In this compelling analytical article, I will carry out a study on the meaning of the symbolism of the green belt in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. A brief summary of what the green belt is will be necessary for this analysis. In the second part of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is a guest in Bertilak's house. Bertilak makes a proposition to Gawain that "whatever I gain in the woods will come to you, and whatever you gain, be kind enough to give it to me." Bertilak wins a deer, a wild boar and a fox in the next 3 days and gives them all to Gawain. Gawain receives a kiss from Bertilak's wife on the first day and two kisses from her on the second day and gives them to Bertilak. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay On the third day, Bertilak's wife wants to give Gawain a token. He rejects a ring, but when she offers him a green sash which she believes protects the wearer from death, he accepts out of fear for his life following his impending confrontation with the Green Knight. However, Gawain does not pass this prize on to Bertilak, thus breaking their agreement. My thesis is that even though Gawain accepted the "magical" green belt and broke his agreement with Bertilak, that does not mean he is an unchivalrous or poor knight, nor does it tarnish his legacy as a noblest knight. I will defend this thesis by analyzing and showing how even though Gawain acted selfishly, this act does not make him an impure knight. My first subargument in defense of Gawain's integrity is an analysis of his behavior and actions preceding his temptation of the girdle. Gawain is known as the purest knight and the embodiment of what it means to be a Knight of the Round Table. It illustrates the chivalry to which all knights aspire. In Part I, when the Green Knight defiles Arthur and his court, Gawain selflessly defends the honor of his king and country. Gawain begs Arthur, "I beg you, sir, here and now: please let this match be mine," after no other knight defends their king. This alone proves Gawain's chivalry and selflessness, but his reasoning is even more convincing. His justification for being the one to accept the Green Knight's challenge is that he is "the weakest of all the knights...the weakest in spirit" and that the loss of his life "would surely be the least important ". He then goes on to explain that the only reason he is at the Round Table is because he is related to Arthur. He believes that since the Green Knight's challenge is foolish, "it shouldn't fall to" Arthur. These arguments of Gawain can be explored in different ways. One of these ways is to show Gawain's self-awareness and practicality. Gawain is fully aware of his status as the least adept knight in combat and skill. I believe that self-awareness is a very important trait to possess, because yes, having confidence is important, it should be used in conjunction with practicality for optimal success. Another way to look at his statements is how brave he is. His king (and his kin) are disrespected in his own court by an outsider, but none of the noble and brave knights of the Round Table have defended their king, whether out of fear, shock, or any other reason . Gawain being the first and only knight to support his king shows that while he may not have been the most capable knight, at that time he was the mostbrave. A final interpretation, and perhaps the most important, is how selfless Gawain was in these moments. He didn't think about his fear in the face of this looming threat. He didn't think about embarrassing himself in front of everyone he knew. He didn't even think about his own livelihood. All he had in mind was to defend the honor of his king and his homeland. This demonstrates his chivalry and selflessness. In conjunction with the selflessness that Gawain displays by standing up to the Green Knight in part one, his handling of Bertilak's wife's tests in part three is also evidence supporting his chivalrous actions before receive the green scarf. Bertilak tasks his wife with attempting to seduce Gawain several times to see if he would deviate from his chivalrous code. She snuck into his chambers and made numerous innuendoes and passive-aggressive jokes towards Gwaine, such as joking about tying him up and saying that they were all alone. Gawain tries to get the lady's permission to dress, but she refuses. She ends up telling him "my person is as you wish, all your wishes benefit from it", essentially giving him carte blanche to do what he wants with her body. Most men would accept this offer and never look back with a woman as beautiful as Bertilak's, but Gawain was not most men. He refuses kindly and in the most respectful way possible. This goes back and forth several times until the lady concedes and grants Gawain farewell, but refuses to leave without a kiss. This happens the next day, with the end result being that she requires two kisses. This not only shows his respect for his marriage, but also allows him to maintain his chivalry by respecting and serving women. My second subargument in favor of Gawain maintaining the chivalric code is that even if he gave in to selfish ways and accepted the green belt, that does not make him a poor knight because wanting to save his own life is in the human nature. Part 3, on the third day of Bertilak's wife's visit to Gawain in his chambers, she asks Gawain for a token, but he says that he has nothing worthy of her. She then offers to give him one instead. He refuses a ring from her, but his tone changes once she offers him the green sash and explains its supposed magical properties. According to her, “whoever is girded with this green colored belt and wears it tightly wrapped around his waist…. he cannot be killed.” This made Gwaine think for a moment. As was discussed in the first subargument, Gawain is a practical and self-aware man. He understands that once he faces the Green Knight, he faces certain disaster. But with this magic scarf, in his mind, he can remain honorable by always facing the Green Knight, but also keep his life thanks to the magic of the scarf. He accepts the lady's garment and undertakes to keep it secret. Some might say this tarnishes Gawain's integrity, but I disagree. Gawain did not act with the intention of deceiving the knightly system, but out of fear for his own life. It is in human DNA to want to protect one's own life. It was an act of self-interest, but not selfishness. He was simply looking out for his own life, while trying to stay true to his word in facing the Green Knight. My third and final sub-argument showing that Gawain respected the chivalric code is to analyze how he acted after his confrontation with the Green Knight. Once Gawain arrives at the Green Chapel in Part 4, the Green Knight hits Gawain with his axe, grazing him. After that, the.