“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” can be followed for its entertainment value, but one passage in particular calls for further analysis. Before Sir Gawain began his quest for the Green Chapel and donned his armor, the plot moved at a brisk pace. At this point, the poet deviates from the plot to devote around fifty verses describing Gawain's shield. By invoking a significant symbol, the pentangle, this description contains important information about Gawain that could not be conveyed in the plot alone. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The most essential part of this section is simply a description of the appearance of the shield. As the poem says, “Then they avoided the squadron, which was of schyr ghouls / Wyth the pentange dispaynt of pure stones of gold” (lines 619-620). Gauvain arms himself with a light red shield on which a pentangle is painted in golden hues. This is the pentangle on which the poet focuses a lot of attention in this passage. For each knight, the shield played two roles. First, from a purely physical perspective, it provided protection in combat. It was also used as a means of identification among other knights (Green 126). Each knight had a different design or symbol placed on their shield, which helped identify people in battle when helmets obscured faces. The pentangle, more commonly called a pentagram, requires a more detailed description. It is a five-pointed star made in a single stroke (Haskell 36). This symbol appears in many different traditions; however, the poet clearly explains in his description how the pentangle is to be interpreted: And that the pentange depends on this noble nobleman. I intend to tell you, although I am hyt me schulde: It is a syngne which Salamon put in symquyle when speaking of trawthe, bi title which struck habbes,For hit is a number which haldes five poyntes,And uche lyne umbelappes and loukes in others,And ayquere hit is endeles, and Englych hit callenOveral, as I have here, the knot endeles. (623-30) The poet emphasizes the importance of the pentangle when he states that all Englishmen call it the endless knot, a perfect design. Thus, the pentangle on Gawain's shield suggests an ultimate level of chivalry that identifies him not only as one of the best in Arthur's court, but perhaps also as the best in England. The pentangle shows that Gawain “is, or should be, the model of secular and militant society, the ideal of the ruling class, presented for public admiration and emulation” (Green 128). However, it is not just the perfection of the pentangle design that justifies Sir Gawain's abilities as a knight; the symbolism is much deeper. The poet describes: “Forthy hit grants to this knight and his arms, / For ay faithful in five and sere five sthes / Gawan was for gode knawen and like pure gold / Voyded of uche vylany with virtues enunciated in mote » (631 -35). The “five fives” (Green 126) refer to five ways to become a knight as well as five traits that an exemplary knight should have. The five fives define Gawain as the definitive knight of England. First, the poet describes Gawain as being blameless in all five senses, suggesting the strength of the knight's spirit. The next five fingers are the five fingers, which symbolize Gawain's great physical prowess. The third concerns the five wounds of Christ (two on the hands, two on the feet and the piercing of the spear) which constitute a 1962: 121-139.