Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey: Sir Gawin's Journey as a Perfect Example of Hero's Journe

The Medieval romances are fond of using conventions that are often stereotypical of day-to-day living especially in the realm of romance and upholding virtues. These associative scenarios usually make it a familiar experience for the readers or audiences. According to Joseph Campbell, The Hero’s Journey is an identification of the pattern common with medieval romances. Sir Gawain’s journey is illustrated in context to suit the pattern of a hero’s journey. Such stories are usually categorized into five sections: a call to adventure, the road to trials, the process of goal achievement, a return to ordinary life, and the benefits of achieving the goal. Sir Gawain, a Knight at King Arthur’s court is broadly an exemplification of the hero’s journey in all aspects. For instance, there is a focus on the court and nobility of a Knight who are often the main characters and protagonists in the play. Adventure and courtly love and divinities are as well regular ingredients. The set up usually involves the forest or a court of momentous emphasis in the play. The significance of this paper is thus to focus on how Sir Gawain’s story fits into the pattern of the Hero’s Journey.

Sir Gawain is a Knight of the Arthurian round table and is called to adventure when he is provoked to take up a challenge by the Green Knight. Other Arthurian Knights are not as courageous as Sir Gawain is and no one volunteers to take up the challenge. This is because they did not believe in its fruition without the occurrence of death. The Green Knight had walked in Arthur’s court during a celebration of the New Year. As was the norm, King Arthur could not partake of his meal without hearing a fascinating and adventurous tale. He was thus impressed at the thought of the tale that the Green Knight would offer upon his entry. The green Knight then went on a proposed a challenge of a beheading game. The intent of the game was to have one of the Knights use their axe on the Knights neck. Consequently, the Knight was then to allow the player to chop off his head, an year and a day from then. The Green Knight then offered an axe as a prize. All of Arthur’s Knights hesitated to participate due to fear. The Green Knight then accused the Arthurian Knights of cowardice.

King Arthur was frustrated as he was sure to take up the challenge until his nephew Sir Gawain, one of his Knights, accepted the challenge.

Sir Gawain felt it worthy to sacrifice his own life as a Knight instead of having the death of a King. Sir Gawain assented to the terms to take the blow a year henceforth. After the sealing of the pact, Gawain swung his axe at the Green Knights neck. Instead of the body collapsing to the floor, the Green Knight bent over and picked up his head. As agreed in the game, Gawain had to visit Green Knight at the Green Chapel an year henceforth so as to receive the blow. This marked the beginning of Gawain’s journey to adventure. His acceptance to the challenge was the call to adventure in which he felt dutiful to partake. He felt that he was the weakest and his presence did not mean much, therefore his death too would not mean as much pain as that of a King. Having the nobility of a virtuous Knight, Gawain had to pledge his allegiance to the court of Arthur.

In comparison to the hero’s journey by Campbell, Gawain had to depart from Camelot to honour his promise. A feast is prepared for him before his journey. King Arthur’s best Knights come to the counsel of Gawain as the ladies and damsels grieved for him. A clad of armour is brought to him in his honour just before he departs. Sir Gawain had no company during his journey apart from Gringolet, his horse. However, he was guided by some spiritual amour which was in the form of a shield with the Virgin Mary adorned on the inside. Gawain experiences several tribulations along his journey to the green chapel. He had to go through the forest alone. He came across rival Knights and wild men along the way. He had to fight off satyrs, forest trolls, bulls, boars, bears, dragons, wolves, and giant ogres in his travel. The swirl of the snow and the winds of the winter tormented him throughout the nights and his perils through the woods quite necessitated such a supernatural guidance. His troubles accumulated in threshold and the breaking point was when he had to seek prayers in the name of the Lord and unto the Virgin Mary to pardon his misdeeds. He then made a cross sign three times and he was answered for he immediately sited a castle which allowed him to proceed on to the next stage. However, despite the proliferation of evils, he met courteous men at the forest of Wirral where he asked for directions. This journey is equal in significance to the road of trials according to Campbell.

Gawain faces initiation in the castle where he is welcomed to royalty and treated regally. He is pampered with delicacies and offered a room for relaxation. He stay during Christmas was such an overwhelming experience, especially considering that he was enjoy his last few days before his imminent death. After Christmas, Gawain proposed to leave, as he had to get to the Green Chapel. His host, Lord Bertilak persuaded him to stay, as the Green chapel was only less than two miles away. He in fact proposed an exchange game to him upon his acceptance to stay. The requirements of the game demanded that Gawain gives the Lord whatever gift he gets during the day in exchange for the prize of Lord Bertilak’s hunt.

This is when Gawain underwent a series of test which Campbell categorizes as the process of goal achievement. On the first day, Gawain delivered on his promise by exchanging a kiss for a deer. This was quite an easy task and did not require any supernatural intervention. On the second day, the task proved a little tougher but Gawain still managed to deliver two kisses in exchange for a boar. The ultimate test came on the third day where Lady Bertilak was to provoking in her sexual advances. She even rewarded Gawain with a charmed girdle for protection against physical harm. That day, Gawain failed to keep his end of the bargain and only delivered three kisses for a fox. He, however, divulged giving any information about the girdle. This he thought a supernatural aid bound to keep him safe on his fateful day. The next day, Gawain proposes to leave, as the essence of his journey had to be fulfilled.

A guardian escort is provided for Gawain to the Green Chapel, however, there is another tribulation awaiting as even the guide fears to cross the forest full of wild beasts on the way to the Green Chapel. Gawain is tempted to forego his journey but his courage encouraged his to soldier on. He, however, considers the place evil and cursed. Ultimately, he comes to the Green Chapel where supreme adventure and trials come to play.

As promised, Gawain bent his neck to receive the blow, though he flinches a little at the first swing. Green Knight had just pretended to strike and this made Gawain become ashamed of his weakness. The next swing did not make Gawain flinch, though Green Knight withheld the force of the swing. Green Knight then mocked that he was testing Gawain’s nerve. Angrily, Gawain dared him to strike the blow and so the Knight did. However, the strike only landed softly on Gawain’s neck causing a slight wound. These had been three temptations and the game was over. Gawain was now free to defend thyself from further harm. This temptation was in the form of Atonement with the father, which was a final ordeal of confrontation that had ultimate power to his life.

Upon completion of his tests, Gawain experiences an apotheosis when the Green Knight reveals himself as the tempting Lord Bertilak with whom Gawain had dined with in his castle. The Lord revealed his failure of the task and the journey as a whole for failing to honour his end of the bargain or rather accepting to fall into the temptations of temptress who was indeed Bertilak’s lady. He presented Gawain with a sash to wear that symbolized his loss. Gawain was shocked and regretted his conduct. He, nonetheless, accepted to wear the sash and came to the realization of the nobility and virtues required of him as Knight.

Eventually, Gawain had to return to ordinary living. He lingered though for a while in the world of adventure and got acquainted with more exploits while allowing his scar to heal. After the victories of his adventures, which mark the return threshold, he decides to finally return. Gawain leaves easily from the adventurous world, after all, his hosts had already known about the girdle.

Gawain rides into Camelot and recounts his encounters without divulging any bit of information. He reveals his scar and his sash gift as a symbol of flaws in his conduct. However, the other Knights appreciate him for his bravery and welcome him back, as a sign of gratitude; they wear a green baldric in his support. Gawain shows humility by acknowledging his behaviour and accepting to wear the sash. He also wears it to teach other Knights that they should be steadfast in upholding the nobility of the court. According to Campbell, this is the significance of the return unto which the society is reformed and its beliefs renewed. Gawain’s journey reveals to society the imperfection and inevitable flaws of humanity.

Sir Gawain’s story is evidently a perfect exemplification of the hero’s journey which teaches of imperfection and is emulated in pattern to other stories. This can be traced to Moses’ story in the Bible and his cal to deliver the Israelites out of bondage. Moses’ is humble but flawed throughout the journey as he at times fails to heed to God’s commands.

Works Cited

Joseph., Campbell. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1968. Print.

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