Sir Gawain: triumph or failure? Sir Gawain is presented as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all courteous. He is the perfect knight; he is thus recognized by the various characters in the story and, for all his modesty, implicitly in the vision of himself. For others his greatest qualities are chivalric courtesy and success in battle. To Gawain these are important, but he seems to place an even higher value on his courage and his integrity, the two central pillars of his manhood. The story is about the conflict between his conception of himself and reality. When Arthur's court was challenged by the Green Knight, only Gawain offered to take the cup from Arthur's hands. He showed pride and courage more than anyone by stepping forward. The poem is full of opportunities where Gawain was inevitably forced to face difficult decisions. During his travels he had every opportunity to turn around, especially when the rain, cold and desolation became ferocious. Gawain, however, continued on his way. Three times the woman tempted him and twice he managed not to offend her with rudeness, nor to accept his amorous advances and to contaminate her chastity. "In sad or happy destinies, real men can only try." life as are the beats of his heart. The consequences follow him forever: he is judged by them and they affect his entire existence. However, judgment should not be made individually on a man's individual decisions, but only by observing how he has chosen to live his life. The circumstances in which each choice was made should also be considered. From the beginning Gawain faced not only the ruin of his pride, his good name, and his spirit, but also almost certain death. As a result, he learns an essential and inescapable fact about himself and human nature: there is no shame in being imperfect. The true test of Gawain's courage was to bare his neck to the Green Knight and end their exchange of blows. Even with his "magic" belt, Gawain flinched the first time. The second and third time he managed to stand firm and accept his fate. After the ordeal the Green Knight ridiculed him for his weakness and fear.