Theme Of Evil In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Works of literature are a reflection of the time period they were written in; they explore the inner workings of the society and examine the most prominent issues of the time. Therefore, as time passes and humanity changes, the issues addressed evolve accordingly, with the exception of one issue, which endured the tests of time and remained one the most recurring themes in literature, the battle between good and evil. The theme made its first appearance in creation stories and while the stories differ between one culture and another, the theme of good and evil remained intact. To illustrate, in the Abrahamic religions’ version, Adam and Eve’s fall from heaven is caused by Satan, the very root of all evil. Centuries later, the battle between good and evil continues to be tirelessly fought whether in literature or other creative mediums. Although evil is often depicted as a devil with horns, a tail and a menacing laugh, a figure that can be easily identified by the dark aura surrounding it, real evil is far much harder to …show more content…
Most are quick to condemn the Green Knight but if the text was closely examined, it would not be so easy to point out the actual villain. While it is understandable why readers would assume the Green Knight to be the enemy considering he threatened to decapitate Sir Gawain, it could be arguable that he was never going to put his threats into effect. Some claim that Morgan Le Fay is the one to blame because she planned the entirety of this elaborate series of trials, but one has to take into account that fact that both her and the Green Knight were aware throughout the journey of Sir Gawain’s decisions, as a result, when the Green Knight swung his great axe towards Gawain’s exposed neck, he was in no real danger of decapitation due to the fact that the Knight knew of the girdle hidden beneath his