Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the epitome of the romantic genre in the Middle Ages, a genre that features both chivalry and love courteous and emphasizes that a knight's most important duty is to serve God. While most chivalric tales focus on the physical strength and awesome battles fought by intrepid knights, this tale focuses on the strength of a knight's faith. Sir Gawain's faith is tested by the beautiful Lady Bertilak, who offers him her green sash. The silk belt is the ideal tool to link the two elements of chivalry and courtly love. Throughout the poem, the poet Pearl changes the nature of the girdle and how it is perceived by Gawain. The belt looks like an insignificant, inanimate piece of fabric. However, as Gawain invests all his faith in it, the function, value and overall connotation of the belt gradually becomes more significant. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay During the journey, Sir Gawain is on the verge of starvation when he comes across the magnificent castle that belongs to Lord Bertilak of Hautdesert and to his wife. . When telling them about his upcoming task with the Green Knight, Bertilak informs him that the Green Chapel is only a mile away and encourages him to stay as a guest. During his stay, Lady Bertilak tries to seduce him while her husband hunts. Gauvain does not give in to temptation but accepts the gift of the green belt which will allow him to be safe from death in battle. Heroic in his refusal to sleep with a married woman, but not entirely truthful in not speaking to the Lord of the Greenbelt, he meets the Green Knight at the chapel. Prepared for his fate, Sir Gawain leans down and waits for the Green Knight to strike him down. However, he jumps, an action not usually associated with that of the traditional hero, who must stand tall and strong against his opponent. The blow only makes a mark on Sir Gawain's neck, but upon the third blow, the Green Knight reveals himself to be Lord Bertilak. He is spared and Sir Gawain is defined as a hero because of his virtues rather than his strength. The ability to keep his word and be loyal to Lord Bertilak ultimately saves him. Lady Bertilak's presentation of the belt first tests Gawain's faith. The Lady first gives Gawain a “rich ring, forged entirely of gold… worth a king's wealth, mind you” (ll.1817-20), which makes her second gift – the belt – d 'all the more banal. When Gawain refuses the gift, the Lady questions his choice: "'Because it seems so simple to you?' » (l.1846). The Lady suggests that perhaps Gawain's senses are not sharp enough to realize the value of such an object, which intrigues Gawain. Yet he asserts that "Before God, good lady, I renounce all gifts" (1.1822), because earlier in the day he and Lord Bertilak had agreed that whatever either earns in the course of the day must be given to the other. Until then, Gawain had kept his personal oath, rejecting both Lady Bertilak's seduction and her offer of the ring. But once the lady reveals to him the powers of the belt, he accepts it – and hides it even though, according to the terms of the pact with Lord Bertilak, it rightfully belongs to the lord. He gives the lord the three kisses he had received earlier as a gift and then lies to him, saying that “all that I owe here is openly paid” (l.1941). He sins by lying, placing the value of the belt above his Christian virtues. The belt also calls into question Gawain's commitment to"..