In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the character of Sir Gawain is skillfully brought to life by an unknown author. Numerous observers in the poem credit Gawain to be a noble knight who symbolizes everything a knight should be. He is loyal, honest, and most importantly, courteous. As the story progresses, Gawain is subjected to a number of tests of character. His reactions tell us a great deal about his character. At the beginning …showed first 75 words of 1009 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1009 total…principles. This proves he is human. Yet Gawain sees only that he has been inconsistent in upholding his Knight status, and this means failure to him. We see why Gawain is renowned. Despite succumbing to temptation, he remains a loyal, noble, honest and courteous knight. We feel that he ought to ‘lighten up’ in terms of his ideals, and accept his ‘human-ness’. To be human is to be imperfect, and that has to be ‘good-enough’.