The earliest found depiction of the pentangle, located on a piece of pottery found in the ruins of the ancient city of Ur, dates back to around 900 BCE, placing it well within the early Babylonian period (Stone, 135). Long before the narrator of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight placed the pentangle on the shield of “that peerless prince,” it was an object of importance, and has enjoyed a place in the philosophical and theological forums of many cultures. The inside of the shield is adorned with an image of the Virgin Mary to make sure that Gawain never loses heart. The pentangle is a symbol that Gawain is faultless in his five senses, never found to fail in his five fingers, faithful to the five wounds that Christ received on the cross, strengthened by the five joys that the Virgin Mary had in Jesus (The Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, and Assumption), and possesses brotherly love, pure mind and manners, and compassion most precious. Each of the five points are linked and locked with the next, forming what is called the endless knot. He carries a red shield that has a pentangle painted on its front. The poem describes Gawain’s armor in detail. Gawain’s answer to the concerns of his fellow knights demonstrates his bravery: “Why should I tarry? In destinies sad or merry, True men can but try.“ The other knights are sad to see such a good friend and stellar knight meet with such a bitter blow. However, King Arthur will not eat on such a high holiday until someone tells a fascinating or adventurous tale.Īfter a year has passed, Sir Gawain must prepare to leave for his journey to the castle of the Green Knight.
#5 POINTS OF CHIVALRY CODE SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT FREE#
Each guest is free to partake in the royal meal.
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The story describes the lavishly served feast with all the trimmings. The lords and ladies of the court are having a great time dancing and feasting. The story begins as King Arthur’s court celebrates the New Year for fifteen days. Alliteration is characterized by the repetition of consonants and a sharp rhyme at the end of each section. It was written in a Northern dialect and uses alliteration similar to the Anglo-Saxon form of poetry.
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Gawain represented the perfect knight, as a fighter, a lover, and a religious devotee. I intend now to tell, though detain me it must.”Īn anonymous contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer wrote Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in the 14th century, outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table. With the pentangle portrayed in purest gold.Īnd why the pentangle is proper to that peerless prince “Then they showed forth the shield, that shone all red, About Venus, Virgin Mary and “The Pentacle” of Sir GawainĬeltic Symbolism : “The Pentacle” on the Medieval Poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”