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Gawain In Celtic Myth
In Arthurian legend, the character of Gawain represents the archetypes of loyalty, honesty, bravery, Truth, and controlled chastity. When no other knight will come forth to combat the Green Knight, Gawain steps forward as Arthur is about to take matters into his own hands and not only offers to do the deed, but "saves face" for Arthur at the same time by stating that he [Gawain] is the unworthiest among the knights of the Round Table, so if he is killed, it won't be a great loss--not as great a loss as if Arthur or one of the other knights were to be killed.
Gawain is armed with a shield bearing a pentacle, a symbol of Truth. The five points of the pentacle represented:
"The fifth of the five fives followed by this knight
Were beneficence boundless and brotherly love
And pure mine and manners, that none might impeach,
And compassion most precious--these peerless five
Were forged and made fast in him, foremost of men."
Gawain showed loyalty to the one who gave him hospitality and to women in the situation which he encountered at the home of Bercilak, while searching for the Green Chapel on his quest to vanquish the Green Knight. While Bercilak's wife tried to seduce him, he turned her away, out of loyalty to the one who had offered him the hospitality of a roof over his head and a warm meal. Courtesy and chivalry forbade him to completely spurn her, though, so each time he turned her away, he also showered her with compliments. Finally, she relented and asked him simply to kiss her. This he could do without dishonoring himself, his host, or the woman involved.
Still, he winds up betraying Bercilak when offered the green girdle by Bercilak's wife. She promises that it will protect him against anything, and, faced with death at the hands of the Green Knight, he feels the need to accept the gift. In saving his own neck, so to speak, he commits a sin almost as vile as the adultery that was first offered. She tells him he must not tell Bercilak of the acceptance of the gift, and, therefore, he is forced to lie to his host anyway, thereby dishonoring him.
Even though he has upheld the honor of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in undertaking the quest, and even though he has upheld the honor of both his host and his host's wife through her adulterous advances, when all is said and done, this final tiny lie is all that Gawain sees of himself. He is only human, but he does not accept that feeble excuse. The story of Gawain teaches us through this that we must learn not to dwell on our failures, so much as we must learn to focus on our successes. Being "only human" is a necessary part of the game: we must learn from our mistakes to get further down the road. |
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