“ The good knight on Gringolet thought it great luckIf he could but contrive to come there withinTo keep the Christmas feast in that castle fairand brigh”.
After enjoying the privileges in the castle, Gawain takes it for granted and does not honor the promise of host. At this point, he feels he is winning his way out when in the real sense; he is failing part of the original test. The wife of the host deceives him by taking a girdle that constantly reminds him of his folly.
“Gawain was glad to begin those games in hall,But if the end be harsher, hold it no wonder,For though men are merry in mind after much drink,A year passes apace, and proves ever newFirst things and final conform but seldom”.
When he finally finds the green Knight, he realizes that he cannot enjoy the full reward of his toil and sacrifice simply because he failed a simple test of obedience.
King Lear on the other hand is a man who dies miserably after being deceived by his own very daughters and failing to trust and understand her youngest daughter. He quickly runs into conclusions considering the present circumstances. His misery leads him through a journey where the truth of his folly is revealed. Despite the fact that he had a lot in terms of wealth, this does not guarantee him absolute happiness. Knowing that he did not trust his two elder daughters, it would have been natural for them to scheme their wicked ways and frustrate him. “If it be you that stir these daughters’ hearts Against their father, fool me not so much To bear it tamely; touch me with noble anger, And let not women’s weapons, water-drops, Stain my man’s cheeks! No, you unnatural hags”
However, we also realize that her younger daughter, who had loved him came to her rescue even after he failed to trust her. Her love is revealed when she sends troops to fight and save her from his own people that had turned against him. “Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty According to my bond; no more nor less”,
After a journey of blindness and frustrations, he came to realize that what he knew before giving his daughters the test stood strong. He regretted ever giving his daughters the test rather than trusting them for whom he had known them to be. However, he came to understand the truth after he lost her daughter as she tried to rescue her. It may have been too late for King Lear to know who truly loved and cared for him, but he died knowing what he wanted to know when he put his daughters to test (Greenblatt 83). The truth of the matter that it was his youngest daughter that loved him unconditionally.
Life is an interesting journey that cannot be pre-determined or predicted. In most cases, things may not always turn out they way we want them to turn. Our minds should therefore be channeled to accept some of the changes that come our way and adjust for our better good. Even though not much of our environment may change, the people we leave with are likely to change and hence affecting our lives. Betrayal is part of life and can happen even with the people we least accept. However, we also realize tat it is not just other people that change and wrong us. We may contribute to the situations that happen to us by not trusting or loving enough. Our circumstances may also blind us to the level that we do not appreciate the little things that matter. Learning to love and appreciate those around us through the changing stages of live can save us a great deal of hurt.
Works cited
Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. London: The Penguin Classics, 2008. Print.
Greenblatt, Stephen, ed. The Norton Anthology Of English Literature. 9th ed. New York: W.W.Norton & Company, INC. 2012. Print
