Le Morte d'Arthur/Sir Gawain Comparison

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Le Morte d'Arthur/Sir Gawain Comparison
The two texts both involve Sir Gawain and King Arthur, but their main difference lies in the representation of sir Gawain's character. While in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain outwardly shows a very self-deprecating and underconfident attitude, through his actions in the later parts of the book, he shows clear thought and comprehension of what he must do to solve or maintain his composure in a situation. An example of this can be the starting of the book with Gawain's deprecation of himself for claiming himself as less valued, and contrasting this attitude with his reaction to Queen Guinevere's attempts at seduction; where he perfectly balances his knightly composure by remaining chivalrous to her as well as preserving his chastity. 

Contrarily, in Le Morte d'Arthur, Sir Gawain shows a much more grounded, rigid, and confident demeanor as he advises Arthur regarding his relationships with the traitor, Sir Lancelot. While this can be called a comparatively better-suited look for him, his cloak of confidence can also be a cover for the hastily and carelessly made decisions that make a reckless situation out of the conflict between Arthur and Lancelot; setting off a battle between the two sides that was not required to resolve their conflict.

Therefore, both stories show a stark contrast between Sir Gawain's internal and external conflicts and shows the differences in his character based on the situation that he faces. 

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