Pilgrim's...Quest?
This is a paper I wrote for my Comparative Literature class at UCD this quarter. It's just me giving the UCD liberal arts department a good old fashioned dose of Jesus. They hate it when I do that. They also hate it when the essay is so good they have to give me an A! Actually my TA liked it and that's why I got an A.
Pilgrim's Quest?
The book Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan is a Christian allegory about a man's life from learning about Christ to obtaining forgiveness. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is much like a medieval attempt at such an allegory. One of the many possible symbolisms for the Green Knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is that the Green Knight is a Christ figure. However, looking deeper into the story it can be seen that not only is the Green Knight a parallel to Jesus Christ but that the entire story is a parallel to the Christian journey.
At the beginning of the book we find Sir Gawain in King Arthur's court. This court is perfect. "The most famous warriors of Christ our King, / And the loveliest ladies in the world, and Arthur / The noblest of rulers, reigning in his court." (Raffel 50, 51-53) There are no evil people, everyone is wholly good and everyone adheres to a set moral code, the code of Chivalry, and deviation from that code is sin. One's rank in King Arthur's court depends entirely upon how well someone can adhere to that code. "Then they washed and sat at that stately table, / The noblest nearest their lord, and his queen" (Raffel 50, 72-73) This setting is much like the setting of the Old Testament in the Bible. In the Old Testament everyone and everything belonged to the Kingdom of God and your rank and importance, or your ability to go to heaven, depended entirely on how well you could adhere to God's strict moral code. Our hero, Sir Gawain, lives in a fantasy world where everyone is able to adhere to that code. All the people in Arthur's court are good and beautiful. "While ladies laughed when kisses were lost / (And whoever won them found it hard to weep)" (Raffel 50, 69-70) The only women shown are pretty and happy, a very unrealistic world.
Then the book continues into the New Testament. One day the Green Knight enters the scene and challenges this reality. When Christ entered the world, He challenged the idea that a person could be perfect and abide by this strict moral code, that a person could 'make it to heaven on their own merits.' "I came to see / If these tales were true. You can surely tell / By this branch here in my hand that I've come / In peace, not seeking, not giving offense" (Raffel 56, 263-266) In the same way that Christ challenged the world of the Pharisees, the Green Knight challenges the reality of King Arthur's court. Another parallel between the Green Knight and Christ is that the Green Knight arrives in King Arthur's court on the same day that, traditionally, Christ came into the world: Christmas. Christ came in peace just as the Green Knight, but then, like Christ, the Green Knight is killed and comes back to life on his own. The Green Knight willingly gives his life and in a way is martyred or crucified.
The parallel between the Green Knight's death and Christ's death can go even deeper when you take notice that the Green Knight was killed by one of his own, another knight, and that it was common belief at the time Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written that the Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus. Even though we know now that it was the Romans who killed Jesus, the parallel still works taking into context the time at which the book was written. Another parallel comes when the Green Knight tells Sir Gawain that in order to find him all he has to do is look. "Gawain, be ready to ride as you promised; / Hunt me well until you find me" (Raffel 61, 448-449) Jesus says the same thing in the Bible in Mathew 7:7.
Sir Gawain then, some time later, ventures out of the safety of King Arthur's court into the wilderness. Looks for the Green Knight and what he finds is Bertilak's court. This court seems to be more real, or at least more real then King Arthur's court. The people in this court recognize that they are human and that it is impossible to attain such a high standard as the moral code of Chivalry. Their attending of Mass every day suggests this. "They ate their food and heard their mass" (Raffel 92, 1414) They attend Mass more often than Arthur's court because they recognize that they are sinful and need forgiveness. Also, unlike King Arthur's court, Bertilak's court is not afraid to hide imperfection.
"All awful to see, bleared and sour -
But a lady honored here on earth,
By God!
Stumpy and short,
Her buttocks broad:
There was better sport
In the lady she towed."
(Raffel 77, 963-969)
The old woman is an expression of this. It shows that all things, no matter how good or perfect they are, will eventually wither and fade way.
Another possible interpretation of the old ugly woman and the young beautiful woman being together that can relate to Christianity is a Christian theological term "pharisaical externalism." Pharisaical externalism refers to a person outwardly being beautiful, kind, and loving, but inwardly being evil. Essentially, a person puts up a faade that they are righteous when in actuality they are sinful in private. Jesus explained it as that you clean the outside of cup so it shines and is beautiful but you use it to store refuse. This can apply to the Lady Bertilak, who outwardly seems like the perfect woman "Lovelier than Guinevere, in Gawain's eyes." (Raffel 77, 945) but she attempts to tempt Gawain sexually! It is during these tests that Gawain ultimately does sin, but not a sin of lust; rather he commits the sins of greed and cowardice. "Gawain hesitated, his heart / Reached for protection, like a thief for a gem: / He could come to that chapel, and take that stroke, / and with this glorious device walk off / Unharmed." (Raffel 104, 1855-1859) He accepts the gift of the green belt from the Lady Bertilak and does not give it to Bertilak as was the rules in their game. That is how he commits a sin of greed; he also commits a sin of cowardice because he kept the belt to save his life from the axe of the Green Knight.
The green belt is representative of Sir Gawain's sin. It also represents the ultimate sin, the one that gets so many people in trouble in the Bible, relying on something other then God to save you. When the opportunity to use the belt, something that is visible, to save his life rather then God, someone that is invisible, Sir Gawain seems to suddenly forget about his trust in God and his faith. He accepts the green belt in believing in it to save his life rather then God. One could even go so far to say that there was a third sin that Sir Gawain committed, the sin of idolatry. "He also wore the lady's gift, / Well aware of his own best interest." (Raffel 111, 2030-2031) The idea that his faith in the belt replaced his faith in God is shown here when he sets out from Bertilak's castle to finish his quest with the Green Knight. When he left Arthur's castle there was a long explanation of the shield that Sir Gawain carries and it's symbolism of Sir Gawain's devout faith. This shield is not even mentioned and in its place is the belt. He has abandoned his shield, his faith in God, for the belt, a faith in worldly things. There is more Christian symbolism in his original armor when viewed in the light of Ephesians 6:10-17 where the Bible talks about the armor of God and the shield of faith.
Sir Gawain goes out and meets the Green Knight. After the Green Knight spares Sir Gawain's life he reveals that he is Bertilak and that he knows all of what Sir Gawain did. The Green Knight then, like Jesus, frees Sir Gawain of his sins. This story, like the Christian journey in Pilgrim's Progress is a story about growth. Sir Gawain grew from his fantasy world of perfection in Arthur's court, to a realization of the truth, that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) In a way this is what the Green Knight tells Sir Gawain. To paraphrase, the Green Knight tells Sir Gawain, "Yes you did sin, but so does everyone else and I forgive you." (Raffel 121, 2366-2395)
This growth process is the major evidence that the Green Knight represents Christ. In Christian tradition there are several colors that are attributed to Christ and each of those colors represents one of His attributes. The color green as it is attributed to Christ represents His ability to cause one to grow, either into a relationship with Him or to grow in ones faith in Him through trials. This is exactly what the Green Knight did for Sir Gawain. The Green Knight caused Sir Gawain to leave his world of judgment in Arthur's court where people are judged according to their good deeds and grow into a world of forgiveness where it is realized that it would be insane to judge people by their deeds because everyone does evil sometime.
With all of this Christian symbolism in the book it would seem easy to suggest that this book, like Pilgrim's Progress, was intended to be an allegory of the Christian journey however there are a few contradictions with this idea in the story. The primary contradiction comes when the wife of the Green Knight is revealed to be Morgana Le Fey. She sends the Green Knight to Arthur's court and she is commonly a villain in the Arthurian legends. Also she tries to tempt Gawain sexually. She is hardly the kind of person who would be expected to be sending Jesus anywhere.
Although it is obvious that the story in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is symbolic of the Christian life and journey it is not a full allegory. It is possible that the author wished this because he didn't want to make a complete allegory and risk upsetting the church in some way, but he wanted to use famous and well known legends to tell a story similar to that which is found in the Bible. It is possible that this book was the first instance of Christian fiction used to help the people understand the Bible better. This story probably was a very useful tool to priests who in order to explain a Biblical story could say, "Well, it's like when Gawain met the Green Knight"
Pilgrim's Quest?
The book Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan is a Christian allegory about a man's life from learning about Christ to obtaining forgiveness. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is much like a medieval attempt at such an allegory. One of the many possible symbolisms for the Green Knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is that the Green Knight is a Christ figure. However, looking deeper into the story it can be seen that not only is the Green Knight a parallel to Jesus Christ but that the entire story is a parallel to the Christian journey.
At the beginning of the book we find Sir Gawain in King Arthur's court. This court is perfect. "The most famous warriors of Christ our King, / And the loveliest ladies in the world, and Arthur / The noblest of rulers, reigning in his court." (Raffel 50, 51-53) There are no evil people, everyone is wholly good and everyone adheres to a set moral code, the code of Chivalry, and deviation from that code is sin. One's rank in King Arthur's court depends entirely upon how well someone can adhere to that code. "Then they washed and sat at that stately table, / The noblest nearest their lord, and his queen" (Raffel 50, 72-73) This setting is much like the setting of the Old Testament in the Bible. In the Old Testament everyone and everything belonged to the Kingdom of God and your rank and importance, or your ability to go to heaven, depended entirely on how well you could adhere to God's strict moral code. Our hero, Sir Gawain, lives in a fantasy world where everyone is able to adhere to that code. All the people in Arthur's court are good and beautiful. "While ladies laughed when kisses were lost / (And whoever won them found it hard to weep)" (Raffel 50, 69-70) The only women shown are pretty and happy, a very unrealistic world.
Then the book continues into the New Testament. One day the Green Knight enters the scene and challenges this reality. When Christ entered the world, He challenged the idea that a person could be perfect and abide by this strict moral code, that a person could 'make it to heaven on their own merits.' "I came to see / If these tales were true. You can surely tell / By this branch here in my hand that I've come / In peace, not seeking, not giving offense" (Raffel 56, 263-266) In the same way that Christ challenged the world of the Pharisees, the Green Knight challenges the reality of King Arthur's court. Another parallel between the Green Knight and Christ is that the Green Knight arrives in King Arthur's court on the same day that, traditionally, Christ came into the world: Christmas. Christ came in peace just as the Green Knight, but then, like Christ, the Green Knight is killed and comes back to life on his own. The Green Knight willingly gives his life and in a way is martyred or crucified.
The parallel between the Green Knight's death and Christ's death can go even deeper when you take notice that the Green Knight was killed by one of his own, another knight, and that it was common belief at the time Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written that the Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus. Even though we know now that it was the Romans who killed Jesus, the parallel still works taking into context the time at which the book was written. Another parallel comes when the Green Knight tells Sir Gawain that in order to find him all he has to do is look. "Gawain, be ready to ride as you promised; / Hunt me well until you find me" (Raffel 61, 448-449) Jesus says the same thing in the Bible in Mathew 7:7.
Sir Gawain then, some time later, ventures out of the safety of King Arthur's court into the wilderness. Looks for the Green Knight and what he finds is Bertilak's court. This court seems to be more real, or at least more real then King Arthur's court. The people in this court recognize that they are human and that it is impossible to attain such a high standard as the moral code of Chivalry. Their attending of Mass every day suggests this. "They ate their food and heard their mass" (Raffel 92, 1414) They attend Mass more often than Arthur's court because they recognize that they are sinful and need forgiveness. Also, unlike King Arthur's court, Bertilak's court is not afraid to hide imperfection.
"All awful to see, bleared and sour -
But a lady honored here on earth,
By God!
Stumpy and short,
Her buttocks broad:
There was better sport
In the lady she towed."
(Raffel 77, 963-969)
The old woman is an expression of this. It shows that all things, no matter how good or perfect they are, will eventually wither and fade way.
Another possible interpretation of the old ugly woman and the young beautiful woman being together that can relate to Christianity is a Christian theological term "pharisaical externalism." Pharisaical externalism refers to a person outwardly being beautiful, kind, and loving, but inwardly being evil. Essentially, a person puts up a faade that they are righteous when in actuality they are sinful in private. Jesus explained it as that you clean the outside of cup so it shines and is beautiful but you use it to store refuse. This can apply to the Lady Bertilak, who outwardly seems like the perfect woman "Lovelier than Guinevere, in Gawain's eyes." (Raffel 77, 945) but she attempts to tempt Gawain sexually! It is during these tests that Gawain ultimately does sin, but not a sin of lust; rather he commits the sins of greed and cowardice. "Gawain hesitated, his heart / Reached for protection, like a thief for a gem: / He could come to that chapel, and take that stroke, / and with this glorious device walk off / Unharmed." (Raffel 104, 1855-1859) He accepts the gift of the green belt from the Lady Bertilak and does not give it to Bertilak as was the rules in their game. That is how he commits a sin of greed; he also commits a sin of cowardice because he kept the belt to save his life from the axe of the Green Knight.
The green belt is representative of Sir Gawain's sin. It also represents the ultimate sin, the one that gets so many people in trouble in the Bible, relying on something other then God to save you. When the opportunity to use the belt, something that is visible, to save his life rather then God, someone that is invisible, Sir Gawain seems to suddenly forget about his trust in God and his faith. He accepts the green belt in believing in it to save his life rather then God. One could even go so far to say that there was a third sin that Sir Gawain committed, the sin of idolatry. "He also wore the lady's gift, / Well aware of his own best interest." (Raffel 111, 2030-2031) The idea that his faith in the belt replaced his faith in God is shown here when he sets out from Bertilak's castle to finish his quest with the Green Knight. When he left Arthur's castle there was a long explanation of the shield that Sir Gawain carries and it's symbolism of Sir Gawain's devout faith. This shield is not even mentioned and in its place is the belt. He has abandoned his shield, his faith in God, for the belt, a faith in worldly things. There is more Christian symbolism in his original armor when viewed in the light of Ephesians 6:10-17 where the Bible talks about the armor of God and the shield of faith.
Sir Gawain goes out and meets the Green Knight. After the Green Knight spares Sir Gawain's life he reveals that he is Bertilak and that he knows all of what Sir Gawain did. The Green Knight then, like Jesus, frees Sir Gawain of his sins. This story, like the Christian journey in Pilgrim's Progress is a story about growth. Sir Gawain grew from his fantasy world of perfection in Arthur's court, to a realization of the truth, that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) In a way this is what the Green Knight tells Sir Gawain. To paraphrase, the Green Knight tells Sir Gawain, "Yes you did sin, but so does everyone else and I forgive you." (Raffel 121, 2366-2395)
This growth process is the major evidence that the Green Knight represents Christ. In Christian tradition there are several colors that are attributed to Christ and each of those colors represents one of His attributes. The color green as it is attributed to Christ represents His ability to cause one to grow, either into a relationship with Him or to grow in ones faith in Him through trials. This is exactly what the Green Knight did for Sir Gawain. The Green Knight caused Sir Gawain to leave his world of judgment in Arthur's court where people are judged according to their good deeds and grow into a world of forgiveness where it is realized that it would be insane to judge people by their deeds because everyone does evil sometime.
With all of this Christian symbolism in the book it would seem easy to suggest that this book, like Pilgrim's Progress, was intended to be an allegory of the Christian journey however there are a few contradictions with this idea in the story. The primary contradiction comes when the wife of the Green Knight is revealed to be Morgana Le Fey. She sends the Green Knight to Arthur's court and she is commonly a villain in the Arthurian legends. Also she tries to tempt Gawain sexually. She is hardly the kind of person who would be expected to be sending Jesus anywhere.
Although it is obvious that the story in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is symbolic of the Christian life and journey it is not a full allegory. It is possible that the author wished this because he didn't want to make a complete allegory and risk upsetting the church in some way, but he wanted to use famous and well known legends to tell a story similar to that which is found in the Bible. It is possible that this book was the first instance of Christian fiction used to help the people understand the Bible better. This story probably was a very useful tool to priests who in order to explain a Biblical story could say, "Well, it's like when Gawain met the Green Knight"
posted by Linwood at 4:47 PM
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