When first reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, I noticed that it presented itself as a romantic normative poem about chivalric ideals and traditions of the ruling class with secretly Christian images. . The main character, Sir Gawain, stands out as the model of 14th century chivalric ideals while displaying Christian imagery on his armor. The combination of Gawain's armor and actions throughout the poem illustrates his characteristics of Christian perfection and chivalrous ideals. The very first scene with Bertilak of the High Desert known as the Green Knight begins to shape your perception of Sir Gawain's chivalry by portraying him as a valiant, humble, and virtuous knight to Arthur. I felt that the interruption of Arthur's acceptance of Bertilak's request gave Gawain the chance to become a martyr if Arthur could not in fact decapitate Bertilak with a single blow and that Gawain was therefore following the code of chivalry to have unwavering loyalty to one's lord. the code of chivalry and the Christian faith struck me most in this poem and how, as the story progressed, the author portrayed Gawain more and more as a symbol of the ideal Christian knight, in particular by its armor. As I read the poem, the second part, to be precise, was where Gawain was armed for his journey and the armor he adorned showed a direct reference to Christian influence. The symbol that Gawain displayed on his shield and cloak, and to which the author gives great detail, is the pentangle "which Solomon designed long ago as an emblem of loyalty" (Black 176), which resembles a five endless. pointed star that symbolized Gawain's entire journey as it was his obligation as a knight and as a Christian to fulfill his...... middle of paper ......o had a strong belief in the Christianity. But regardless, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight remains a poem that can be read and enjoyed by anyone and still gets the gist of it. Works Cited Arthur, Ross. "Gawain's Shield as Signum." Text and material New critical perspectives of the pearl poet. Troy: The Whitston Publishing Company, 1992. Print. Ashton, Gail. “The perverse dynamic of Mister Gawain and the Green Knight.” Arthuriana 15.3 (2005), pages 51 to 74. JSTOR. Internet. December 2, 2013Black, Joseph et al, eds The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: Concise Ed, Volume A. 2nd ed. Peterborough, ON: Broadview. 2011. Print.Green, Hamilton. “Gawain’s Shield and the Quest for Perfection.” ELH 29.2 (1962), pp. 121-139. JSTOR. Internet. December 2, 2013. Hodges, Laura. “Syngne, Conysaunce, Deuys.” Arthuriana 5.4 (1995), pages 22 to 31. JSTOR. Internet. December 2. 2013..