Obligation, Marvel, and Passion in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight uniquely blends romance and moral themes, prompting critics to argue that marvel in this poem is merely decorative or subversive with regard to moral assumptions. This essay shows instead that marvel critically informs the poem’s moral thought. Marvel teaches us about human beings’ personal relationship with God as a source of virtue, and further alerts us to the moral significance of passions. Both friendship with God and passions vitally complement the rational ideal of ‘trawthe’ as grounded in obligation. Historical background to the poem’s reaffirmation of this traditional perspective can be seen in the rise of the competitive ethics of obligation in the late Middle Ages.