This work examines the psychomachia, or battle of the
soul, as it occurs in the 14th century poem, Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight. Based on an analysis of
the Gawain-poet's earlier work, as well as
contemporary analogs in chivalric manuals, Arthurian
romances and mystical literature such as The Cloud of
Unknowing, it argues that Sir Gawain's quest into the
Otherworld is a tragedy of limited, human
perception pitted against a mysterious Infinite that
"deigns to destroy" the mortal protagonist's delusion
of knowing. The fault of Sir Gawain, therefore,
occurs after his ordeal at the chopping block,
arising from excessive pride in his own chivalric
self-conception. As such, the Gawain poet's final
work is a masterful culmination to his life-long
exploration of the themes of purity, confession, and
unclouded spiritual perception.