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In the late fourteenth century, The concept of Chivalry was in decline due to drastic social and economical changes. Because of this, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight presents' both a nostalgic support of the feudal hierarchies and an implicit criticism of changes. It is simple to read "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", as a romantic celebration of chivalry, Ruth Hamilton 1 believes that " Sir Gawain and the Green Knight contains a more wide-ranging, more …

…is no longer the only basis for exchange. Finally, we know the traditional Christian doctrine, which the Gawain poet suggests as the answer is itself being tested by the new social structure which did not grow out of it, as feudalism did, and so does not fit so neatly. These perspective makes "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" a nostalgic tale where religion held all the answers and the old system held all the power.