Sir Gawain And The Green Knight: Test Of One Knight's Chivalric Attributes

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to his king. The Green Knight challenges anyone in the hall to the
beheading game and no one takes him up on it. Arthur, angered by the Green
Knight's taunting, is about to accept the challenge himself when Gawain steps in
saying "would you grant me this grace" (Sir Gawain, l. 343), and takes the ax
from Arthur. This is a very convenient way for the author to introduce Gawain
and also to show Gawain's loyalty to Arthur, but it seems almost too convenient.
There is an entire hall full of knights, why does Gawain alone step up? Why is
it that a superior knight such as Lancelot does not step up? The Green Knight
is big and of course he is green, which might explain some of the delay in
acceptance of the challenge, but these knights are warriors. The color green is
not a frightening enough color, even combined with the Green Knight's size, to
scare a true warrior. The possible reason for the hesitation by the knights
could lie in the description of the Green ...

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test of his chivalric attributes.
Honor is another very important attribute that a knight must possess.
Gawain has given his word while accepting the beheading challenge that he will
meet the Green Knight at the Green Chapel in one year's time. This journey is
not an easy task by any means. The author tells us "many a cliff must he climb
in country wild; / far off from all his friends, forlorn must he ride" (Sir
Gawain, l. 713-714). This journey is also taking place in winter and "near
slain by the sleet [Gawain] sleeps in his irons / more nights than enough, among
the naked rocks" (Sir Gawain, l. 729-730). The author's vivid description of
what Gawain must go through to get to the ...

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