Examples Of The Pentangle In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain brings two very different items to face the Green Knight. The pentangle on Gawain’s shield and the green girdle he ties around himself are both complex symbols with many contrasting meanings. One of the ways the Gawain-poet uses these items is juxtaposing them to develop Sir Gawain’s character. The pentangle represents the ideal human perfection and the green girdle causes Gawain to fail to teach him about his lack of perfection. At the same time the pentangle represents security and the girdle is a trap, used to show Gawain that things are not always what they seem. In order to teach Gawain about the faults of perfection, the pentangle represents the ideal human nature, while the†¦show more content†¦Therefore, the Gawain-poet uses these items in contrast to teach Gawain how to deal with failure to become a better knight and person. Another lesson that Gawain learns is to look past appearances, because pentangle and green girdle both represent the protection to Gawain in some way, but Gawain learns through the failure of his quest that the girdle is truly a trap. The pentangle is emblazed proudly on his brand-new shield, which is described as â€Å"the shield, that shone all red / With the pentangle portrayed in purest gold† (619-620). Not only does the item the pentangle is on protect him physically because it is a shield, but the pentangle also represents Gawain’s protection through God, because the five sides of the pentangle also represent that â€Å"All his fealty was fixed upon the five wounds / That Christ got on the cross†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and the image of Mary is portrayed on the inside of Gawain’s shield (643-644). The promise of protection through the pentangle is one of perfection where Gawain is protected completely from harm through divine powers. But Gawain starts to show his dou bt in this protection when Lady Bertilak tells Gawain that if he wears the green girdle, â€Å"There is no man in heaven that could hew him down,†, Gawain turns instead to this magical object for protection (1853). Although now it seems that the pentangle and girdle serve the same purpose, this isShow MoreRelatedChivalry Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight904 Words   |  4 PagesChivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight There are many great movies, like â€Å"300† or â€Å"Saving Private Ryan,† that are told with the classic chivalry elements that were known to describe the noble knights from hundreds of years ago. Much like the courageous soldiers in these movies, Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, faced many conflicts that might have questioned his moral code of nobleness. 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