"The Turke and Sir Gawain" and "Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle" are two tales focused around the blurring between the protagonist and the text's "Other." In "Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle" we see Gawain willingly take part in the Carle's "other" activites (as explained in the accompanied article Jeffrey Jerome Cohen's "Enjoy your Monster").
In "The Turke and Sir Gawain" it is in Gawain's compliance to behead the Turke, that he becomes somewhat of a monster. Gawain's only protest in "The Turke and Sir Gawain," is when he states, "That I forefend! . . . For I wold not have thee slaine For all the gold soe red" (p.349). The Turke's rebuttal is simple. He tells Gawain that he must cut off his head to "see a new play" (p.349). Gawain easily takes the blade and chops off the Turke's head. If Gawain is the text's protagonist and not its monster, then can we easily accept the fact that Gawain performs this extremely violent act without much protest? I'm not so sure. Gawain is easily persuaded into potentially causing the death of the Turke. What makes this act even more monstrous is that the Turke has just saved Gawain's life after he was publicly humiliated by Gawain. "He strikes his blow, but the return blow by the Turke is postponed" (p. 341).
The text is also an example of the difference between the monstrous and the Other. In the text, the Turke, who is the text's Other, is not very monstrous. Even when he angrily enters Arthur's court asking for a fight, the Turke never actually participates in one. As explained above, when Gawain delivers a blow to him, his is "postponed" (p.341). Moreover, when alone with Gawain, he could have easily returned the blow. He could have taken revenge on Gawain, but he does not. Moreover, In the three tasks set against Gawain on the Isle of Man, the Turke solves all of them and does so non-violently. Therefore, the only violent act that occurs in the text is the Turke's beheading, which ironically enough is done by the text's protagonist, the opposite of the text's Other.
As seen in "The Song of Roland" and "Beowulf," there is a fine line between the text's protagonist and the "other" or monstrous figure in the texts. This line often becomes blurred causing the difference between the protagonist and the monstrous or the Other to become unclear.
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It really is interesting that Gawain only hesitates for an instant before beheading the Turke. The declaration that he must do it in order to see a new play makes Gawain appear almost childlike in his desire for new adventure. This is reinforced by his declaration that he is not meant to be a King. He simply can allow himself to be tied down by a responsibility.
I also think, however, that the act of cutting of the Turke's head is in fact the religious equivalent of baptizing him and the castle into the Christian faith. By the way the blood flows one can see the castle and its captives as being freed from the pagan curse by the sacrifice of the Turke. It also reminds me of the Biblical story of Abraham and Issac. Abraham is commanded by God to kill his son Issac in sacrifice to him and is about to do it when God stays his hand and shows him a lamb to sacrifice instead.
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