Sir Gawain and the green knight

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Sir Gawain and The Green Knight.
Many works of Old English involve a presentation of number three. Beowulf fought the dragon in three rounds; In Sir Bedivere and Excalibur, King Arthur sent Sir Bedivere thrice to throw the later into the lake. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, three is of great significance. Symbolism is largely used throughout the context. There are numerous instances the number three is used in the Sir Gawain poem. Gawain is tempted three times by the Lord’s wife while the Lord is out hunting, the Green Knight swings his axe three times at Gawain and the significant three hunting days by the Lord. Worldwide the number three is important to different cultures. In China, the number three is considered a lucky number. The poem was written during the medieval time period. During this period, Christianity was common and part of the cord of chivalry. In the Bible, the number three define divinity, the holy trinity: The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. There are also three stages of life: Birth, Life, and death.
The poem contains three plot settings. Arthur’s castle, the Green Chapel, and Bertilak castle. It has three main characters: Gawain, Sir Bertilak, and the Green Knight. The various bedroom scenes relate with the hunting scenes. The behavior of Sir Gawain corresponds with the animal killed on the particular day of the three days. On day one he behaves cautiously like a deer, on the second he is more of a boar and lastly, on the third day he is cunning as a fox.

Gawain shows a mark of bravely when he defends his King, King Arthur, by offering to face the Green Knight. On his quest to fulfill his bargain with the Green Knight he meets Bertilak, owner of a beautiful castle and his wife. Lady Bertilak seduces him, but he gracefully turns her down. “Lover have I none, Nor will have, yet awhile” (Borroff, 1790). Bertilak turns out to be the Green Knight. This symbolically represents the intertwining of the animals and humankind nature.
The main theme of the poem is derived from chivalry code of ethics. This code upholds bravely, generosity, chastity, and courtesy especially to women. Gawain’s respect for this codes keeps him from sleeping with his Lord’s wife. Gawain’s shield brings together Christian morality and chivalry ethics. The pentangle a “token of truth” (Borroff, 625) represented moral perfection for Gawain. King Arthur is considered “most courteous” (Borrof, 25). This goes to show people are ranked according to their adherence to good manners. Christianity values are also deemed important “most noble knights known under Christ” (Borrof, 52). Gawain morals slide prove he is human, and human is to error.
Work Cited
Borroff, Marie. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: a new verse translation by MarieBorroff. Norton, 1967.