A knight’s morals, even during times of tremendous hardship must never be broken, for when the protector breaks his morals, those who live under the protector no longer have a model to live under. A good leader is chosen by his strong understanding of morals and his ability to keep these morals from being penetrated. The importance of knightly hood is found throughout history, whether it is in older or modern texts. The 14th century tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the 21st century film The Dark Knight both depict the ideal morals in a knight, and the difficulties in keeping them.
In order for a knight to rise, he must face a challenge where he is capable of falling. In both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Dark Knight the protectors, Sir Gawain and Batman, face antagonist, but both the Green Knight and the Joker are not simply trying to physically punish Sir Gawain and Batman. A physical fight between the two is much too boring; instead the real conflict is a mental game.
The Green Knight tests Sir Gawain’s morals to see if he is worthy of being a protector. Sir Gawain proves to the Green Knight that he will not give into his temptations of sleeping with the young beautiful lady. Sir Gawain is spared his life not because of his physical strength, but instead he proves to the Green Knight that he is truly the most-fair knight because of his humbleness and respect. The Green Knight tests Sir Gawain three different times. The first was the honor of the deal they made a year ago, and Sir Gawain courageously acted on the agreement despite the fact that he was likely to die. Sir Gawain was given the temptation to run away and never be seen again by Gringolet, but Sir Gawain was no coward. Secondly, the temptation of the Green Knights wife does not get in the way of Sir Gawain’s morals. He accepts the kisses out of respect and does not act further on the lady because she is married. Sir Gawain is only punished for the third test, in which he failed to mention the green girdle to the host at the castle. Sir Gawain acted courageously and respectfully during a time of great fear, which proves that Sir Gawain is truly a protector of the people. Much like the Green Knight, the Joker tests Batman’s honor.
The Joker finds Batman fascinating not because of his brute strength, but the fact that he does not break his morals while fighting against evil. The Joker’s objective is not to steal the most money or kill the most people. Rather the Joker wants to corrupt Batman, which would in turn break Gotham City. Gotham is a city plagues with crime, but Batman has always been the bright light, and by dimming that light with darkness, the Joker would take away the one honorable thing the city has to offer. Batman, like Sir Gawain, is fighting a battle against his temptations and morals to prove that there are good people in this world.
