A Transformation of Gawain: A Human Experience

By Leontine Armstrong
Reactions to unexpected moments help form a person's self throughout their life. Sir

Gawain is a noble character in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, successfully written by an

unknown author around the year 1400. Gawain asks for the challenge the Green Knight

offers in the beginning of the poem because he wishes to take the place of King Arthur, win

himself honor, and accomplish greater tasks than are expected of him. Whether he lives or

dies during the journey is clearly of no consequence to him until the moment he must face

the Green Knight draws near. The lengthy and arduous journey Gawain takes on serves

several ideal purposes of making a name for himself, protecting his king, and showing what a

noble knight is capable of when placed in increasingly strange and strenuous situations. From

a structuralist's point of view, Gawain reacts to the entire journey through learned experience

of the world beyond the court of King Arthur. Learning to adapt, gather knowledge of his

enemy, as well as himself, and confronting life or death problems uniquely defines this

knight through his chivalrous acts. The major decisions Gawain makes move him along his

way to meet his fate at the Green Chapel with the mischievously playful Green Knight.

As a young knight, Gawain is eager to prove himself worthy for reputation's sake.

Taking the place of his king in a dangerous journey is what called him to action for the quest.

This call to action begins his quest for self-fulfillment. The Green Knight confronts the court

of King Arthur asking for a knight to take part in a beheading game. Arthur engages the

knight first and accepts the challenge until Gawain steps into the picture and takes ahold of

his new fate. In response to Arthur's initial move, Gawain asks him, "'I beg you, most

fervently, / to let me take this on" (341-42), wishing to take the place of Arthur and claim
 Armstrong 2

glory because he feels he is the least important individual present in the court. Gawain's

actions may be interpreted in several ways. Through the lens of structuralism, Gawain is

embarking upon an adventure that will expose him to lands far beyond what he encountered

before. This exposure to cultural phenomena is expected of a man who wishes to be a well-

rounded and experienced knight. William G. Doty explains, "The benefits of structuralist

analysis are that the methodology exposes tensions and underlying patterns in myths and rites

that seem accessible only through just such a process of decomposition and coding" (“The

Enframing Prime-time” 281). Opening one's eyes to the small and underlying details in this

poem will reveal a richer comprehension of cultural traditions and ceremonies within this

poem. Using a structuralist approach illuminates Gawain's character development as more

apparent through the recognition of how, why, and in what way he grows as a knight.

Gawain acts nobly at the start of the poem, as well as throughout, making his first

major choice by taking Arthur's place. By sacrificing himself to protect someone he sees as

indispensible, he is consciously recognizing his time to take part in a quest. Gawain

continues in his plea with Arthur saying, "I'm the weakest, I know, and the feeblest of spirit, /

so my life would be the least loss, it is simply true. / My only worth is that you are my uncle;

/ my body's sole value that your blood runs through it" (354-57). By taking on this

responsibility, the eager Gawain is explaining that he needs to make his own name worth

something and able to stand alone outside of Arthur's shadow. Many tales of knights, heroes,

and heroines start with this initial call to action and it is Arthur who is called, yet Gawain

takes the challenge head on.

Gawain is ready to prove that he is the one who should be taking this journey to meet

the Green Knight at the Green Chapel. The Gawain-poet elegantly paints the picture of the
 Armstrong 3

encounter with the Green Knight as ominous and daunting. If Gawain noticed the overly

confident attitude the Green Knight had, there would be no adventure and no

accomplishment. Gawain's commonsense should have picked up on the confidence the Green

Knight possessed. When a person knows they will win, their nature is to bet everything and

put it all on the line. The Green Knight is only too happy to take a gamble by placing his

neck underneath his own ax. This should have been Gawain's first clue the task would be a

difficult one. The mystical nature and curious allure of the Green Knight also should have

given away the mysterious game in which Gawain was to begin. Gawain might have noticed

the absurd request the Green Knight had presented and discarded it because he felt it was the

right course of action. He chose to participate in the strange game to see what would happen.

Curiosity and a challenge to prove himself enticed Gawain to participate in the strange game.

Despite this possible interpretation of Gawain not going on his journey, he says, "I'll do my

best to make my way there. / I solemnly swear it, on my word of honour'" (402-03). He puts

his honor to the test and this is repeatedly brought up through the embedded patterns

dispersed throughout the tale. These moments appear from his encounters with Bertilak de

Hautdesert's wife and when he is at the Green Chapel. The Gawain-poet provides cautionary

oratory in the beginning of this adventure by writing "Now take care, Sir Gawain, / not to

shrink from danger. / This is quite an ordeal that you have taken on" (487-90). Gawain has

indeed taken on a monstrous task of involving himself in a contest that is too good to be true.

By accepting this deeply experience-oriented quest, Gawain learns more about himself and

the demand of honor, glory, shame, and redemption.

As Gawain journeys to the Green Chapel towards the end of the year, he comes

across an estate where he stays for three nights to regain his strength, enjoy the company of
 Armstrong 4

welcoming people, and learn about where he must venture forth after he has rested. This is

also the location in which he makes his second major decision upon a meeting with the wife

of Bertilak. When relaxing and speaking with Bertilak, Gawain is offered a second game to

play on top of his game with the Green Knight. Every night Gawain stays at the castle, he

must give what he receives that day to Bertilak and in return will receive the spoils of the

hunt in the forest from Bertilak. While Bertilak is in the forest, Gawain's virtue is at stake

during the three days of temptation from Bertilak's wife. Gawain resists her tantalizing

seductions for three days. However, he finally gives in when he is offered a way to save his

life, so Gawain makes the conscious choice of being dishonest in order to live. This decision

is a negative moment for Gawain because he has acted on a selfish impulse unbecoming of a

knight. A second poor choice of shying away from the Green Knight's ax the next day pushes

him further away from the honor he so longingly desires. In Gawain, Knight of the Goddess:

Restoring an Archetype, John Matthews explains, "Gawain has passed the test with only one

failure, that he accepted the Green Girdle" (65). To Matthews, Gawain only made one

mistake, when in reality Gawain makes his second mistake when pulling his neck back from

the ax the Green Knight yielded. Gawain's character feels that his moment of weakness is

when he accepts the gift of life, the girdle that will protect him, because he has reached the

point of utter hopelessness. Gawain becomes singularly concerned about his mortality and

contemplates the reality of life and death because he is, of course, only human. Claude Levi-

Strauss's concept of binary opposites is clearly present in this moment of Gawain's mind as

he weighs his options. He gives into the pressure of the desire to live and shames his

reputation further when he avoids the first swing of the ax from the Green Knight. Gawain is
 Armstrong 5

unflinching in his penance for his two unsavory acts, but the Green Knight absolves him of

any misdoings.

Gawain's encounter with the unfortunate side of the Green Knight's ax was an

unpleasant but necessary experience for individual growth. During the moment his life is in

jeopardy, Gawain "pretended to be fearless, / afraid to show his dread" (2257-58). Coming

this far just to give up is not a worthy action of a knight. Gawain was afraid to admit aloud

that he feared death. The Gawain-poet writes, "Gawain glanced sideways at that war-axe / as

it came speeding groundwards as if to destroy him, / and with his shoulders recoiled from the

steel" (2265-67). To be fearful for one's life is a normal human condition that is not

considered during some readings of this tale. The Gawain-poet evinces pathos for Gawain by

writing, "It's no wonder Gawain disliked it, / with no hope of escape" (2307-08) because

Gawain was afraid when he saw the ax dropping down. In Myth by Laurence Coupe, Claude

Levi-Strauss's structuralist approach is explained in useful detail. Coupe states that when

"interpreting myth, we are not to attend to the single symbol, but to the overall structure; not

to what it may or may not mean to the individual, but to the communal logic which is

implicit" (138). In Gawain's case, he is scared of dying, a fear all humans have. Although the

logical way to react in this situation is to feel fear, Gawain is ashamed that he has not acted

according to what a knight should have done. In a typical community, this pulling back

would be expected and also judged. Gawain is simply bridging that link between the realm of

knighthood and normal human reactive behaviors.

Gawain makes a third major decision of accepting his shame through his defeat both

morally and physically. By demanding this burden of bearing his shame, he is not only

cleansed of his wrongdoings, he is accepted back into Arthur's court and seen as a majestic
 Armstrong 6

warrior who has worked with his fate. In The Arthurian Legends: An Illustrated Anthology,

Gawain is referred to as "an idealized hero who makes one error that cannot be redeemed,

although not fatal" (115). The act of cowardice is not what makes a good knight. However,

Gawain does redeem himself because he accepts the shame and makes it a point to explain

why he took on such disgrace by wearing the girdle that tempted him. The anthology goes on

to envision the journey of Gawain to be interpreted that "by breaking his word in concealing

the girdle, he had dishonoured the order of knighthood" (115). Whether he dishonored

himself or not, he did not shy away from the disgrace and did not leave himself open to

additional ridicule by turning his back on his shame. He wholeheartedly assumes the

responsibility through shaming himself publicly. Gawain performs a noble act with this

burden and declares that "Though a man may hide his crime, if it's not exposed, / once it is

there it will never be gone" (2511-12). Although Gawain dishonors himself before and

during the final rounds of the beheading game, he does not follow the same course after the

near death experience. The Green Knight's enchanted world is what Gawain is unfamiliar

with and this encounter with death at the Green Chapel, a uniquely magical place, has

changed him. His exposure to it has given him wisdom and newly found courage, especially

when taking responsibility for his actions. This is his turning point in which he learns a

lesson about the repercussions of selfish actions. Gawain is able to show his accumulation of

knowledge through the wearing of the green girdle, which assisted in his escape from death.

Gawain goes through several temptations with Bertilak's wife and gives in the

moment he is presented with a way to preserve his life. It is said, "Some writers have seen Sir

Gawain and the Green Knight as a poem with a didactic moral; but it is rather a moral

reflection on human weakness" (The Arthurian Legends 115). Gawain was not weak when it
 Armstrong 7

came to the flesh of a beautiful woman. He instead becomes weak only because he is

concerned for himself. Although the reader of the poem sees the momentary weakness of a

hero, the reality of taking on the disgrace should be recognized at the end of the poem and

seen as a great accomplishment for the knight. It is expected of any person in any culture to

wish to survive. The lack of knightly behavior Gawain momentarily experiences is an

example of what can happen to even the most noble-seeming person. Gawain is not perfect.

This is the reality of Gawain and an underlying theme of the poem that should be considered

in a structuralist point of view. The Green Knight explains to Gawain that he does not hold

him at fault and tells him, "But there you fell short a bit and failed in fidelity, / not from love

of artwork or libidinous urges, / but because you like being alive" (2366-68). The primal

human urge to live is a clear theme in this poem. Gawain gave into the survival instinct he

has in the depths of his being and tainted his honor. The Green Knight tells Gawain that he

acted as a knight should around the temptations of an attractive woman and that accepting

and hiding the girdle is not something to be ashamed of even though Gawain "shrank with

shame" (2372). The Green Knight ignores the horror Gawain is experiencing and says, "I

sent her to tempt you, and honestly I think / you're as faultless a man as ever drew breath"

(2362-63). Gawain resisted the temptation of the wife's body, but gave into the desires to

protect his own body. Gawain holds onto his suitable courtly behavior by acting like a

gentleman despite the consistent seductive attempts by Bertilak's wife.

Gawain successfully resists Bertilak's wife, but accepts the girdle against his knightly

nature. The Green Knight initially says he is sure that this man standing in front of him is not

Gawain because he has "never heard such cowardice ascribed to him" (2273) as Gawain

moves away from the quickly dropping ax. These words are said to Gawain before the ax is
 Armstrong 8

finally brought down upon his neck for the second and then third time. After the event takes

place, the Green Knight commends Gawain for going through with his promise. The Green

Knight explains this to Gawain and says, "I declare you absolved of that guilt" (2393)

because he did not set out to hurt Gawain, but to simply play a game and test a member of

Arthur's court under orders from Morgan Le Fay. This is the instant of the poem in which

Gawain musters all that he has learned in his quest and replies by saying, "Now I am false

and at fault-I who always have / dreaded / treachery and lies" (2383-85). His value for his

own life is what convinced him to lie. Gawain easily took the place of Arthur's life in the

beginning of the poem, but when the time came to give his life to the Green Knight, he

hesitated and quickly recognized that he had acted foolishly. Gawain goes on to say that the

girdle is now "a sign of my sinfulness: that's how I'll see it / as I ride out in glory, as a

reminder to me / of the frailty and weakness of the treacherous flesh" (2433-35). Gawain

speaks of his own flesh that is treacherous, not giving into the woman's flesh. The woman

was not his downfall. Valuing his life was his downfall. Gawain speaks in a misogynistic

way, but does so in an angry state that is not becoming of what a knight should say about a

lady. After the discussion of his shame, Gawain leaves to go home and show his personal

failure to everyone and is ready to accept whatever way they may act towards him.

King Arthur and his men welcome Gawain back into their homes and hearts because

they are so happy he has survived his quest. The acceptance of warriors back into a

community shows the cohesion that is expected and valued in such a moment. In the short

essay Transforming Warriors, Arthur Egendorff writes, "Communities that suffer an absence

of spirit will be roused not by condemning, repressing, or banishing the most exuberant

human energies, but by directing those energies to a dignifying and ennobling purpose"
 Armstrong 9

(168). Many warriors throughout history have been celebrated upon their return from war.

Gawain's journey was no different than a soldier returning home from a difficult place. The

Gawain-poet writes about the welcoming Arthur and his court have for Gawain by

illustrating what they do in honor of his accomplishments. The Gawain-poet writes, "For it

was reckoned to be to the Round Table's credit, / and the man who would wear it honoured

for ever" (2519-20). The Gawain-poet speaks of the green girdle that reveals Gawain's

shameful act. The court honors Gawain for his noble actions, not for his shameful mistake.

Even though he has acted against what is expected of a knight, the court is ready to honor

him by wearing his symbol of shame uniformly.

Gawain's travels in this poem lead him to strange places where he gains knowledge,

honor, and shame. Gawain's development as a character is due in part to the multiple patterns

of games that arise from the Green Knight/Bertilak and Bertilak's wife. Gawain exemplifies

the ideal knight because he is not perfect. Only through imperfection is the beauty and truth

found of a person who is going to be highly valued despite the innate flaws human nature

consistently possesses. When he made the mistake of wishing to preserve his life, he shows

what anyone may have done in a similar situation. Even though Gawain puts his life first, he

does not put someone else’s life on the line. Thus, Gawain represents the nobility of humans

who accept their fate in an undisclosed manner for all to see. Through a structuralist

approach of unpacking the meanings surrounding Gawain's reactions, a clearer view of both

a particular character and society is within reach.

Works Cited
The Arthurian Legends: An Illustrated Anthology. Ed. Richard Barber. U.S.A.: Dorset P.,
1979. 115.
Coupe, Laurence. Myth. Routledge. New York, New York, 2009. 168.
Doty, William. "The Enframing Prime-time Context Is All: Structuralisms, Semiotics, and
Cultural History." Mythography: The Study of Myths and Rituals. 2nd ed. U of
Alabama P. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 2000. 266-302.
Egendorff, Arthur. Transforming Warriors. The Awakened Warrior: Living with Courage,
Compassion and Discipline. Ed. Rick Fields. G. P. Putnam's Sons. New York, New
York, 1994. 168.
Matthews, John. Gawain, Knight of the Goddess: Restoring an Archetype. The Aquarian P.
Great Britain, England, 1990. 65-160.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Bernard O'Donoghue. Ed. Bernard O'Donoghue.
Penguin Books. New York, New York, 2006. 3-78.