Symbolism and the Power of Three in Sir Gawain and the...

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance about the adventure of Sir Gawain, King Arthurs Knight of the Round Table. This great verse is praised not only for its complex plot and rich language, but also for its sophisticated use of symbolism. Symbolism is a technique used in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to give a significance to the plot. The Green Knight, the Green Sash, and Sir Gawains Shield are three of the most prominent symbols given to us in this verse. The Green Knight, serves as a symbol himself. He is presented as a mixture of foreign and familiar, evil and good. In the beginning the Green Knight is carrying peace(holly-branch) in one hand and war(battle axe) in the other.†¦show more content†¦In English folklore green was used to show rebirth, and a youths passing (Lewis 50-51). In the story the sash also represents cowardice, he gave into the lady and lied about the present (Goldhurst 61-65). The fear of death e nded up causing his downfall. In the end the sash was worn by all at the Round Table, to show them the lesson learned by Gawain both in his rebirth in learning his lesson and in remembrance of his sacrifice for King Arthur. The Power of Three is also a strong occurrence in this writing, and in many Old English works. Sir Gawain has three different events in three stages: the three hunts, the three seductions, and the three axe swings; all three relate to each other. The hunt by Sir Gawains host and the Seduction of Gawain by the lady are closely related to each other, but with a twist, in the seduction scenes it is the hunter being hunted by the prey. During the first hunt, the Lords prey is a deer. The deer is skittish and an easy catch, in the seduction scene Sir Gawain is able to easily escape the trap from the lady. The Lord let the buck pass by as it was counted a crime to molest the male deer (Poet 1154-6). As it was a crime to molest a male deer, it was also a crime for the l ady to molest the male deer. The Lady intimidated Sir Gawain, and this is where the first swing of the Green Knights axe relates. The Green Knight stops the first swing just as Sir Gawain stopped the first seduction. His fear of death causes him toShow MoreRelatedSir Gawain And The Green Knight Symbolism Essay1130 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism Motifs within Sir Gawain and the Green Knight In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, it is apparent that the author uses two dynamic literary devices to express and portray the importance of them within the narrative. These literary devices add to the text and correlate to broader themes within the tale. The use of symbolism and themes play a significant role within the poem because they represent abstract concepts, as well as shows how fundamental the theme of the poem is. 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