简要分析《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》中的骑士契约_英语论文

A brief Analysis on Chivalric Contract in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

摘要

高文爵士是亚瑟王的骑士，在《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》中，隐含着许多影响着高文爵士思想和行为的骑士契约。这些契约虽非字面订立，却深刻地影响着高文爵士方方面面的处事方式。首先，作为亚瑟王的骑士，他宣誓忠于亚瑟王，以自己的忠诚护卫着亚瑟王。当绿衣骑士来到并向骑士们发起挑战时，他英勇地站了出来为亚瑟王的荣誉应战。这时，又与绿衣骑士订立了契约。在城堡中，绿衣骑士幻化成城堡主人，又与高文爵士订立了契约，俩人要交换白天所得。最后，宗教思想一直潜移默化地影响着高文爵士，宗教宣扬的禁欲思想正是高文爵士在贵妇人的多次引诱下仍不为所动的反映。

关键词：契约；骑士精神；骑士；人性；人物性格 

Abstract

The story is scattered around various contracts which challenged Sir Gawain, and it is by these contracts, the character of Sir Gawain is vividly portrayed. By the sign, fulfillment, violation of those big and small contracts, a lively, dramatic character of a typical knight is shown to us and those contracts are worked as tests of Sir Gawain’s royalty and devotion towards chivalry creeds. By looking into those contracts, a picture of Medieval Age is shown to us. There are mainly three major contracts, the contract between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight about the beheading, the contract between Sir Gawain and the king, and the contract between Sir Gawain and the owner of the castle; they serve as the major clue of the story. By these two contracts, there are also other contracts implied in between. In terms of Sir Gawain’s actions towards the Green Knight’s challenge, the Lady Bertilak’s inducement, the attitude towards death, we can all find religious impacts there. Nowadays, we are all facing many contracts consciously or unconsciously. They have much in common with the contracts Sir Gawain has in terms of the challenge against humanity.  

Keywords: contract; chivalry; knight; humanity; character

Contents

1. Introduction 1

  1.1 Literature Review 1

  1.2 The Creation Background of the Work2

  1.3 The Gist of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight2

2. On the Analysis of Chivalry. 3

  2.1 An Introduction about Chivalry, its Characteristics, Evolution and Development.3

  2.2 Chivalry towards the King, the Religious Beliefs, the Noble Ladies and Their Example Illustrations..4

3. On the Analysis of the Contracts...4

  3.1 The Main Contracts in the Story..5

  3.2 The Main Tests in the Story.5

  3.3  The Religious Influence upon them..6

4. Conclusion.7

  4.1 Its Influence on the Later European Literature7

  4.2 Its Influence on the Spirit of Contract Nowadays8

  4.3 Thoughts about Humanity8

References..9