To kick-start our discussion for tomorrow, and so that we will have a place to bounce ideas off eachother, I'm going to share some of the Christian references I picked up on in SGGK.
We have already talked in class a little about the symbolic nature of the shield and the girdle. Towards beginning of the poem, we can see Gawain's Christian faith through his prayer to the Virgin Mary, and through the symbols on his shield (the pentangle and an image of the Virgin Mary). I read that the pentangle symbolizes "the virtues to which Gawain aspires: to be faultless in his five senses; never to fail in his five fingers; to be faithful to the five wounds that Christ received on the cross; to be strengthened by the five joys that the Virgin Mary had in Jesus (the Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, and Assumption); and to possess...the five virtues of knights: friendship, generosity, chastity, courtesy, and piety." The Virgin Mary's image on the shield ensures that Gawain never loses heart. The shield symbolizes Gawain's faith in the protection of God and Christ. Later in the poem, however, Gawain forsakes his trust in God and instead turns to the girdle given to him by Bertilak's wife for protection.
I also think Gawain's replacement of his faith in God with the girdle establishes a Genesis parallel. In Eden, Adam succumbed to Eve and ate the forbidden fruit. In SGGK, Gawain surrendered to Bertilak’s wife by accepting the, if you will, "false idol"--the girdle. Though Gawain knowingly sins (he immediately runs off to confession after receiving the girdle) by putting his faith in the girdle, the Green Knight pardons him. The Green Knight's mercy towards Gawain supports the Christian idea of a merciful God.
My last sentence puzzles me. Can we explore a little more the idea of a God or Christ figure in SGGK? Because I think certain aspects of the text support Gawain as having similar experiences to Jesus (see next paragraph), while others point to the Green Knight as being somewhat supernatural or divine.
My last point comes from the very end of the poem. The poet finishes the poem with a parallel between the green girdle and Christ's crown of thorns. Just as the crown of thorns represented both humiliation and triumph for Christ, the green girdle acts as a constant reminder to Gawain of his shame for his sins and as a reminder of his triumph in the beheading game. The girdle is ultimately like a scarlet letter which serves to remind Gawain of a time when he excessively valued his own mortal life. This carries the Christian message that we should not become to attached to our mortal life; it should be lived in a Christian way (trying to spread Jesus' word) so that we may have the reward of eternal life in heaven.
Comments? Other Christian symbols/allusions? Also, does anyone have any thoughts on the last line of the poem: "HONY SOYT QUI MAL PENCE"? I read that it literally means "shame to him who finds evil here," or, more fully interpreted, means "let the shame be to him who finds humility shameful."
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4 comments:
Agreed. :)
Anyway an essay that i read brought up on interesting point. The author thought that the pentangle was a pagan simple. So, since the Virgin Mary is protecting Gawian on the inside, and the pagan aspect repels enemies because its on the other side. Again there is this three symbolism with the protection of Gawian.
And the shield represents the Son, connecting the pagan with the christian; his armour - the Father, because it protects him; and his attending Mass after he puts on the girdle at the castle of Bertilak, represents the Holy Ghost, showing the connection between the physical and nonphysical. I thought that was a pretty cool idea.
*simple = symbol
Kelsie, I disagree with what you said about Gawain knowing and wanting to repent for his sins... "Though Gawain knowingly sins (he immediately runs off to confession after receiving the girdle) by putting his faith in the girdle, the Green Knight pardons him." Gawain may know that he sins, but he does not immediately run off to confession upon receiving it. Rather he keeps it a secret until he faces the Green Knight and the Green Knight calls him out on it. It is not until someone else finds Gawain's sin that he confesses it. However, I do think this upholds the Christian symbology in the story. If the Green Knight is viewed as a Christ-like figure (more about that later), this event can be interpreted as no matter how we try to hide our sins God always sees us for who we really are. Only by confessing to Him can we be absolved of these sins and make it into heaven.
Now to answer your question, Kelsie. I an article that suggested that the Green Knight was a Christ-like figure and that Gawain was like a Christian disciple figure. Just like Christ, the Green Knight willingly gives himself up to death and yet he does not die. Before he rides away, the Green Knight tells Gawain that he must follow in the Green Knight's footsteps and must allow his own head to be cut off; this is similar to how Jesus wanted His followers to follow His example. Also, Christ's follows were in amazement of Him, especially during the crucifixition and the resurrection; likewise, Arthur and his court, especially Gawain, are in amazement of the feats that the Green Knight accomplishes at Camelot. Finally, this article brings up the fact that Christ said that He would go to ahead to Galilee and His disciples must seek Him there, just like Gawain must seek out the Green Knight at the Green Chapel.
Another Christian element that I thought was interesting was the likening of Bertilak's castle to Paradise. Gawain is wandering through the wilderness in search of the Green Chapel. On Christmas Eve, he is desperate because he cannot find the Green Chapel and he is very fatigued, so he appeals to Mary to find him a place where he can attend mass. Then, almost immediately, Bertilak's castle appears. Because Gawain put his faith in God and Christ, he was rewarded by reaching Paradise. It is also in this paradise that he meets his temptation (Lady Bertilak = Eve in the Garden of Eden) and he commits his first major sin.
Kelsie, I thought your point about the girle being "false idolry" was interesting. I wrote a whole post about disagreeing with it... and then changed my mind. He does rely on something he shouldn't have, something that was by extension a tool of Morgan (Devil?).
We mentioned today in class about King Arthur being a God-like figure. While I agree to a certain extent, there one solid argument against this. The end of the play says that no one truly understands what Gawain is going through and that his girdle is not a badge of courage. If Arthur is God, shouldn't he understand Gawain's troubles? Furthermore, is this story then suggesting that eventually God will be taken away/brought down by human error?
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