Sir_Gawain_And_The_Green_Knight

Sir Gawain And The Green Knight In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, courtly love is used to test the loyalty and faith of Sir Gawain. One definition of courtly love was a “code of behavior that defined the relationship between aristocratic lovers in Western Europe during the Middle Ages … influenced by contemporary chivalric ideals.”(Encarta) Although courtly love was a part of chivalry, it also helped to define it. Since this was during the time of the Crusades, strict adherence to Christian morals was required of a knight. Chivalry was the code of conduct by which knights were supposedly guided. In addition to military prowess and valor and loyalty to God and the knight's feudal lord, it called for courtesy toward enemies and generosity toward the sick and oppressed, widows, and other disadvantaged people (Encarta). Incorporated in the ideal of chivalry was courtly love, which was romantic devotion for a sexually unattainable woman, usually another man's wife. It was a way of defining adultery in a time when marriages were primarily arranged for profit or military advantage. Courtly love was a strong element in the Arthurian legends, which Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a part. The Arthurian legends also had very strong moral love, gawain, courtly, knight, green, sir, chivalry, women, mary, lord, pagan, between, story, society, part, one, loyalty, church, christian, bertilak, woman, wife, virgin, understanding, trust, time, test, spiritual, since, represents, rather, god, game, faith, being, although