Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

By Unknown
Year: late 14th Century

Of all the lovely Arthurian novels and movies I have exposed myself to, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is by far the strangest so far for one reason only. Now, I can accept the possibly false fact that Merlin was a magician and Excalibur was a magical sword. I believe in the fairytale of the Nights of the Round Table and damsels in distress falling in love with their rescuers. However, I cannot possibly believe that Sir Gawain would go gallivanting off in search of the Green Knight to meet his looming death. Sir Gawain chopped the knight's head off, for goodness sake! And you expect me to believe that the Green Knight just picked it back up and walked out of the room (with the head still talking, mind you) with Sir Gawain ready to follow?

In today's society, no man would ever play the game in which the Green Knight initiated and actually hold up their end of the bargain. Typically, you either initiate the fight or run from the fight. The idea of chivalry in medieval times was immaculate. If one made a promise, they kept it. If one's honor was disputed, they fought to prove their worthiness. As a knight, Sir Gawain was bound to uphold a certain standard. Since the Green Knight mocked King Arthur, Sir Gawain, in Arthur's defense, gave the blow that dismembered the Green Knight's head. Already defending his pride, Sir Gawain also agrees to uphold his honor as a man by riding to his death a year and a day later. To ignore his end of the bargain would have surely brought shame upon Sir Gawain. The level of good ol' fashioned courage and honesty still shocks me. Can you imagine what our world would look like if everyone upheld the same honor-code that the Knight of the Round Table have? Wow!!! Despite the unrealistic magically Green Knight, I believe that the societal manners found in medieval times were extraordinary.