By Michael Garrett
The long idealized interpretations of medieval chivalry in England originated with the Norman invasion and conquest of Britain in 1066 A.D. The invaders’ social ways and customs permeated the whole of English culture, reaching a crescendo of popularity and refinement in the romance genre of the fourteenth century. One of the most famous texts of this period, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, also serves as one of the most famous references for exploring the precepts of both early English mysticism and the customs of medieval chivalry.
In order to begin such an exploration, the history of chivalry in England should first be established. According to Nigel Saul, the etymological origin of the term ‘chivalry’ derives from the French word for horse, cheval, and its antecedent chevalier; which is synonymous with the German word knight. Chivalry in Medieval England notes that “chevalerie” is the nearest contemporary approximation to ‘chivalry’,” and “carries with it resonances of skill in the art of horsemanship” (Saul). The English had not fought on horseback until concepts of chivalry were introduced to England by the Normans. Among these concepts were more humane treatments of conquered armies and peoples, which evolved into ethical and social codes of conduct for the aristocratic and military elite that sought to demonstrate an elevated morality.
The pervasiveness of chivalry and its courtly manners in the noble, knightly, and aristocratic circles of society were exaggerated and exalted in medieval literature, and eventually influenced the culture to the point that etiquette manuals on bravery, honor, and courtesy were published for the social classes who sought to aspire to those ideals. Through the use of such terms as nobility, service, and graciousness, three general areas were addressed within these chivalric codes of conduct―service to women, service to God, and service to countrymen and King.
While Sir Gawain and the Green Knight incorporates cultural practices of chivalry; seasonal feasts with games, including tournaments, jousts, hunting, and the beheading ‘game;’ themes of love and courtly manners “[are] a key element in twelfth-century chivalry [as] was the emphasis on a knight’s loyalty, the obligation on him to stand by his lord, [and] to fight with him to the death” (Saul). The prominent nature of this chivalric component in medieval English culture is reflected accordingly as the preeminent chivalric aspect in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Games of bravery and prowess were commonplace between knights, though we can understand when the whole of the Round Table is reluctant to accept the challenge of the beheading game, especially given the apparently supernatural and fearsome spectacle of the Green Knight.
Since the exchange of blows elicits an extreme symmetry of violence, it would seem to be sui generis, the product of the literary imagination, hardly compatible with traditional chivalric practice, which tends to emphasize equity, conviviality, and graciousness. But the match is in fact analogous to more orthodox forms of chivalric contest: the tournament and joust (Martin). Seeing the peril presented by this particular opponent, Gawain’s loyalty to King Arthur is shown through his rising to the challenge, when he states, “I would come to your help before your rich court; for me thinks it obviously unseemly that such an asking is made so much of in your hall, even though ye yourself be willing to take it upon you” (Pearl Poet).
As Gawain prepares to embark upon his journey, he is shown to be looking forward to his commitment with dreadful anticipation, “Now, liege lord of my life, leave I ask of you. Ye know the cost of this case; I do not care to tell you even a trifle of its dangers…” (Pearl Poet). However, he is determined not to allow his trepidation or any hazards along his journey to deter him from his obligation, as the very honor of King Arthur’s court is at stake.
The resulting challenge met, Gawain’s journey was fraught with peril. He warred with “serpents, and with wolves also, sometimes with savages that dwelt in the cliffs; both with bulls and bears, and boars sometimes; and giants that assailed him from the high fell” (Pearl Poet). Still, he continues at great personal risk, rather than betraying his allegiance to King Arthur, and the reputation of bravery for which the knight of Camelot were known. After being warmly received at Bertilak’s manor, Gawain deceives his host by not admitting to having received a magic girdle that allegedly endows the wearer with invincibility, and, according to Martin, “with uncharacteristic discourtesy, breaks the rules” (Martin). The significance of this act is accentuated as, “Gawain’s defiance here stands against his conformance in the first test, when his total commitment to the Green Knight’s terms testified to his internalization of the courtly code” (Martin). Although the Green Knight and members of the Round Table largely excuse this transgression, Gawain is still harrowed with guilt, as he feels that he has not been loyal to King Arthur, believing he has acted dishonorably in concealing the truth.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is but one example that illustrates how the ubiquitous nature of chivalry led to its subsequent domination of the landscape of medieval art and literature. Saul points out that “chivalric culture played a key role in shaping the culture of medieval society as a whole,” and that, “the chivalric lifestyle of the aristocracy found its mirror in literature, just as literature found much of its inspiration in chivalry” (Saul). While Sir Gawain and the Green Knight serves as but one example, it is exemplary because of its particular use of the exaggeration of common chivalric practices of medieval English culture within the literary representation of them.
Works Cited
Saul, Nigel. Chivalry in Medieval England. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2011. Print.
Martin, Carl G. “The Cipher of Chivalry: Violence as Courtly Play in the World of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The Chaucer Review 43.3 (2009): 311-29. Print.
Pearl Poet. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Ed. W. A. Neilson. Cambridge, Ontario: In Parentheses Publications, 1999. Print.
Image: Holy Grail tapestries by William Morris et al via Wikimedia Commons