Gawain's Passivitiy

I know we’ve discussed this in class, but I would like to further explore Sir Gawain’s courtesy. From what we can gather from the texts, both the assorted Gawain Romances and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain’s strength nor his valor are well praised. Rather Gawain’s reputation for being courteous is what sets him apart from the other knights. His courtesy, to some extent, elevates him beyond other knights. However, his courtesy is so extreme that it deviates into the realm of passivity.

Although Arthur is described first in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as the superlative, “of British kings / King Arthur was counted most courteous of all,” (Green Knight I: 25-26) Gawain emerges as the most courteous of the knights. When he asks to take part in the challenge, Gawain does not demand that he be allowed to take the challenge. Instead he asks for Arthur to “grant [him] the grace,” (Green Knight I: 343) which implies that his courtesy doesn’t allow him to act on his own accord. While the idea to accept the Green Knight’s challenge originates with Gawain, his extreme courtesy dictates that he be allowed by his liege lord and lady to undertake a knightly endeavor.

The other telling part of Gawain’s plea to Arthur is his insistence that he not offend anyone. He says that he will only leave the table so long as his actions do not affront a single person in the court. “If I without discourtesy might quit this board, / and if my liege lady misliked it not.” (Green Knight I: 345-346) Despite the obvious difference in standards of cultural decorum, Gawain’s courtesy goes far beyond the realm of any normal person. The obsessive attention to every possible offense he could commit is what makes Gawain a passive, slightly pathetic character at this point in the poem.

However, nothing tops Gawain’s request to take on the Green Knight. Gawain knows of his knightly deficiencies: “I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest;” (Green Knight I: 354) So, it follows that Gawain is offering to sacrifice himself in order to rid the court of his offensive presence. “And the loss of my life would be least of any” (Green Knight I: 355) Despite Gawain’s obvious need for a touch of self-esteem, it speaks to his Otherness that everyone in the court agrees. Their agreement seems to say that Gawain’s life is worth the least. He is the weakest and stupidest knight in the court. Either the court “assays the claim” because they know Gawain can triumph against the Green Knight and his ridiculous challenge or because they think he won’t and will be glad to be rid of him.

Unlike some of our other heroes, Roland or Beowulf, Gawain’s exceptionalness others him in the opposite direction of hyper-male. The denial of his dominant masculinity is why I feel we find him in the company of so many women. He is closer allied with womanly values of submission, even if those actions are an extension of his loyalty. The position Gawain occupies within the romantic encounters, both with Ragnelle and the lady of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is not of initiator. He is notably passive to women, simply by virtue of being courteous to the point of excess. Although, any knight taking one of the five virtues to its most extreme state could be considered an Other. However, in Gawain’s case, his consistent defaulting to the wishes of his lord and to ladies makes him less of a hyper-male and more of an effeminate man.