Aquila - The FGCU Student Research Journal
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Susan Rojas: English
In Geoffrey of Monmouth’s The History of the Kings
of Britain, Gawain1 is portrayed as a respected warrior
and brave and valiant knight. His leadership in battle is
without question, and his troops are successful under his
command. The Quest of the Holy Grail, however, paints a
very different picture. This Gawain is much less noble, a
“bad and faithless” knight (77) so concerned with earthly
adventure and glory he cannot realize this spiritual lack
will cause him to fail in his quest. In what might be
described as a blend of the two, Sir Thomas Malory’s
Le Morte Darthur limns a very different Gawain, taking
threads from The Quest, the Alliterative Morte Arthure,
and the French The Death of King Arthur and intertwining
them. When this Gawain dies, he has arguably become
a more honorable, noble, and introspective character
than the one found in either Geoffrey or The Quest. A
comparison of these sources with Le Morte Darthur
suggests that Malory employs aspects of several versions
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to skillfully renew and resituate the knight. Although reestablishing Gawain as honorable and noble at the end of
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and forgiveness in the face of the disintegration of the
Round Table, the process also shows loyalty and valor
as attributes able to cut both ways: they may heal, but
they may also harm, revealing through the fellowship
of the knights the essence of Malory’s Arthurian world.
GAWAIN IN GEOFFREY AND THE
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Critics disagree about evaluating Gawain in a positive
or negative light, but clearly, labelling him as either/
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and “troublemaker” are words sometimes associated with
Gawain, yet so are descriptions such as “complex” and
“a valiant knight of great achievement, who can be both
magnanimous and diplomatic” (McCarthy 12-13). To
understand Malory’s Gawain, it is necessary to look at his
direct source, the Alliterative Morte Arthure, as well as
the book from which the Alliterative ultimately derives its
positive account of the knight, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s
The History of the Kings of Britain. Geoffrey’s Gawain is
brave, commanding, and heroic; Thomas Hahn speaks of
his importance, noting the knight’s “stirring exploits” and
“preeminent role” (“Chivalric” 218-219). In The History,
Gawain is one of Arthur’s high-ranking emissaries sending
an ultimatum to Lucius Hiberius and his Roman troops:
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however, takes offense when Lucius’s nephew mutters
1 Throughout, I will use the spelling “Gawain” as it is found in
the cited editions of Geoffrey, The Quest, and the French Death.
The spelling of the knight’s name is highly inconsistent in both the
Alliterative Morte and Malory, so for the ease of both author and
reader, I have selected a commonly used form.
that “Britains were better at boasting and making threats”
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between the Romans and Britains (241). This incident
is also found in the Alliterative Morte (1263-76, 13521354), and in both texts, after the beheading Gawain leads
his men skillfully, holding their own until reinforcements
arrive (Alliterative 1368-1405, Geoffrey 242).
In both The History and the Alliterative Morte, Gawain’s
abilities as knight and leader are common knowledge
among his opponents, who savor the opportunity to
engage with him. Geoffrey does not stint in his praise of
Gawain, stating “No better knights than Hoel and Gawain
have ever been born down the ages” (254), and calling
him “fearless” and “the bravest of all the knights,” as he
“decimated the enemy” (254). These superlatives not only
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of the highest order.2 Additionally, Geoffrey takes care to
recount how easily Gawain orders his troops, as well as
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“[Gawain’s troops] agreed to what he proposed. They all
turned back and each of them killed his man” (242). He
notes that Lucius, commander of the Roman troops, is
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that his opponent was so famous a man” (254). Although
in Geoffrey’s history Lucius “fell dead, pierced through
by an unknown hand” (256), his pleasure in battling with
Gawain makes clear that Gawain’s status as warrior knight
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foes. This fame is echoed in the Alliterative Morte, where
the knight is deemed “Sir Gawain the Good” (1368) and
“Sir Gawain the Gracious” (1468); it also chronicles the
ease with which Gawain dispatches the enemy and how
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1368-75). The poet recounts Lucius taunting Gawain to
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(2223); it does not appear they exchange blows, as Lionel
dispatches the commander (2226-29), but the fact that
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Gawain is another indication of his respect and renown.
To battle a knight with no fame would bring no accolades,
but engaging one known for bravery and military prowess
brings the possibility of greater glory and knightly status.
THE GAWAIN OF “THE QUEST” AND THE
FRENCH DEATH OF ARTHUR - LOYAL, BUT
“UNLUCKY”
The Quest of the Holy Grail differs from Geoffrey and
the Alliterative Morte in that the author implies Gawain
is not a knight to be emulated, despite his loyalty to
the king and desire for chivalric adventure3. Gawain’s
2 The “scale of merit” in Geoffroi de Charny’s Book of Chivalry
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of knightly attainment. Geoffrey’s and the Alliterative poet’s accounts
of Gawain in battle show he earns this level of recognition.
3 In endnotes to his translation of The Quest, P.M.Matarasso also
33
Rojas
military prowess and leadership are not described, but
his allegiance to Arthur is displayed early on through his
obeying the command to attempt to draw the sword in
the stone. Although Gawain originally will not make an
attempt, after Arthur says “You shall try all the same…
not to win the sword, but because I ask it” (Quest 35),
the knight immediately does, and fails. Lancelot tells
him he will regret the action, but Gawain replies he was
only following Arthur’s command, regardless of the
outcome (36), displaying the attributes of a good knight
who obeys his king’s wishes despite the threat of personal
harm.4 It is perhaps this loyalty to Arthur and his court,
as well as his desire for “adventure…the raison d’être of
the kingdom at peace” (McCarthy 11), which prompts
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44). He certainly recognizes this adventure as primarily
an opportunity for gaining personal glory and honor,
yet participating will also bring prestige to the name of
Arthur and the Round Table (Hahn, “Romances” 2).
Arthur, however, sees the situation in a different light,
lamenting and accusing Gawain of “a mortal blow, for
you have deprived me of the best and truest companions
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reneged on his promise, but “the occasion had been too
public to permit it” (45), the implication being that his
pride would not let him -- although Arthur’s unexpected
retort may also have caused him some guilt and shame.
Gawain’s decision not to go back on his vow helps
to reveal the complexity of the character: a man of his
word, but somewhat “proud and frivolous” (Lacy & Ashe
136), foreshadowing both his failure in the Quest and
(by extension) his failure to be a solid and noble knight.
The Quest shows Gawain to be willfully ignorant of
spiritual matters, resulting in his utter failure to complete
the Quest. As he starts out, he cannot understand why
he encounters no marvels or adventures, unable to grasp
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deciding he is just “unlucky” (Quest 76). The author of
The Quest uses this conclusion to point out Gawain’s
less-than-acceptable life, and that even worse, he feels
no remorse for his spiritual lack. Called “henchman to
the enemy” as he has “abused his knighthood” by doing
deeds for earthly fame rather than God’s glory (79), the
implication is that Gawain is unworthy of experiencing
the marvelous adventures that more worthy knights
such as Perceval, Bors, and even Lancelot, encounter. A
monk who overhears Gawain comment that he hopes to
accompany Galahad reproves him, calling him “a bad
and faithless servant” (77); whether in assent, sarcasm, or
ironic resistance, Gawain replies “I deduce you know me
well” (77), giving the impression that he is aware of his
failings, but does not care. This theme comes up again
makes mention of Gawain’s “generosity of mind” and quickness to
commend others, stating the knight’s “human qualities” are brought
forth in the tale to stress the “inadequacy of the courtly ideal” (294, n.
45).
4 Hahn likens Gawain’s obedience to a “good ‘son’” “unwilling to
challenge the fatherly authority of the king” (“Chivalric” 223).
34
when Gawain and Hector encounter a hermit who tells
them they are “most heinous sinners” and since they are
in “mortal sin” should leave the quest (174). Gawain in
particular is told he is an “old tree” who has done “little
enough for [his] Maker” since he was knighted (175). His
response, that he would “gladly” talk with the hermit,
but has to catch up with his companion (175), once more
shows his lack of concern for the condition of his soul and
spiritual life; his priorities are catching up with Hector and
seeking adventure. The exchange not only foregrounds
Gawain “as the outstanding instance of relentless
devotion to physical exertion and knightly honor,” but
also “pays tribute to his unique stature and broad celebrity
as the knight of adventure” (Hahn, “Chivalric” 220).
Clearly, Gawain’s status and “celebrity” are not good
enough for the author of The Quest. Its Gawain episodes
surround the knight with settings and situations that
underscore his poor spiritual condition, as well as the
idea that he is unworthy of and unable to understand the
sacred. In an “ancient chapel, set on an upland in between
two crags, and seemingly abandoned and deserted” (163),
Gawain and Hector unarm, kneel before the altar, and
pray “as good Christians should,” then sit and “chat…of
this and that” (164). Their actions imply the poverty of
their faith, as it is clear that they go through the motions
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and meditation, they pray “as [they] should,” then fall
into idle conversation. Gawain and Hector also choose
shelter with a forester, rather than with a hermit (175),
one of the only times in the text that questing knights do
not lodge in a castle, hermitage, or chapel. Per the OED,
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one who looks after the growing timber on an estate….
In poetical and romantic use sometimes a huntsman.”5
This is certainly a different sort of host than a holy man
or gentlewoman, and very apparently a commentary
on the earthly, non-spiritual life of the two knights.
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the same thing as moral goodness,” but the mark of a
successful knight (Benson, “Defence” 270). This idea
aligns well with the character of Gawain as a whole: he
is what he is, and content to remain that way. The knight
adamantly refuses to do penance, as he feels there is
nothing wrong with his manner of life and sees no need
for it. This denunciation of Gawain as too concerned with
earthly pride and adventure is driven home in The Quest
through his wounding by Galahad (208) -- the overly
worldly knight’s participation brought to a close by the
holiest and most perfect. Gawain, however, merely muses
that his injury by Galahad’s sword was prophesied after
his attempt at the sword in the stone (208); he shows no
recognition that his Quest is actually ended by his sinful
state and refusal to repent. Gawain’s involvement with the
tale is over, and the last reference to him is an inscription on
Baudemagus’s tomb that states he was “slain by Gawain”
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Aquila - The FGCU Student Research Journal
(268). Gawain’s last mention in The Quest is therefore
related to a reckless death, bringing full circle the text’s
conception of him as a knight “in mortal sin” (Quest 174).
Although not as concerned with the spiritual aspect
of the knight, in similar fashion the French Death paints
a picture of Gawain as sinful and shameful. In the
opening pages, the tale uses his own words to accuse him,
immediately labelling the knight as a source of dishonor
to the Round Table. From the start, Arthur shows his
scorn of Gawain’s recklessness, admonishing him for his
killing of other Round Table knights during the Quest.
The knight numbers these deaths at eighteen, citing it
as a “misfortune” “through his sin,” and stating “You
have made me reveal my shame” (23-4). This portrayal
continues, presenting Gawain as a would-be seducer of
a damsel who turns out to be in love with Lancelot (“He
drew back embarrassed and regretful for what he had said
to the girl, because he was frightened that Lancelot might
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his knowledge of Lancelot and Guinevere from the king
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author’s own ideas concerning Gawain: “Gawain…depart
from here, because you are a man I shall never trust again.
You have behaved badly towards me” (112). As in The
Quest, the French Death seems intent to present Gawain
as a frivolous knight living in shame and dishonor,
concerned only with worldly adventure and glory.
GAWAIN IN MALORY’S “THE SANKGREAL”
AND “THE DETH OF ARTHUR”
Much like The Quest and the French Death, Malory
portrays Gawain as a man of adventure and knightly
courage. He is essentially the same knight, but not
portrayed as overly sinful, since Malory presents the
chivalric life as penance unto itself. His Gawain also
seeks “’worshyp’ or honour,” gains inextricably linked to
“appearance and stance,” through his “public expression of
personal obligation” (Benson, “Defence” 270), but rather
than being shown as willfully ignorant of the state of his
soul, this Gawain appears to achieve penitential cleansing
through his perilous life of adventure and his station as
loyal, respected knight. In “The Sankgreal,” Gawain’s
loyalty to Arthur is once more displayed through his
attempting the sword in the stone (499.1-3), and again, his
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charge Gawain with “betraying” him (505.3). Gawain is
still called “wycked and synfull” by a hermit and advised
to do penance (515.13-14), but where the Gawain of The
Quest replies “the hardships of penance would be more
than he could brook” (80), in Malory, he declares “Nay…I
may do no penaunce, for we knyghtes adventures many
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tale, Malory paints a picture of a knight who needs not be
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recognizes these sufferings as recompense for knightly
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that a knight’s body is symbolic of the Grail, as well as her
statement that a “knight’s bodily exploits are the vehicle
through which his spiritual worth is realized” (208). In
light of her argument, Malory’s Gawain is not a “bad,
faithless” knight, but rather one who repeatedly proves his
worth through bodily trial and privation. Fiona Tolhurst
suggests that since neither the hermit nor Nacien, two holy
men who admonish Gawain for his spiritual lack, refutes
Gawain’s rejection of penance and excuse of knightly
peril, it can be posited his words gain their “blessing”
and agreement. In this way, the character of Gawain is
somewhat redeemed and improved (141), and as part of the
character’s arc, also creates tension regarding what exactly
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Questions regarding the relationship of honor and
loyalty to familial ties and the chivalric code are at the
core of Malory’s “The Deth of Arthur,” which shows
not only how these responsibilities overlap and interact,
but how they may clash. Gawain is at the center of the
maelstrom, his knightly oath of chivalry brought sharply
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defends Lancelot’s actions in rescuing Gwenyver, saying
“for oftyntymys we do many thyngs that we wene for
the beste be, and yet peradventure hit turnyth to the
warste” (655.22-24): a declaration which can arguably
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to allow Arthur to make peace with Lancelot, however,
can be viewed as either a stance of great loyalty to kin
or a stubborn, willful move, lacking in the forgiveness
and mercy a knight is bound to display6. Either way,
this debate effaces the original advice Gawain gives
Arthur: “to nat be over hasty, but that ye wolde put hit in
respite, thys jougemente of my lady the Quene, for many
causis” (Malory 655.10-11), and it has been suggested
that the king’s failure to consider the “wise counsel of
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to come (Kelly 131). Despite this, Gawain is effectively
caught between his responsibilities to family blood and
Arthur’s brotherhood. Originally, Gawain states Lancelot
would not kill his brother Gareth (658.32-38), as there
was deep respect and love between them; Lancelot made
Gareth a knight (624.3), so they act as mentor and novice.
In Gawain’s own words, “I dare say my brother loved hym
bettir than me and all hys brethirn and the Kynge bothe”
(658.33-34), and “no man shall make hym be ayenste Sir
Lancelot, bycause he made hym kniyght” (623.14-15).
Aware of the strong bond between Lancelot and Gareth,
Gawain cannot accept the possibility that Lancelot did not
recognize Gareth and accidentally killed him. Gawain is
unable to fathom this as anything but an act of heinous
murder, an intentional killing of apprentice by master,
and therefore feels obligated as both chivalric knight
6 Benson points out that “because his brothers were noncombatants
and unarmed, Gawain is honour bound to revenge them, regardless of
mitigating factors” (“Defence” 271).
35
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and Gareth’s blood kin to respond accordingly. It has
been argued that “it is in pursuit of the knightly worship
he praises in Lancelot that Gawain becomes the other’s
mortal enemy” and “[Gawain] must now oppose Lancelot
to retain his own honour” (Benson, “End”232). It must
be noted, however, that Arthur’s stated code of chivalry
requires a knight “to gyff mercy unto hym that askith
mercy” (77.28-29), something Gawain is not prepared to
do in the case of Lancelot (despite repeated pleas), so it is
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of familial blood7. Benson also points out that Gawain’s
“extreme sorrow may be caused as much by the revenge
he must take against his old comrade as by his brothers’
deaths” (“Defence” 272). This implies that overwhelming
confusion and frustration in making the correct response
may well contribute to Gawain’s intransigence and
stubbornness; due to the complexity of the situation, once
he has decided, he has no other option but to stay the course.
Gawain’s insistence on revenge is also seen in the
French Death, although Gawain holds a lesser role in
requiring Arthur’s participation and vengeance, and does
not goad Lancelot quite as heavily as in Malory’s text.
This creates a subtle difference between the knight in the
French and Malory’s character, perhaps revealing a desire
in Malory to preserve the relationship between Arthur
and Lancelot. There are only two mentions of Gawain’s
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endowing the knight with an understated, yet powerful,
nobility and strength. At one point, Arthur allows Gawain
to tell Lancelot to leave the country, stating “Because that
is what Gawain desires…it is what I want too” (150).
This deferral, even as an indication of indecisiveness or
unwillingness to act on the part of the king, indicates the
respect Arthur has for Gawain’s leadership and status. In
fact, it seems Gawain is given free rein of the situation,
as the French text notes the knight’s “incitement” and
that “the king would never have become involved if Sir
Gawain had not compelled him” (155); this could describe
either a king handing off a situation that has no good
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knight have control because he knows no other way to
handle him. Regardless of the reasons for his involvement
and attitude, when Gawain comes to blows with Lancelot
in the French, it is in polite, courtly fashion. The knight
offers his gage to the king, and Lancelot responds in
kind (176), giving the appearance of a less emotional,
and more measured Gawain: still commanding and
decisive, yet noble in his action and unyielding stance.
At this point in Malory’s narrative a more brash and
childish Gawain appears, still decisive and unyielding
but showing none of the measured nobility found in the
French tale. This Gawain seems a prime mover in the
fragmentation of Arthur’s brotherhood of knights and
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asks for understanding and forgiveness (Malory 660-668). He reiterates
that the killing of Gawain’s brothers was an accident, offers to do
penance, and restores Gwenyvere to Arthur. All is rejected by Gawain,
even when Arthur seems open to resolution.
36
its associated spiral of destruction. Desiring forgiveness,
Lancelot comes to court and states he would rather have
killed his nephew Bors than Gareth (661.28-29), recounts
his previous rescue of Gawain (667.32-38), and returns
the Queen to Arthur (670.10-24). During these encounters,
Gawain calls him a “false and recrayde knight” (661.12),
threatens to leave Arthur if he reconciles with Lancelot
(668.43-44), and is the only dry eye in court when Lancelot
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a courtly challenge, Malory’s Gawain taunts Lancelot
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as “false traytour,” and “cowarde,” to the point Lancelot
must answer or “be shamed forever” (675.10-15).
The fact that Arthur shifts responsibility for the
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had foreseen the knight’s role in the disintegration of the
Round Table. After Gawain’s vow begins the quest for the
Grail, Arthur exclaims “Ye have sette me in grete sorrow
for I have grete doute that my trew felyshyp shall never
mete here more agayne” (504.3-5) and “Ye have betrayed
me! For never shall my courte be amended by you. But ye
will never be so sory for me as I am for you” (505.3-5).
In these prophetic words, Arthur implies Gawain’s honor
and strong leadership will draw the others into the Quest,
while at the same time expressing his great love and respect
for the knight. Arthur seems to recognize with trepidation
the strength in Gawain, a fortitude that ultimately leads to
the recalcitrance that drives Lancelot from court; but his
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sees nobility in his reasoning. Despite this, Arthur appears
to understand the unity of the Fellowship will be irreparably
broken, and wants Gawain through his love and loyalty to
feel accountable. He attempts to shift responsibility for the
situation onto Gawain, although the disintegration of the
Round Table is set in motion by the very ideals the king
has put at its core, such as his own attempt to uphold the
integrity of his name and court against the adultery of his
queen, Lancelot’s perceived obligations to Gwenyvere,
and Gawain’s struggle to appropriately answer the
death of his brothers (Benson, “Defence” 270-271).
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HIS LEGACY
The death of Gawain is treated differently in the four texts.
Although neither Geoffrey nor The Quest give Gawain a
death scene, the French Death, Alliterative Morte, and
Malory all allow the knight the opportunity to craft himself
a legend of honorable and chivalrous demise. It is unusual,
in light of Gawain’s importance and prowess in battle,
that Geoffrey gives the knight’s death so little space in his
narrative, stating only “Auguselus, the King of Albany,
and Gawain, the King’s nephew, died that day, together
with many others too numerous to describe” (258). It is
notable, however, that his name is listed alongside that
of the King of Albany, rather than consigned to the list
of “many others too numerous to describe,” indicating
Aquila - The FGCU Student Research Journal
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Gawain to be a knight of note and honor whose passing
merits mention. Hahn claims that Geoffrey’s Gawain
“leads [Arthur’s] forces against his brother Mordred, by
whom he is killed” (“Chivalric” 219), but as the passage
on page 258 demonstrates, the text does not assign anyone
credit for Gawain’s decease. From earlier descriptions of
his importance as a capable knight known for hardiness
and valor, the lack of details surrounding Gawain’s
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kings who ruled Britain; recounting the death of even a
highly respected knight may not have seemed necessary.
In the French Death, however, Gawain’s demise is
given lengthy treatment, allowing him to craft a legend
of his own noble death at the hands of Lancelot, rather
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knight but refuses to kill him (183-5); Gawain then lingers
after this wound is aggravated in battle with the Romans
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King to call for Lancelot’s aid against the traitor (194).
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prestige as heroic knight, it allows for his transition into
the role of mediator, as well as his movement toward the
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according to chivalric oath, urging mercy for Lancelot
and calling on the Christian concept of forgiveness and
loving one’s enemy. He names Lancelot “the noblest man
I have ever seen” (193), reiterates Lancelot’s love for
Arthur (193, 194), and blames his own death on his own
“foolishness” (200). As Gawain dies, he repeats that the
original wound he received from Lancelot, aggravated by
the Romans, caused his demise (200), giving the prestige
of killing a beloved knight to Lancelot. This insistence
that his death resulted from his own actions and blows to
the site of his old wound attempts to bring honor and valor
to his death, taking the glory from the hated Romans and
treasonous Mordred. This way, it cannot be said Gawain
was slain by a traitor or miscreant, which would be a
dishonorable death; instead, he packages the narrative
of his death to create a legend of warlike glory. Gawain
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Father, do not judge me by my sins” (200), through these
acts becoming a knight who dies a good death. The tale
states that upon Gawain’s loss Arthur felt a “grief that
touched his heart more than any other; that was the grief
that did not allow him to rest day or night; that was the
grief that did not allow him to eat or drink” (194). This
not only underscores the importance of the knight as brave
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The Alliterative Morte also makes clear through long
speeches and passages mourning his death that Gawain
was loved and respected even by his foes, and that those
who knew his loyalty felt his loss keenly. The knight’s
death is met in the epic with horrible, tangible grief by
both Arthur and Mordred, who is clearly named as his
killer (3840-63). Gawain’s encountering the traitor in
close combat underscores his bravery, loyalty to Arthur,
and willingness to die defending the king and his realm;
his death at the hands of the traitorous villain is portrayed
as valiant and honorable, and the lines surrounding and
following the event are elegiac and laudatory. The level
of Mordred’s grief is further indication of Gawain’s
high standing in the Alliterative, as it is unique to the
text (Hahn, “Chivalric” 221). Mordred weeps (3886),
calls Gawain “makless in molde” (3875), “hardiest in
hand” (3878), and even seems to repent his own treason:
When he thought on this thing it thirled his
herte; For sake of his sib-blood sighand he rides
When that renayed renk remembered himselve
Of reverence and riotes of the Round Table,
He romed and repent him of all his rewth workes,
Rode away with his rout, restes he no lenger,
For rade of our rich king, rive that he sholde. (3390-96)
Arthur’s grief is expressed in tears (3950) and swoons
(3969) as he embraces the corpse; he exclaims Gawain was
“…the hope of my hele, my happing in armes” (3958) and
cries “I am utterly undone in mine owen landes!” (3966).
Although Mordred may emphasize Gawain’s honor in
order to elevate his own accomplishment in killing him,
Arthur’s reaction reveals the respect and love he felt for this
knight, a man he loved as a relative and counted on in battle.
Malory’s death of Gawain helps to resituate the knight,
as he is again provided the opportunity to explain and
elaborate on the sequence of events leading to his mortal
wound. The narrative states afresh that Lancelot wounds
Gawain twice in the same spot, but both times refuses
to kill a fallen knight (676.43, 678.32-35). This again
sets up Gawain’s ability to claim he indirectly caused
his own death, for after the battle against Mordred and
his men, Malory’s Gawain is “founde in a greate boote,
liynge more than half dede” and he explains to Arthur
he was “hurte and smitten upon myne olde wounde that
Sir Lancelot gaff me” (681.12-13, 27-28). He insists he
caused his own death through his own stubbornness, and
if Lancelot had been with Arthur, the war with Mordred
would probably have been prevented (681.29-32). In a
detail unique to Malory, Gawain calls for pen, ink, and
paper, and writes to Lancelot apologizing for his actions,
asking him to return to Arthur’s defense, and requests
his prayers at his tomb (681.43-682.29). In the letter,
Gawain repeatedly refers to “nobility,” attributing it to
the knights attending both Arthur and Lancelot, to the
king, and to Lancelot himself; not only does this show
him to be good-hearted and gracious, it also reinforces
his status as he notes his valued and respected peers.
Gawain again makes mention that he “sought [his] dethe,
and nat thorow thy deservynge, but myne owne sekynge”
(682.6-7). He points out that the letter was written within
two and a half hours of his death, and signs it using his
“harte blood” (682.25-27), symbolizing the sincerity
37
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and truth of his words of forgiveness, culpability for his
own death, and plea for Lancelot to come to the aid of
Arthur.8 In this scene, Malory takes characterizations of
nobility, love, and self-destructive acts from the French
and builds on them, making them key to the redemption
and resituating of Gawain’s legacy as Christian knight
and beloved member of the Round Table fellowship.
RENEWAL AND REDEMPTION IN MALORY
After his passing in the French Death, Gawain appears
in a vision to Arthur, a scene of great importance to the
idea of his being forgiven and exalted. The knight appears
“more handsome than [Arthur] had ever seen him” with
“a crowd of poor people” who tell Arthur they “secured
the admission of…Gawain to the house of God because
of his great generosity and charity” to them, telling
Arthur “if you follow his example you will be acting very
wisely” (204). Before the vision ends, Gawain counsels
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God, surrounded by the poor and offering sage advice to
the king, it is irrefutable that Gawain has been redeemed
and forgiven. The sinful and shameful knight found in the
opening chapter of the Death is cleansed and accepted
by God – and apparently through his life of chivalry.
The salvation and redemption of Gawain also appears
of great importance to Malory, along with the idea of
knightly chivalry as a form of penance: as in the French,
it is made clear the knight is both forgiven his sins and
accepted into the everlasting. The dying Gawain is
“founde in a greate boote” (681.13), a notable detail, since
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(or trust in) the vicissitudes of fate and fortune” (616, n.
1). Although Gawain’s trust in fate is implied in both The
Quest and the early pages of Le Morte Darthur, Malory’s
placing him in a boat at the time of his death underscores
that during his last moments he sought to be a Christian
knight, asking God’s forgiveness for his sins (Benson
269). This reading is supported once more by Gawain
appearing in a vision to Arthur, surrounded by ladies; he
explains he did battle for the ladies accompanying him,
and by God’s grace and the ladies’ prayers, was sent to
WKH NLQJ 0DORU\ 7KLV ¿QDO PHQWLRQ
of Gawain as steadfast defender of ladies and God’s
messenger redeems the knight, and even more importantly,
validates his earlier claim that his life of knightly
“woo and payne” is penance unto itself (516.19-20).
This redemption of Gawain, as well as his desire to
contact Lancelot and gain his forgiveness, works in both
Malory and the French Death to ease the hopelessness
felt after the destruction of the Round Table. Although
many knights have been killed and the schism between
8 The mere fact that Gawain knows he is within hours of death elevates
him to holy status, likening him to a saint. In the Medieval genre, the
ability to know one’s hour of death is given only to those who have
achieved holiness.
38
Lancelot and Arthur still apparent, allowing Gawain to
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tale full circle, as his vow to begin the Quest, as well as
his recalcitrance toward Lancelot, largely contribute to the
dissolution of the Fellowship. Rather than leave the reader
with a sense of despair and total loss in the breaking up of
such a strong and chivalric ideal, Malory evokes unity in
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sense of wonder and appreciation “when they were holé
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37). It may be argued that Malory ushers responsibility
and forgiveness into the tale through his redemption of
Gawain, making it not only a romance of chivalry and
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Caxton’s preface to his edition of Le Morte Darthur: “Do
after the good and leave the evil, and it shall bring you
to good fame and renommee” (3). If the reader, as well
as kings and nobles, will practice Christian virtues and
morality, much animosity and bloodshed may be avoided.
CONCLUSION
It is easy to see how Caxton’s interpretation of Le Morte
Darthur might pertain to Malory’s life and any commentary
he may have intended in compiling his book. Malory’s
life was one bookended by war; born between 1415-1418
during the Hundred Years’ War, and dying in 1471 during
the War of the Roses, he would have experienced only
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interesting that the Alliterative Morte sets Arthur’s battle
with Lancelot in England; Malory’s shifting the scene to
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War, mirroring England’s animosity with that country,
much as the rift in the fellowship of the Round Table
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Lancaster and York factions based their struggle for the
crown on arguments of lineage and birth, it is suggested
by Malory’s text that Gawain’s family loyalty plays a large
part in the rupture of the brotherhood of Arthur’s knights.
On the other hand, it is also notable that his Gawain takes
on the role of mediator as he dies. In his letter to Lancelot,
by asking forgiveness and urging him to come to Arthur’s
aid (681.43-682.29), not only does Gawain embody the
desire to mend the fellowship of the Round Table, but as
Lancelot has returned to his lands in France, shades of
reconciliation related to both the War of the Roses and the
memory of the Hundred Years’ War may be seen. Kaeuper
suggests that Gawain is voicing Malory’s own desire for
IUHHGRPIURPFRQÀLFWIRUPHUF\UDWKHUWKDQLQWHUQHFLQH
strife and disagreement between powerful rulers:
“‘stabylite’ in the political order no less than in love” (108).
Meagan Leitch remarks that “romances such as the
Morte Darthur place their didactic energy in the wish for
everything to work out, for everyone to get their just des[s]
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attempt to do just this, have “everything to work out,”
certainly accounts for his admittance as angelic messenger
Aquila - The FGCU Student Research Journal
to Arthur. Rather than the earthly, sinful Gawain who fails
in The Quest or the brash, easily angered knight found
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closer to the knight found in Geoffrey and the Alliterative
Morte: bravely facing death and remaining valiant in the
face of a new, unknown adventure, yet loved and respected
enough in position to counsel both mercy and forgiveness.
This Gawain, brave negotiator of peace, becomes more
than a character -- he appears to embody the hopes of a man
who lived through too many years of war and civil strife.
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39