Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - The character of Sir Gawain In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the character of Sir Gawain is skillfully brought to life by the Author unknown. Through the eyes of many of the characters in the poem, we see Gawain as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all courteous. As the story progresses, Gawain is subjected to a number of tests of character, some known and some unknown. These tests tell us a lot about Gawain's character and the struggles he faces internally. I will explore the different places in the poem where we learn more about Gawain, either through others or through the trials he faces. By the end of the poem, we feel that we have gotten to know Gawain and have dared to take a look at his human side. However, we also realize that nothing other than perfection is acceptable to Him. Our first glimpse of Gawain occurs when the Green Knight suddenly appears during Camelot's New Year's celebration. He offers anyone to come forward and hit him with his axe. Twelve months and a day later, he returned the blow. No one steps forward to accept the challenge. Embarrassed by the lack of response from his knights, King Arthur accepts the challenge himself. At the fateful moment when Arthur is about to strike the blow, Gawain jumps up and says: Would you grant me the grace to leave this bench and stand here by your side, if I could, without rudeness, leave this board of directors,... I am the weakest, I know, and the weakest in spirit; and the loss of my life would be the least of all; that I have you for an uncle is my only praise; my body, without your blood, is devoid of value; And for this reason, this madness is not suitable for a king, and it is I who asked for it, it should be mine, and if my request is not suitable, let all this court judge in view. Norton, 209 years old In this first meeting, through Gawain's own words, we begin to see him as the noble knight that he is. Gawain intelligently chose his most courteous words to get Arthur out of this predicament and restore the reputation of the Knights of the Round Table. We cannot imagine a more courageous action than Gawain offering his life for his king nor a more polite offer to win the game. We can glean further clues about Gawain's character from the description of his armor when he sets out a year later to meet the Green Knight. In this passage we learn that Gawain's shield is decorated with a golden pentangle. The author tells us that the pentangle "is peculiar to this peerless prince" because it is a "guarantee of truth", and that he is very faithful to his word and that he is a "most courteous knight ". (Norton, 215) He goes on to say: The fifth of the five five followed by this knight were boundless beneficence and brotherly love, mine and pure manners, which no one could impeach, and the most compassionate precious - these five without equal were forged and fixed in him, the first of men. Norton, 215-216 We have no reason to disbelieve the author or his praise of Gawain. Our next chance to understand Gawain occurs at Bercilak Castle, where the house is delighted that the holiday guest is Gawain from King Arthur's court. They whisper to each other that Gawain has "ever constant courage and pure customs", that he is "the father of fine manners" and that his "demonstrations of behavior" will dazzle their eyes. (Norton, 221) Through these words we see that Gawain is generally well respected for these characteristics; these are not., 1993.