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Patient Endurance in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

2010; University of Toronto Press; Volume: 27; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3138/flor.27.009

2369-7180

Corey Owen,

Historical, Literary, and Cultural Studies

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the question of late medieval heroism is a central one. Morton Bloomfield, for instance, has argued that “The drastic ambiguity of the hero in the later Middle Ages is perfectly revealed in Gawain and the Green Knight where the problem of the hero becomes acute.” Like other romance protagonists, Gawain displays great martial courage. He accepts the Green Knight’s challenge, battles his way through a perilous forest, and jumps to fight the Green Knight as soon as he realizes that the latter has not beheaded him. However, Gawain’s opportunities to prove himself in battle are far outnumbered by the humiliations that he suffers during his adventure. Camelot’s code of conduct compels him to accept the Green Knight’s challenge, the narrative quickly summarizes his martial accomplishments in the forest, and the Green Knight responds with slight amusement to Gawain’s aggressive challenge after the young knight must submit to a third feint of his opponent’s axe. Furthermore, Gawain discovers that he has been the victim of an elaborate plot to humiliate Camelot and comesto realize that his acceptance of Lady Bertilak’s girdle has been an act of cowardice. In spite of these factors which would seem to diminish his heroism, the Green Knight refers to Gawain as “On þefautlest freke þat euer on fote Šede” (2363).