Yes, I definitely think Gawain is an honorable character worthy of recognition and praise. He is usually a strict follower of the knight's code. Evidence of his honesty and loyalty could be cited in his keeping his promise to share everything he receives during the day with the lord, including the kisses he receives from the lord's wife, knowing it will raise suspicion. Gawain only offends the code in one occasion when the handing over of the green sash because the matter concerns life and death. I think his action is completely understandable since wanting to live is only a universal human quality; therefore, he should not be condemned to death for merely wanting to stay alive for longer.
shirley
11/1/2014 04:32:16 pm
I agree with your point of view, Gawain is definitely an honorable character and just because he accepted the sash in order to survive does not make him not honorable.
Andy Zhou
11/1/2014 02:37:54 pm
I believe Gawain is honorable to an extent. He took the Green Knight's challenge for King Arthur and that was very honorable. When he was at Lord Bertilak's castle, he refused to take any gifts from Lady Bertilak. He passed the first two days of the test, however, when an item that presents immortality, he fails to present his honor. He accepts the sash that is supposedly going to give Gawain eternal life, but he fails to honor his deal of giving up the sash. After realizing what the Green Knight's plans were, he feels ashamed. The fact that he felt ashamed was very honorable, but he failed his test. In general I think he is very honorable, however, when it comes to his life he is less likely to be honorable.
Brian Lin
11/2/2014 07:36:38 am
I think that he is honorable to every extent. He chose to follow the Green knight's challenge even though he knew that he was going to die. He could've chose to cop out and run but he still sowed up at green chapel. Even though he flinched and was scared of death in that slight second, i dont think this makes him any less honorable. He is a man of his word, and deserves honor for that.
Kevin Kuo
11/1/2014 02:39:17 pm
I think that Gawain is definitely honorable because he thinks for himself and there is nothing wrong with that. One may argue that he is not honorable because he flinched when the ax was swung at him but wouldn't you if you were in that situation? Gawain loves his life and didn't want it to end, thats why Gawain did what he did. Also, the part where he didn't tell about the kisses is because a good guy doesn't kiss and tell and I think that is ok because respecting privacy is honorable as well.
I think Kevin's allusion to the contemporary saying of "kiss and tell" is very applicable, both metaphorically and literally, to the event in the story. Therefore, by Gawain's not kiss-and-telling, one can attribute that quality to his following of the code of chivalry.
Shirley
11/1/2014 04:25:01 pm
I think Gawain is an honorable character, because at the beginning he was the only one who chooses to fight the green knight. Also he was brave enough to accept green knight’s challenge to go find his castle. Both of these incident proves that Gawain is an honorable character.
Andy Zhou
11/1/2014 06:36:26 pm
I agree with your example which proves Gawain's honor. Gawain was the only one willing to take on the green knight's challenge, and Gawain actually honored the challenge by seeking the green knight when one year was up.
Ianni
11/1/2014 06:55:04 pm
I agree that Gawain proves his bravery countless times over throughout the story. This bravery proves him to be worthy of his title as knight as he stands loyal to protect his king and it shows how he upholds the code of chivalry.
Ianni
11/1/2014 06:47:48 pm
Yes, Gawain is honorable. Chivalry can set unrealistic standards of human beings as we are imperfect and the code of chivalry demands we be otherwise. Gawain gives into temptation not for the less honorable reasons such as lust or greed but rather fear for his own life. To accept such a gift from a woman to save himself from near certain death is a more honorable choice than many others would have made in his position. Gawain proves his mortality and imperfectness when he finally gives into temptation and changes the course of what was previously believed about his character. In that moment, Gawain was human and relatable rather than an untouchable perfect hero built up on a pedestal.
Andre Tan Mulligan
11/1/2014 08:57:41 pm
I agree with your argument that chivalry has set a so called "status quo" of always being honorable. Being honorable does not necessarily mean that you never commit any dishonorable acts, being honorable just means that you live by a set of honorable rules, of which you try your very human best to uphold.
Alison
11/1/2014 09:01:05 pm
I agree with you that Gawain is an honorable hero. Although he accepts the lady's green sash because it can save his life without noticing her husband about this, he admits his greed and feels shameful when the Green Knight tells him the truth. Besides, he corrects his wrong, so he is honorable overall.
Andre Tan Mulligan
11/1/2014 08:52:57 pm
One dishonorable act, does not make a person dishonorable. Gawain has proven his honor by serving in the knights or the round table, upholding his end of the bargain with the green knight, and giving the Lord the kisses on the first two days. No one is born perfect, and one single act of dishonor should not classify you as a dishonorable man.
Stephen
11/1/2014 09:49:01 pm
I agree with you that one dishonorable act does not make a person dishonorable.Sir Gawain proved that he is honorable countless times. He was the only one who accepted the green knight's challenge. He was always loyal to the king and Lady Bertilak. He has always been a brave man who serves other well and always told the truth. Therefore Garwain is honorable.
Cindy Tsai
11/2/2014 12:30:52 am
I agree with you that one dishonorable act does not make a person dishonorable. Sir Gawain is a human, and therefore he is not a perfect man. People tend to fear when their lives are in danger, and people tend to do dishonorable acts to protect their lives.
Alison
11/1/2014 09:10:48 pm
I think Gawain is honorable. He proposes to replace the king to fight with the Green Knight. He thinks his life is less valuable than the king's life, which reveals his loyalty. As a knight, Gawain takes the responsibility without hesitation. During the first fight, Gawain cuts down the head of the Green Knight undauntedly. Although he accepts the lady's green sash without noticing her husband, he regrets and feels shameful when he knows the truth. In the end,he corrects his wrong and becomes that perfect hero who lives by a code of bravery, loyalty and honesty again.
Martina
11/2/2014 12:52:09 am
I agree with you how Gawain is honorable because he replaces King Arthur to fight the Green Knight. This action demonstrates his loyalty and bravery towards the king. He shows great responsibility as a knight
Jiny Kim
11/1/2014 10:17:18 pm
I believe that Sir Gawain is honorable to some extent. He lives his life based on the code of Chivalry. When the lady offers him gifts, he refuses them because he did not have anything in return. In addition, he was in "distress" when he eventually accepted the green sash, telling us that he was uncomfortable in receiving gifts from a married woman. However, he acts against the code of chivalry when he finally accepts the lady's gift, because he was moved by her persuasion that the green sash would protect him from any danger.
Stephen
11/2/2014 12:04:18 am
Sir Gawain is definitely honorable. In the story he appears as the brave one. He was the only one who was willing to accept the green knight's challenge. Gawain was also loyal to everyone. He refuses gifts from Lady Bertilak until she asks him few times. Although he was not able to resist himself from flinching the ax, he is definitely brave. Everyone will flinch when someone swings an ax in front of them, so Gawain is honorable.
Cindy Tsai
11/2/2014 12:28:13 am
Yes, Gawain is definitely an honorable person. One simple mistake would not dishonor a courteous knight. Through out the whole story, Gawain has strictly followed the code of chivalry. He is loyal to his lord and is willing to die for him. He does not fall for the Lady's seduction and temptation, but only breaks the promise with the lord because he wants to stay alive. As the green knight forgives his transgression because it is done due to his love of his life, Sir Gawain's mistake only makes him mortal but not dishonored.
Martina Cho
11/2/2014 12:45:45 am
Yes, Gawain is definitely honorable. He was the only one at King Arthur's court who was willing to stand up against the Green Knight's challenge. He is also considered honorable because he was willing to confess his sin and wrongdoing to the green knight, which is definitely a sign of bravery and honor.
Rachelle Jeon
11/2/2014 07:47:36 am
I do feel like Gawain is honorable. He was very determined about what he has to do. He clearly rejected the lady when she tried to lure him. He also was the only man who stood up to face the challenge provided by the Green Knight.
Brian Lin
11/2/2014 07:48:02 am
I think that Gawain is honorable throughout the entire story. Though some people might question his character when it comes to receiving the gift the third day or flinching when the Green knight stroke him, i personally do not believe that all these factors affected his honor in any way. Gawain is not a hero, he is not perfect. If anything, all he showed was what a human would do. But he redeems himself by putting his mind straight and accepting his destiny after he made a mistake. And to me that is makes him honorable
Comments are closed.
Discussion Board
Assignment: Students are expected to participate in the class’ online discussion forum hosted at shrubber.weebly.com. Questions related to assigned readings will be posted by the teacher each week. Students are expected to post a minimum of one original response per week. When more than one question is posted by the instructor in a given week, students may choose to which of the questions they respond. Students are also expected to comment on at least one other student’s response to the question. Although these are the minimum requirements for the homework grade, students are encouraged to engage in further discussion with their classmates using the forum. These additional responses are OPTIONAL. However, commenting will benefit your participation grade if you did not participate during our whole-class discussion on the day when you post your comment. You DO NOT have an opportunity to make up credit lost for lateness, lack or preparation or violation of classroom/school rules.
Student posts should NOT exceed 100 words. All responses will be graded on content, organization and grammar.