Color Imagery in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Anonymous 12th Grade

To illustrate the universal themes of his medieval tale, the Gawain Poet uses elements outside of dialogue. In particular, the subtle use of colors expresses the values that impact Sir Gawain throughout the poem. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the colors gold, red, and green are employed to symbolize prosperity, passion, and nature.

The color gold represents Sir Gawain’s prosperity, not of wealth, but of strong character and resolute moral fiber. Initially, gold appears in the composition when the narrator delineates, “When he was hasped in armour his harness was noble;/The least lace or loop was lustrous with gold.../And all was arrayed on red with nails of richest gold” (Stone 44). The narrator describes the armor of which King Arthur has crafted for Gawain to battle the Green Knight in. The protection is intended to reflect the knight himself, who has a heart of gold. The warrior may be youthful and inexperienced, but his willingness to sacrifice for the greater good shows itself to be a worthy skill that sets him apart of the rest. Likewise, the hue appears to reinforce Gawain’s ideals when the speaker notes, “Then they showed him the shield of shining gules,/With the Pentangle in pure gold depicted thereon” (44)....