The Poet's Silent Attack In modern and ancient literature, much has been discussed about the culture of chivalric 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 knighthood are put to the test by testing the virtues of the knight. In a subtle attack on the romance of chivalry, the Pearl Poet exposes the flaws, errors, and falsehoods 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 experiences Gawain endures. Two of these circumstances arise early in the book. The first occurs when the poet introduces the Christmas festivities to King Arthur's court. While everyone is gathered around the table, the king insists on hearing outrageous tales of chivalry, true or not: "he would never sit down to eat before someone told him a new tale of some great adventure" (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , 2006, page 5). This seems normal on the surface, but when you look deeper, you may realize that the Pearl poet points out a hypocritical falsehood in the code of chivalry. Since honesty is one of the fundamental components of chivalry, these dishonest stories show an inconsistency between the superficial image of a stereotypical Arthurian knight and what he actually is. Another similar example is shown at the beginning of the main conflict, when the Green Knight rides into the court, asking if anyone is brave enough to accept a beheaded... middle of paper... illusion of the whole court. Throughout the poem, the author describes Sir Gawain as the truest and best of the Arthurian knights. Yet on page 60, deceives Bertilak, not keeping his part of the bargain, and on page. 71 failed in courage, wincing under the green knight's axe. Through these cases, the Pearl Poet shows that the entire court is worse than their reputation, as well as their better. Sir Gawain does not live up to the code. In total, the Pearl Poet uses events like these, and the poem as a whole, to point out that there is a fallacy in the Romantic perception of chivalry. Although many pieces were written to glorify and romanticize 6th century chivalry, the Pearl Poet brings perceptions of Arthur's Court to a more realistic level. The poet, using Gawain and the experiences he encounters, highlights the weaknesses and imperfections of chivalry.