Instructor's Comments: Arthur has tried to create a court where law and order reigns: thus, the knights must take the Pentecostal Oath which forbids murder. Murders at this time were usually committed out of revenge. Arthur's enlightened court (i.e. medieval civilization) trying to rid itself of the barbarity of the Dark Ages has attempted to break the cycle of revenge killings. (If X kills your brother, then you must kill someone from X's family; X's family must in turn kill someone from your family; and so it goes for generations.)

This is the tragedy of Gawain and Arthur's court. Because of gossip and jealousy, meddlesome knights have challenged Sir Lancelot because he is in an adulterous union with Arthur's queen, Guinevere. This is a relationship Arthur is aware of but chooses not to notice for the sake of stability in the kingdom. When Lancelot rescues the Queen, as he is bound to do under the code of chivalry, he accidentally kills one of Gawain's brothers. Gawain, who initially tries to disregard this afront to his family feelings and who loyally abides by the Pentecostal Oath, is finally overcome by primitive longings for revenge when another brother is later murdered in Lancelot's escape. Gawain, the best of all Arthur's knights, shows that blood lust and the demands of family ( in short, the desire for revenge) are no match for civilization.

In the microcosm of Arthur's court which is destroyed for the sake of revenge, medieval man contemplates the fragility of civilization. Indeed, the medieval age is in a good position to know about such fragility having lost civilization during the Dark Ages when the Roman civilization was destroyed.

In the twentieth century, we have seen how fragile civilization is under the threat of nuclear annihilation. After all, isn't our policy of nuking anyone who nukes us a policy of revenge? Wouldn't such a scenario not only destroy civilization but all of life on earth? Thus, the Arthurian romances still speak to us about the conflict between human nature and the restraints of civilization.