What is it that we see in a knight or a hero? Do we focus on their physical appearance or do we think about their moral representation? From medieval texts to modern day movies, some aspects of physical appearance and ethics have changed while some have stayed the same. Writers often depict men in a way in which they feel is suitable to justify them as a knight or hero. Sometimes, though, writers try to connect the reader to a character in order to make them feel equal. A quality like judgement is one in which both a knight, hero, and the average man can potentially be short of. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Faerie Queene display how stories and movies have kept the same ideal appearance and qualities such as judgement over time.
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In medieval stories, judgement is one quality which often symbolizes a knight. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight epitomizes the start of chivalry in poems. Sir Gawain carries a reputation as man whose judgement is emphasized by qualities such as courage and courtesy. But one of the most prominent qualities in which he possesses is his truthfulness. Truth is defined by one’s word to someone who has obligated them to complete a task. Thus it is Sir Gawain’s choices throughout the story that will determine what kind of knight he is. The shield he carries is the narrator’s way of telling the reader which qualities Gawain possesses most. A gold painted pentangle is a token of fidelity and the five sides signify that he is fully faithful in five different ways. In a book on the moral theology of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the writer talks about allegorical symbols like the pentangle and the Green Knight. The notion of perfection from the standpoint of medieval moral theology helps in determining the significance of the two. “That is, both symbols serve to define perfection in terms of the virtues, the one as to their connection, and the other as to the perfect act of virtue” (Beauregard 146). While mentioning the pentangle in the poem the writer says “so bore that badge on both his shawl and shield alike. A prince who talked the truth; known as the noblest knight” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ll.636-9). As truth and courtesy are two qualities commonly found in medieval stories, we see it in this story when Gawain is tested while in the company of Bertilak and his wife. To show that he is a courteous knight, Gawain will have to prove himself when Bertilak’s wife attempts to seduce him. When Gawain woke from a long day of travel, he noticed Lady Bertilak by his side. While talking Lady Bertilak proceeded to say “You’re free to have my all, do with me what you will. I’ll
In medieval stories, judgement is one quality which often symbolizes a knight. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight epitomizes the start of chivalry in poems. Sir Gawain carries a reputation as man whose judgement is emphasized by qualities such as courage and courtesy. But one of the most prominent qualities in which he possesses is his truthfulness. Truth is defined by one’s word to someone who has obligated them to complete a task. Thus it is Sir Gawain’s choices throughout the story that will determine what kind of knight he is. The shield he carries is the narrator’s way of telling the reader which qualities Gawain possesses most. A gold painted pentangle is a token of fidelity and the five sides signify that he is fully faithful in five different ways. In a book on the moral theology of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the writer talks about allegorical symbols like the pentangle and the Green Knight. The notion of perfection from the standpoint of medieval moral theology helps in determining the significance of the two. “That is, both symbols serve to define perfection in terms of the virtues, the one as to their connection, and the other as to the perfect act of virtue” (Beauregard 146). While mentioning the pentangle in the poem the writer says “so bore that badge on both his shawl and shield alike. A prince who talked the truth; known as the noblest knight” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ll.636-9). As truth and courtesy are two qualities commonly found in medieval stories, we see it in this story when Gawain is tested while in the company of Bertilak and his wife. To show that he is a courteous knight, Gawain will have to prove himself when Bertilak’s wife attempts to seduce him. When Gawain woke from a long day of travel, he noticed Lady Bertilak by his side. While talking Lady Bertilak proceeded to say “You’re free to have my all, do with me what you will. I’ll