In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,
Gawain is a pious (holy) and true knight.
In Book II,
section 24, as Gawain prepares to take his leave of King Arthur to fulfill his end of
the bargain with the Green Knight, he says:
...soon after dawn I must search out
onslaught
and meet the green man: may God be my
guide."
In this
section, Gawain is calling on God to guide him, not just on the roads he is to travel,
but in the task he must face: giving the Green Knight a swing at Gawain's neck, with an
ax.
Book II, section 26, provides more evidence of the
pious nature of this young knight:
He left as he was, then listened to
mass
offered in honor before the high
altar,
came to the king and his court
companions,
took loving leave of lords and
ladies
in a crowd of kisses and hopes for Christ's
care.
Gawain leaves
the castle and attends mass. He takes leave of the king and his court, amid kisses and
hopes that Christ will watch over him and take care of
him.
Still in Book II, in section 28, several references
are made regarding Gawain's holy nature:
First, he was found faultless in his
five senses,
and his five fingers never failed him in any
deed,
and all his faith in this world was in the five
wounds
that Christ carried on the cross, as the Creed
informs us.
This
statement notes that his five senses are "faultless," as are his fingers in the deeds
they carry out: and his faith rests in the five wounds Christ suffered on the
cross.
Book Two, section 30, refers to Gawain's dedication
to the Church: knights were soldiers of the Church—
So this rider rode through the realm of
Britain,
Sir Gawain in God's
service...
In the
same book, section 41, the speaker describes how Gawain handles himself in Lady
Bertilak's company:
But this I give you: that Gawain and the
gracious lady
were perfect companions in their place
together,
and such pleasantries passed in their private
speech
(which was fine and fair; also free from
sin)...
These are
some examples of how Gawain is shown to be pious in the tale.
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