Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Sign of trawþe

Abstract

It has long been recognized that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight's association of the pentangle symbol on Gawain's shield and armour with Solomon and with trawþe is important to our understanding of the poem. This article suggests that the second pentad describes Gawain's trawþe in the sense of his pledged word. It investigates the ways in which the testing of Gawain is linked specifically to the pentangle passage, and consequently argues that the reappearance of Solomon towards the end of the poem is related to Gawain's failure to exemplify absolute trawþe; quoting from Chaucer to show the association between Solomon and the limitations of human goodness. The article then argues that the varying judgements offered by the poem concerning Gawain's conduct are best read in terms of the poem's questioning of the value of renown, which it relates closely to trawþe.