The Moral Symbolism of the Green Girdle
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: The Moral Symbolism of the Green Girdle
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
Download Links:
• The Moral Symbolism of the Green Girdle.pdf
• The Moral Symbolism of the Green Girdle.doc
The symbolism of the girdle in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight changes and grows as the poem progresses,
adding Gawain's honor and sin to seemingly separate ideas of an untamed nature related to the otherworld and
animal instincts. Piotr Sadowski, in his The Knight on His Quest: Symbolic Patterns of Transition in Sir Gawain and
the Green Knight, calls the girdle a symbol of “complex moral truth” that the other knights of the Round Table fail
to learn from, as Gawain does. While I agree that the girdle's most important function is the message it conveys
about morality as it pertains to courtly behavior, I argue that the moral ideal the girdle sets is not higher than the
knights achieve, but rather is balanced between humanity and the godliness Gawain strives for – that is, the moral
standard by which these knights should abide does not call for absolute purity, like their chivalric codes do, but
allows for the minor sins that humans fall into by their very nature. By combining knightly honor, Gawain's sins,
and the Green Knight's Otherworldliness in one symbol, a moral truth contrary to Sadowski's strict, traditional
chivalry emerges that embraces humanity and nature, rather than rejecting them entirely in favor of godly ideals.
When Bertilak's wife first presents the girdle to Gawain, it is described simply as being of green silk and gold trim,
which should instantly remind the reader of the description of the Green Knight when he enters Arthur's court. The
combination of green and gold is the primary trait of both the Green Knight and the girdle, and since the girdle
receives no extra description at this time, it inherits its symbolic meaning from the symbolism of the Green Knight
and the color green. The Green Knight is ...
essay thesis, essay thesis examples, essay thesaurus, essay themes, essay thesis template, essay the crucible,
essay thesis generator, essay thesis definition, essay the america i believe in, essay theme generator