The idea that humans succumb to their natural urges is a literary subject that has been written about for hundreds of years 'years. Authors have often contrasted human impulses with a higher code, such as the chivalrous code of King Arthur's time. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one such literary work, in which Sir Gawain faces various natural urges during his journey to fulfill a bet with the Green Knight. By alternating the use of imagery in both the civilized court and the disorderly wilderness, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight parallels the human conflict Gawain faces between the chivalrous code he has sworn to and the natural urges he has sworn to. he feels, like a survival instinct. This alternating use of imagery allows the audience to clearly understand the moral of the story. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the imagery of the civilized court and the disorderly imagery of the wilderness are used to parallel Gawain's transition from the pure civilized world of Arthur and the Round Table in the wild natural world where Gawain is forced to fight for his life and attempt to maintain his chivalrous virtues. At the very beginning of the poem, the author describes the "noble knights who in the daytime participated in tournaments, played valiantly and well, then galloped to the court, sang and danced" (40-44). The purpose of this description is to provide the audience with a basis for understanding the knightly life. From this passage, the audience will remember that knights were noble men who competed for their king and then returned to court to relax while singing and dancing. After this description of chivalric activities, the poem moves on to mention the appearance of knights and their court. “Guinevere the cheerful, seated among them: arranged around that priceless silk-lined table, with silk hanging above their heads, and behind them velvet carpets, embroidered carpets, studded with rich jewels like an emperor's ransom” (74-79). Once again, the public grasps the extent of the luxury in which the knights live. It is these images of fine silk and jewelry that suggest the court is a civilized place with only high-ranking men. The courtly images at the beginning of the poem provide the audience with a basis for comparison when Gawain ventures into the wilderness. The images evoked in the first part of the poem are generally of high class, nobility, and luxury, suggesting to the audience that the world of King Arthur and his knights is a civilized one. Once the festivities of the first part are over, the images of the poem take on a different feeling; that of a cold wilderness and a less structured world. This is first noticed directly after Sir Gawain leaves King Arthur's court. “He found himself facing enemies so foul and savage that they forced him to fight for his life. He encountered so many wonders in these hills that it is difficult to say a tenth: dragons attacked him, and sometimes wolves, satyrs and forest trolls, fleeing from the rocks, bulls, bears and wild boars with ivory tusks. (716-722). The poem moves from painting elegant images of silk and jewels to describing the despondent wilderness in which Gawain soon finds him. The purpose of this contrast is for the audience to realize that Gawain is no longer in the comfort of a civilized world. A few lines after the initial shock of the desert, the poem.