The Poet's Silent AttackIn modern and ancient literature, there has been much discussion of the culture of chivalry, particularly that of King Arthur's court. Some of these pieces praise the tenets of this culture, while others seek to criticize or attack them. An example of the latter is the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by an author known as the Pearl Poet. In this 14th-century classic, popular opinions about chivalry are challenged as the knight's virtues are put to the test. In a subtle attack on the romanticism of chivalry, the Pearl Poet exposes the flaws, errors, and lies of chivalry through the characteristics and experiences of Sir Gawain. At the beginning of the book, the author subtly attacks the chivalry in the poem through the circumstances. and the experiences that Gawain endures. Two such circumstances occur early in the book. The first occurs when the poet introduces the Christmas festivities at the court of King Arthur. As everyone gathers around the table, the king insists on hearing scandalous stories of chivalry, whether true or not: "he would never sit down and eat until someone told him some news story of a great adventure” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 2006, p. 5). This seems normal on the surface, but when we look closer we can realize that the poet Pearl is pointing out a hypocritical lie in the code of chivalry. With honesty being one of the essential components of chivalry, these dishonest stories show an inconsistency between the superficial image of a stereotypical Arthurian knight and what he actually is. Another such example is shown early in the main conflict, when the Green Knight enters the court, asking if anyone is brave enough to accept a beheading...... middle of paper ...... ilure of the whole court. Throughout the poem, the author describes Sir Gawain as the truest and best of the Arthurian knights. However, on p. 60, he cheats Bertilak, not keeping his end of their bargain, and on p. 71, he failed in bravery, flinching under the green knight's axe. Through these examples, the Pearl Poet shows that the entire court is worse than its reputation, or even the best. Sir Gawain is breaking the code. All in all, the Pearl Poet uses events such as these, and the poem as a whole, to point out that romantic perceptions of chivalry are wrong. Although many plays were written to glorify and romanticize 6th-century chivalry, the Pearl Poet brings perception of Arthur's Court to a more realistic level. The poet, using Gawain and the experiences he encounters, highlights the weaknesses and flaws of chivalry..