amuels).Besides the many symbols in the beginning, there are many more that follow the introduction. One is the Virgin Mary. Gawain is completely devoted to her; he is known by the translator, Gardner, as “Mary’s Knight” (Galenet). She represents chastity, honor, and Christian protection. Also in Gawain’s favor, he possesses the pentangle on his shield. This symbol looks like an infinite knot. It represents the five Stations of the Cross, the five wounds of Christ, and the five virtues of a knight. Respectfully, this means virtue, faith, and completeness. Another symbol is the arming of Gawain. He takes this very seriously, and he begins to think of what could happen. He shows his first signs of fear during this scene. Lastly, there is the fierce weather. It becomes very cold on Gawain’s journey to find the Green Knight. Celtic belief suggests that demons, satan, and evil are associated with the cold (Samuels).Lastly, the color green is possibly the deepest and most meaningful symbol of the entire poem. First of all, there is the Green Knight. Every article of clothing he has is green, which is shown by his words: “For the cloth is as green as my gown” (168). His skin and hair are also colored green. He greatly resembles a fertility god. He also symbolizes hope, which is extremely ironic considering the situation. Next, there is the green chapel. This is actually a gravesite, which is very significant since this is where Gawain has come ostensibly to die. However, in the paralleling chapel at the Castle, he confesses and begs for forgiveness for keeping the girdle. He has done wrong, but it is a small sin. He comes out of the situation unknowingly being successful. He matures and learns from his experience. The color green is finally understood. It represents hope, and that is what Gawain needs (Samuels).Furthermore, Gardner shows the various themes through the different...
