Analysis Of The Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay

Analysis Of The Sir Gawain And The Green Knight - Essay Example The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is based on the challenges that are made against his ethics in terms of being a knight and the changes that come with age that refine those ethical considerations. The heart of the tale begins as Arthur asks for a story to be told that would inspire him to eat his dinner. At this point, the Green Knight appears and wants to talk to Arthur. He comes to challenge the court because he wants to know whether or not the court and its knights can live up to their legend. The challenge is that one of the knights can take one swing of his giant ax and in exactly a year the Green Knight can return that swing. Sir Gawain uses the ax to cut off the Green Knight’s head when the Knight has offered his neck for the blow. For most people, this would be the end of the game, but the Green knight speaks and reminds the assembly of the deal they have struck before taking his head and riding out of the celebration. Use of the word covenant appears frequently throughout the book, creating a sense of obligation between characters in the story. When the Green Knight first faces Sir Gawain who is to be the person with whom he exchanges strokes of the ax he says â€Å"Make we our covenant ere we go further†, suggesting that the agreement is the lynchpin on which the entire ‘game’ is based (Weston 14). This creates a foundation of ethics on which the events that unfold can be examined. It is the ethical and moral character of Sir Gawain, as well as that of Arthurs court, which is being examined through honoring the idea of a covenant. There is a description of the changing of seasons that occurs within the poem. The changing of the seasons can be equated with the idea of the change that occurs over time as a person begins to mature. The seasonal changes are reflective of the cycle of life in which Sir Gawain believes he has come to an end.