knights around, he know he feel protected with the five stars symbol on his shield. He eventually met up with the lord and his wife, from that part on everything for Gawain becomes a test.

He wasn’t expected to be tested especially his belief.

There was some test he pass, but most of them he fail because he lost his touch of faith. One of the challenges that Gawain may have pass is that he have such generosity. When he was please that the lord let him stay during the holidays, and the lord let him stay longer which he knew he couldn’t turn it down. The hospitality was far too kind for Gawain, and to make it better he can rest while the lord is hunting for animals.

Another way he may have passed the test is when the lord’s wife doubted him about being the best knight around. She hinted that he wanted him to kiss her, which Gawain did and he only done that out of respect, not disrespect her. He knew she was being flirty towards him and he try his best to avoid it, but that didn’t last too long. His kindness were taken advantage, but at the same time he thought he just being polite.

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Gawain did flirt back at her and enjoy the company around the lord’s wife. Again out respect they both kept kissing each other constantly, which was in different days. It was getting to that point that he may have had impure thoughts about her. Kissing can lead to things that most people regrets later on. So from these parts, he may have some strong temptations with the wife of the lord too. In from the sound of the story about Gawain and lord’s wife, Gawain also may have develop feelings for the woman. Even though he knows she’s already married, he didn’t want to cause any more damages. This is one of the things that he wasn’t being fully faithful and true to his self like he promise himself with the five stars on his shield.

Since Gawain became a good friend to the lord (Bertilak), he didn’t want to ruin his after lying to him. In out of respect, he accepted the green girdle from the lord’s wife and kept it as a secret from her husband. He eventually was starting to feel ashamed, even though he took the girdle. Gawain mainly took the girdle because he was told that it will protect him from the Green Knight. His guilt grew even bigger when the Green Knight told him he knew everything from the start and it was a test. Bertilak could’ve have kill Gawain easily, but he knew he was being protected the whole time. After everything he respected and forgive Gawain because he knew he only accept the girdle to live, even after he lied to him.

From that part on Bertilak told him he pass some test, but the other half he fail and Gawain already knew what those part of test he fail on. He knew he wasn’t being honest on the third day he spent the night, and the time he spent with the woman he set up. It wasn’t just her, he also have spent quality time with the other women in there with him. The green girdle was given to him as a gift, but represent as a failure to Gawain, he felt as he didn’t deserve to keep something that he took from a woman who seduce and lie to him in the first place.

After all his challenge adventures, he told what happen to him during his journey and King Arthur and his Knights laugh it off. They all still respected him because he were brave to face the Green Knight on his free will, but the crew did something to make him feel better or cheer him up. They decided to wear the similar girdle like Gawain’s to show him honor, but Gawain doesn’t feel that way at all. He still feels bad for being dishonest to Bertilak, himself and mostly God. Towards the end of the story or poem, he ask God for forgiveness and says a prayer so it is obviously he knows he fail the ultimate test a least to him.

Gawain may have been a generous and a nice knight, but he wasn’t perfect. He was a true believer and tries his best to honor and respect his belief. Gawain wasn’t sure what to expect, but being tested never cross his mind whatsoever during his journey to the Green Chapel. As being a gentleman he had taken advantage of the lord’s hospitality because he was told to relax. Gawain tries his best to be nice to the lord’s wife, but he have his temptations, flirting and kissing her.

The most dishonest one he ever done was take a gift from the woman and kept it as a secret from Bertilak and also lied about it. I honestly think he was just so desperate to stay alive by taking the girdle and wanted to prove that he and his knights are not cowards. At the end of the story, he kept the girdle because he felt like he committed a sin and kept it to remember what the bad things he done back at the castle. He believes he failed the most important test by not following his five fives on his shield.