Moral Thrology in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Critique

David N. Beauregard presents the moral perspective of the poem by investigating a myriad of mysteries that ensued. Notably, he intertwines theological philosophies with the artistic exemplification of characters in the poem by investigating moral relationships. In other words, his critique revolves around the formal and informal definitions of virtue; the relationship between virtue and prudence, virtue and the general social morality, the relationship between virtue and individual perception of civilization, and the connection between virtue and overall development of human race, just to mention a few. Comparatively, he seeks to unearth the literal aspects of the poem in relation to the poet-theologian complex by contextualizing the whole poem with respect to provisions of theology and moral philosophy. For instance, Aquinas observes that distinguishing perfect and imperfect moral virtues require individual or social discretion that primarily rely on prudence (p.

Individual perceptions or interpretations of prudence and social constructs of definitions of prudence vary from individuals and across generations. From a comparative approach, rectitude to justice and moderation to temperance stem from longitudinal cultural socialization and the collective individual social-psychological development. Thus, to perfectly interpret pentangle or link the virtues to moral philosophy and theology, Beauregard ought to have dug deeper into constructs of religion to bring out a more vivid picture across to his audience of diverse denominations. Notably, the poem revolves around Arthur’s court that depends on chivalry, while Beauregard’s evaluation on the prospects of theology and moral philosophy brings out the subtle aspects of the prose. For example, he extrapolates on how cowardice leads to covetousness and how covetousness leads to deceit, treachery and imminent complexities of greed and self-centeredness of society members.

From a thematic perspective, the poem brings out the “game” as a form of covenant that has rules only understood by the members of the Arthur’s circle (2250-53). From a theological perspective, the Old Testament outlines or epitomizes a moral code between God and humanity; or generally a set of more and laws designed to give humanity a sense of internal social and spiritual order. To conclude, Beauregard’s analysis of the poem from a philosophical point of view sheds light to the understanding the poem from an intelligible and informed aspects. By exemplifying the five virtues of the knights in a diverse and philosophical connotation, he helps expound the readers’ understanding of contemporary literature within the medieval and modern prisms.