Social Tension and the Pantheistic Call back to Nature As...

During the Medieval era in England, a time of religious and social change, the Catholic Church actively sought to out-root the pagan influences - or at least try - and introduce new cultural norms and understanding of nature and the environment. Paganism and its pantheistic and animistic sub-parts defined pre-Christian England since man first inhabited the island. These ideas contrast strongly with the Christian â€Å"justifications for dominating nature† (Kline 3). â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† highlights this social/religious transition and conflict through the Green Knight and his juxtapositions throughout the tale with Sir Gawain. Thus the tale portrays the differences in the new and old orders and makes a definitive statement about†¦show more content†¦At the beginning of the tale the Green Knight rides his horse into the Arthurian feast: â€Å"half a giant I hold him to be† (line 140). No man would be allowed to ride their horse into the mead hall unless, of course, they demanded greater power than the king of the hall. Clearly, the Green Knight, by his great stature and by his commanding demeanor demands such power. Thus, the symbolism established through the color contrasts and themes further entrenches itself by the entrance of the Green Knight and the respect that he commands from all of the knights and the king Arthur himself: the Green Knight arises from the tale as unmistakably greater than any other man in the court of the greatest British king. This superiority is carried through until the end of the tale when even though Sir Gawain is a celebrated hero, he ostensibly feels different for the â€Å"sore loss... [and] / ...cowardice and coveting that† he suffered at the Green Chapel (lines 2506-2507). Ultimately, the Green Knight wins the â€Å"battle† even though Sir Gawain’s life is spared. Consistent with medieval literature, the beheading of the Green Knight and the associated symbolism return with the attempted beheading of Sir Gawain at the end of the tale. This circular pattern, themes at the beginning of the story coming back around at the end, gives us a greater insight into the allegorical meanings within the story. The first beheading, that of the Green Knight, highlights the