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Religion in Literary Works The common themes in the writing of both the Common Era, and throughout history are riddled with religious symbolism, religious values, and even religious characters. In the worlds of religion, oral tradition was slowly phased out, as written texts became the basis for story telling. Moral codes and religious teachings could never have been accurately passed down from generation to generation without the use of the written word. The intertwining of literature and religion continues to show its prevalence in the use of parable-like stories that can be found in virtually every major faith.
Within the scope of this research, we will examine the religious applications in two literary works: Gilgamesh and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Epic of Gilgamesh aides in the understanding of some of the earliest forms of worship. One of the most prevalent themes in the poem is Gilgamesh's Quest for Salvation as can be seen in both his Forest Journey and his Search for Everlasting Life. By breaking these two individual quests down one can not only gain a better understanding of the relationships between some of the earliest civilizations and their gods, but can also see how strong of a role writing (more importantly the traditional role of the quest) has played in both recording religion and establishing some of the most basic of writing premises. His call for The Search for Everlasting Life is not one of pride, but one of fear. He has seen Enkidus suffering and believes that because of his own divinity, he may be able to avoid, the common lot of man (p. 229).
In The Search for Everlasting Life Utnapishtim embodies Gilgamesh's other. The explanation of how Utnapishtim received immortality directly contradicts Gilgamesh's motivations. Where Gilgamesh feels it is his right as part god, and is also afraid of undergoing any amount of suffering, Utnapishtim was awarded Everlasting Life for aiding in the continuation of the human race. He never asked the gods, nor displayed any sense of righteousness, unlike Gilgamesh.
The journey for Gilgamesh in both The Forest Journey and The Search for Everlasting Life is one that is both encouraged by, and guided by the gods. The relationships of Gilgamesh with the various gods of his time show how much influence religion had for the peoples of Sumeria and the surrounding areas during this time period. The analogy of the dream and its power displays the intricate balance between religion and everyday life. The people that assist Gilgamesh on his journeys are known within the quest terminology as helpers and guides. They are considered the fourth phase of the quest, and are readily present in both of his expeditions. In addition to being his other, Enkidu also helps Gilgamesh to defeat Humbaba-or the embodiment of evil, as Gilgamesh would have us believe.
Much more important is the assistance given by the sun god Shamash. It is this interplay that not only displays Gilgamesh's dependence on the gods and lack of confidence in the face of danger, but also again helps to show how the people of Uruk interacted with their deities. In the Everlasting Life quest the helpers are again both human and god (Urshanabi and Siduri) and reflect the value that was put on the advice and assistance of the gods. In the Forest Journey he is search for a sense of immortality by writing his name in the cedars, and by, destroying the evil which Shamash abhors (p. 233). In addition he also wants to build a temple that worships and show gratitude to his almighty Sun-god. The defeating of Humbaba comes as a direct result of the assistance of Shamash, and therefore it is hard to conceive whether or not Gilgamesh even played a role in accomplishing this feat.
It is quite clear however, that he did succeed in forging a name for himself that would last an eternity. The sacrifice Gilgamesh made by going down in the waters of death, and by cutting his hands while getting the plant shows that he is not the man he once was. Through his despair and his dangerous journey he comes to appreciate what human existence actually is. It is this transformation that displays Gilgamesh's ultimate acceptance of the person that he is-a lesson that has been repeated in an uncountable number of works, and a lesson that would hopefully be learned by each and every one of us. By examining the women in the poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, we can see a comparison between spiritual (religious) love and earthly love, as well as comparison of Gawain's story to creation myth. The poem looks upon the Virgin Mary as the representative of spiritual love, obedience, chastity, and life.
In contrast, Morgan le Fay and Bertilak's wife appear to be representing courtly love, disobedience, lust and death. This conflict between courtly love and spiritual love demonstrates the drastically weakened religious values behind chivalry. An interesting parallel to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the story of original sin in the Garden of Eden. Gawain's temptation correlates to the temptation of Adam, which is rooted in the sins of the flesh. The women in the story seem to accentuate the downfall of Gawain, which mirrors the downfall of Arthurs court, as well as mans fall from grace in the garden. Originally, the first duty of a knight was to be at the service of his church.
However, with the rise of courtly love, knights began to give their devotion to their mistress rather than God. This elevated the church's mistrust of women and the flesh. The characterization of Bertilak's wife is not unlike that of Eve, a temptress who would bring both happiness and despair to her man. One interesting twist to this story is that, like courtly love, possession of power seems to be shifted into the hands of the women. The wife of Bertilaks operates unassisted against Gawain in the bedroom as the hunter and the aggressor.
The great feminine power in the story, however, comes from Morgan le Fay, the evil stepsister of Arthur. She is strong enough to move into Bertilak's castle, turn him green and order him to walk and talk with a severed head. The Virgin Mary also plays a prominent role in the tale. It seems as if Mary and Gawain have a relationship based on a special untainted Christian love.
That Gawain is Marys knight is made clear in the scene where he is robed for battle. Gawain's shift in faith from Mary to the Green Girdle at the end of the story dictates his downfall. Gawain's temptation begins upon entering Bertilak's court, which is a totally different world to him. Although he is initially in a serious mood, he drops his guard at the sight of Lady Bertilaks. All he wants to do is to escort her down the aisle and admire her loveliness.
Strolling down the aisle beside Lady Bertilaks is an older woman who serves as a standard for comparison, accentuating her beauty. But unlike to look upon, those ladies were, for if the one was fresh, the other was faded (p. 261). This comparison is a reminder of the moral statement associating women with sex, sin and death. The moral decline of Gawain can be clearly seen following his association with the Lady. On Christmas morning, for example, instead of finding comfort in the spiritual meaning of Christmas, Gawain finds comfort being seated with the lady.
The bedroom scenes, however, depict the true moral battles of Gawain. During the three-day period, there is a spiraling trend. The events keep happening in the same way on a higher and higher level until Gawain is forced to give in to her desires. While he is able to see that his chastity is more important than his courtesy, he is still desperately trying to balance the two. His inability to choose between them leads him to accept the girdle. While Mary, representing his spiritual love and faith, saves him from losing his chastity, great peril between them stood, unless Mary for her knight should pray (p. 265).
The women in this tale serve as a medium for comparing the spiritual journey of Sir Gawain to the creation myth. With Mary as a symbol of perfection and Lady Bertilaks as an Eve-like symbol of temptation, the fact that he is torn between them displays his humanness just as Adam was torn between the word of God and the love of Eve. In this case, Morgan le Fay would probably be considered the serpent in the garden, the instigator of the conflict in the story. Because of the story of Eve, women were frequently looked upon in medieval times as cunning, untrustworthy and generally evil. Women in the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are looked upon with the male concept that flesh is evil and will lead to mans downfall, which is highlighted by the contrast of Courtly love to Christian love. Words Count: 1, 500.
Bibliography: 1. The Norton Anthology World Masterpiece Seventh Edition Vol. 1. New York: Harper Collins, 2002.
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Research essay sample on Gawain And The Green Knight Sir Gawain And The Green
