The Importance of Gawain's Shield in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

As a chivalric romance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight surpasses all. However, while the general idea of a lone knight questing to uphold both his honor and the honor of his lord is easily understood and recognized by modern audiences, some of the more important narrative threads--Gawain's reaction to the Green Knight's challenge, his unbelievable tolerance of Lady Bertilak's flirtation, and his steadfast resilience in the face of terrible adversity--could be entirely misunderstood. In writing this poem, the Pearl Poet used Gawain's shield, first described in Fitt 2, Lines 619-690, as a device to summarize his character and his moral values. Therefore, the importance of Gawain's shield as paradigmatic device cannot be underestimated. By using the shield of shining gules as a lens through which to view Gawain's actions, the reader can better understand the overarching themes throughout the narrative. After a brief discussion of the meaning of different parts of the shield, I will apply this to the narrative in several specific examples to shed light on their intricacies.

It is necessary to understand the designs and symbolism of the shield before the text can be read properly. In general, the Pearl Poet uses the shield much less as an instrument of warfare than as a reminder of the virtues that set apart the medieval knight. In fact, Gawain hefts the shield only once in the entire narrative: when the Green Knight deals him the third blow in Fitt 4 (Sir Gawain, Fitt 4, Lns. 2315-2318). While Gawain fights other terrible creatures on his quest to find the Green Knight and fulfill his pledge, the author does not include any details; Gawain may have used his shield, in all probability, but it is significant that it is not mentioned. It seems as though the author wants to keep it as more of a symbol than a device of warfare.