Sir Gawain

Chivalry and Religion
This story displays alot of chivalry and says alot about the religion at this time. In the beginning I was not sure how the men and women were going to be interacting but, towards the end of the piece, I came to the conclusion that there was alot of chivalry demonstrated. For example, on page 1680, "That lovely lady comes laughing sweet, Sinks down at his side, and salutes him with a kiss. He accords her fair welcome in courtliest style; He sees her so glorious...". Not only is there a sense of mutual respect and love, but it also seems as if the lady feels safe. True chivalry, courteous behavior, allows the woman to feel valued and safe. This is not only seen on page 1680 but also in the beginning Sir Gawain, when both the men and women were gathered together. The story paints a picture where both men and women are together and their is self-control, respect and maturity. I think the author of this piece was trying to say about Chivalry was that, it is a necessity. Women love to be treated courteously, especially by men. This makes us feel valued and cherished.

Another motif within this piece is that of religion. It seems like me like the religion of this time was of high importance. Found on page 1675 is a rather common line within Sir Gawain. "Then he rose from his rest and made ready for mass." Being that Gawain does rise and get ready for mass displays an actual desire to go to mass and to have his beliefs be apart of his life. Another reason why I think that religion was something more than just a "check list" is because, the name of God is seen very often. For example, "God love you, gracious lady!" or "He commended him to Christ," give us the idea that the religion of this time was rather a lifestyle.

Something else that I notice within this piece is the gathering of the community. The first few pages of this piece describe a social gathering among the royal people of this time period and I find that this is important. The people were getting together and were socializing, which resulted in the men not only learning more about the women but also visa-versa. Because of the socializing, this created a good atmosphere for people to get to know eachother, fellowship and become mature individuals.