Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

The tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by John Gardner, is a prime example of a romance in literature. The story focuses on three elements of romance: the quest, bravery, and chivalry.
The first element represented in the story is the quest. It is during the quest that the hero undertakes a perilous journey in search of value. In this case Sir Gawain accepts the Green Knight’s test because he is always in search of a challenge due to his knightly call to chivalry. In this quest Gawain has to overcome danger for love of a high ideal. He is tested several times by the Green Knight first at the castle and then again during the second part of his challenge. Gawain, like all true heroes, overcomes every obstacle thrown at him and if he cannot overcome it then he redeems himself for it later on in his journey. He takes on this challenge to uphold his high ideal of how a knight should act. Though at the end of his quest he learns that he cannot always live up ...