Sample exam essays

Question:

Both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” feature magical characters
(the Green Knight and the hag, respectively). Compare these two characters and the roles they play
in their respective poems. (You might consider, for example, their intentions, their behavior, the
moral and social effects of their actions, how other characters perceive them, etc.) Discuss their
similarities, their differences, or both, according to your sense of what’s significant.

Answer 1:

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s magical character is the “Green Knight”. He is literally
green, very large with strong muscles. His hair and beard are long and his presence demands the
attention of everyone in the room. He enters the feast of King Arthur on a large and strong steed
with a quest to test the court for their loyalty and integrity. He is confident and lays out an offer for
the challenge, expecting King Arthur to take him up on it. When the challenge is taken by Sir
Gawain, the Green Knight moves forward with the same intention of proving Sir Gawain disloyal.
However, Gawain proves him wrong in the end and the moral of the poem includes positive results
of loyalty, honesty and integrity.
Similar to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is “The Wife of Bath’s Tale.” The magician in
this poem is a woman of old age. She is poorly dressed with no money and has a face so foul her
husband, the knight, hides like an owl on their wedding night. Her intention is questionable,
whether she wants to prove the knight has a good heart or a bad heart. She ends up finding he can’t
decide whether he prefers inner or outer beauty. Having one means not having the other. To
compare the similarities in these two poems, the knight is proven good-hearted. The hag appears to
have confidence that she can prove his heart of gold by asking him a trick question. Does he want
her to be young and beautiful but disloyal, or would he rather have her old and ugly but with a pure,
unending love for him?
The hag from “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is confident in her mission, intends on tricking the
knight and ends up proving his goodness. The Green Knight is similarly confident, intends on
tricking Sir Gawain and his mission proves Sir Gawain’s pure heart too.
There are differences in the social effects of each antagonists actions along with differences
in the way the antagonists are percieved by the main characters. The knights reaction (in “Wife of
Bath’s Tale”) to the hag shows hesitation. He begrudgingly recieves her as his wife in exchange for
the information she supplies him. When the hag proves that the knight’s heart is pure after all, the
poem ends in a “happily ever after” state.
In S. G. G. K., Sir Gawain approaches the Green Knight with fear and bravery, he recieves
his challenge with minimal hesitation and even cuts off the Green Knights head to prove he isn’t
scared. The effect of all that Sir Gawain went through seems to change his life immensely. That is,
until he comes back to court and tells all of his mistakes and lessons learned. They recieve him
openly and are glad for his return, in that way the two poems end similarly again, “happily ever
after.”
Though comparable, S. G. G. K. and “W of Bath’s Tale” have a somewhat equal amount of
similarities and differences. Only in study of details in plot and character analysis would one grasp
an arguable amount to turn the table either way.
Answer 2:

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” are two very different
stories with only a few irrelevant similarities. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight focuses more on
morality and doing what is right while the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” does not seem to imploy and sort
of morality whatsoever. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has many central themes such as bravery,
courage, morality, fate, and loyalty. For example, when Sir Gawain accepts the deal to slice off the
Green Knight’s head and in return, a year later, allow the Green Knight to slice off his, he is being
extremely brave. Maybe that moment does not display his courage as well as the act of him actually
seeking out the Green Knight later on. In comparison, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” whose magical
character is the hag, suggests a deal with the knight. The deal is that if she reveals to him what
women desire (the answer he needs to save his life) he has to marry her. The bravery of the knight
in this instance is much different. If he refuses to agree, he’ll die because he does not have an
answer for the queen. In my opinion, he is not being brave but helpless and desperate. Sir Gawain
and the Green Knight focuses more on fate than “The Wife of Bath’s Tale.” Sir Gawain accepts the
fact that he might die. Sure, he does get a little scared and shaky towards the end when he has to
find the Green Knight. He slips up by accepting the green “immortality” belt but he realizes that if
he is supposed to die, by fate, then he will. The knight in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” however, does
not seem to abide by fate. He is practically begging to anyone and everyone for the answer to save
his pathetic life. He is so desperate, in fact, that he agrees to marry an old hag, who also happens to
be a complete sranger, to salvage his life.
Another large difference between the literature is that Sir Gawain realizes his sins and is
sorry for them while the knight does not. Sir Gawain discovers that by taking the “immortality” belt
and not giving it to the lord of the house, as agreed upon, to save his own life he sinned. Upon
realizing this he feels ashamed and is upset with himself. Actually, in order to remember his sin each
and every day, all of his knights including himself, have a belt made for their uniform once he arrives
home. The knight from “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” in contrast, does not seem to even notice or care
that he raped a young maiden. He got himself into his own predicament and never shows an ounce
of sorrow. The Hag does not seem to mind that he raped a young woman, either, and the Queen
also seems to overlook it by giving him a second chance. And yet nothing is mentioned about what
happened to the violated maiden after the quest for the answer to “what women desire” begins.
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale” theme seems to be nothing other then sex. It does not tell anything
about fate, bravery, or morality but shows how sex, violated or not, is ok.
The knight is a jerk. First, he violates a maiden and is given a second chance by the queen.
When the Hag gives him the correct answer to save his life he complains about marrying her. What
more does this guy want?! So the old hag turns into a beautiful young woman and only then does he
agree to marry her. He is a spoiled brat and in the end after all of his sins, he gets rewarded and
exactly what he wants. The old hag does not even trick him at all! Opposite of the old hag, the
Green Knight is full of trickery. He tricks King Arthur’s knights from the beginning with the
“deal.” When Sir Gawain stays at his castle, he poses as a lord and tests Sir Gawain by having his
wife make not just one move, but many moves on him. Then again he tests him with a deal that
they will give each other what they get in one day. Sir Gawain passes all of these tests except he
does not turn in the “immortality” belt to the lord.
All of the characters differ in both pieces of literature. Sir Gawain is virtuous, honest, and
loyal while the knight is evil, spoiled, and distrustful. The Green Knight is full of tricks while the
hag is not.
Everything about these two stories Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and “The Wife of
Bath’s Tale” differ besides the fact that they are both medieval, they have a knight, and they have
magical characters. Other than those minor details, the stories are completely unalike and based
upon different themes.
Answer 3:

The Green Knight and the hag portray many simularities but also display some differences.
The Green Knight & the hag are unique in their ways, expecially apperances. For example,
the Green Knight comes into King Aurthors palace and people were astonished by what was
standing in front of them: green oger who wore pieces of gold on his garments (not something you
would typically see.) Along with that was an old hag. She wasn’t your typical old women. She was
expecially ugly.
Both these characters however had tricks up their sleeves. Neither one of them were exactly
what they looked like. . . they were magical powers used in order to trick someone to their actions.
For example:
The Green Knight disguised himself (rather a witch did, who pretended the be the mother-
in-law) to test Gawain of his bravery & morals.
The hag disguised herself as a hidious women to test a man (who raped a young woman) to
see in the end whether or not he changed by giving him the decission whether he wanted her to be
old and ugly, but loyal for the rest of their lives together, or would he rather her be young &
beautiful, but can’t promise her loyalty. She was manly testing his morals.
The characters in the stories basically viewed the Green Knight & the hag the same. They
both were looked on in discust & amazment for their magical disguises fooled everyone. For
example:
The Green Knight was laughed upon at first site because he was different & out of the
ordinary. When he wanted to make his deal people didn’t acknowledge his seriousness until the
following year came & Gawain & friends feared the Green Knight because they knew he wasn’t
bluffing.
The same goes for the hag. When she made the agreement w/ the man saying “I will tell
you what it is that woman want, but if I’m right you have to marry me.” The man kind of shrugged
her of & agreed (just like Gawain did to the Green Knight.) When the man revealed what the old
hag had told him . . . he found out she was correct. Scared of what he agreed apon he went through
with what he promised, (as did Gawain by seeking out the Green Knight.) Both the characters were
precieved by the audience & characters in the story with a great sense of similarity.
Although I thought the Green Knight & the hag had many similarities there was one thing
that stood out to be different. . . social effects & morals.
The Green Knight showed that he was understanding and considerate even though in the
end Gawain had sinned against him. Socially people looked up to him, expecially Gawain (who
wasn’t looked down upon for sinning.) One thing that made me realize that people looked up to
him & will never be forgotten was that King Aurther and all the other Knights wore the green “belt”
to remind them not to sin, The Green Knight’s message.
On the other hand, the old hag did infact try to test the man like the Green Knight had. If
the man would have chose her to be young & beautiful we would have guessed he hadn’t changed,
but infact he told her to choose. She chose to be young & beautiful. In my eyes she did that just to
fit in & be excepted by society. She let social standards override her.
In that sense the two characters stood apart from each other.
In conclusion both the Green Knight & the hag shared in many of the same characteristics
but a difference came around that may or may not have changed your perception of the two.
Answer 4:

Both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” part of Chaucer’s
Canterbury Tales, feature magical creatures. These creatures themselves are remarakedly similar, but
the way the work in the story is very different.
The first time we see each of the magical characters, the Green Knight in Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight and the hag in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” the are ugly and strange looking. The
Green Knight is giant-sized, completely green, including hair and skin, and riding a green horse.
The hag is an old and ugly peasant women. However, during the course of the story, both of these
characters change appearances. The Green Knight reverts to his original young, handsome Baron
status. The hag chooses to also be young & pretty for her husband.
Another way that the Green Knight and the hag’s characters are alike is in how they are both
fairly manipulative and underhanded. They both use trickery to get their way. The Green Knight
manipulates Gawain frequently, in the surprise of his speech after his head is cut off, in the
collaboration with his wife to get Gawain to take the green girdle, and in his three-strikes-to-not-cut-
your-head-off game. The hag manipulates the knight less often, but still profoundly. She asks for
his promise in return for the answer to Guenivere’s question, but does not tell him what he is
promising. She forces the knight to choose between herself young & beautiful & unfaithful or old
& ugly and true, wanting to trick him into giving the wrong answer & condemning himself.
Still, the way the two characters work in their respective stories is very different. The knight
and the hag are opposites in the way they conduct the testing of the main characters of their stories,
and in the way they themselves work within the plot & moral.
The Green Knight in Sir Gawain does not conduct this period of testing for himself. He
does so at the urging and with the help of Morgan. Morgan’s motives for Sir Gawain’s testing are to
test the entire Round Table’s strength, bravery, & faith. That and she wants to see Guenivere faint.
The Hag is testing this knight specifically and only, and she is testing him for herself. She conducts
the testing to see if he will make a good lover and mate.
The Green Knight is the catalyst of the action in Sir Gawain. He bardges in to the Round
Table’s Christmas dinner, demands that a knight step forward & cut off his head, and then speaks
after his head is severed from his body & has rolled across the floor, reminding Gawain to look for
him in a year. Later, Gawain stumbles across the Baron’s holdings, conviently placed, and the
Baron, on behalf of his alter ego, the Green Knight, interacts with Gawain some more, providing
more action and plot. In the End, it is again the Green Knight that controls the action, basically, the
swing of the ax blade.
The hag in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” on the other hand, does not control the action, she
simply responds to it. The knight decided of his own free will to rape . . .
[I’m missing part of the essay here]
. . . moral of “The Wife of Bath’s Tale.” Her discourse on the value of gentility and poverty, as well
as her answer to Guenivere’s question provide the moral theme. It is she, not a narrator or another
character, that gives the reader this info. She reinforces this moral at the end with her
transformation in response to the knight’s answer to her own question. There again, her speech also
reiterates the moral.
The two characters discussed here, the Green Knight from Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight and the hag from “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, are both
magical characters. That doesn’t mean, however, that they are necessarily the same. These two
magical characters can be similar while acting very different.
Grades for these essays:

Answer 1: Knowledge of content is “strong”—accurate, but not as detailed as it could be. Analytical
ability is “adequate”—a number of valid points are made, but not always connected to details (and
some details are included without a clear point to support). Because the content is closer to
“exemplary” than the analysis is to “inadequate,” it deserves a B-.

Answer 2: Shows significant knowledge of the works—possibly “exemplary,” though there are a few
small inaccuracies that might leave it a high “strong.” The analytical ability is much weaker, as the
essay does not compare the two characters specified in the question and does not focus consistently
on comparison at all. Since it does make some valid points about the works, it falls low in the
“adequate” range, though bordering on “inadequate.” Hence, a C.

Answer 3: A more typical C. There are some inaccuracies in details, and not much detail overall,
but the writer clearly knows the tales (“adequate” on content). It makes some valid points relevant
to the question, but doesn’t always state the point very precisely or connect the point to the
appropriate supporting details (“adequate” on interpretation).

Answer 4: This essay maintains a focus on comparing the two characters throughout, specifying the
ways they are similar and different (even grouping these in an interesting way)—emphatically
exemplary on interpretation. Each point is supported with sufficient, accurate detail. An A essay.