Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The Knights of the Round Table express their solidarity by wearing a green girdle as Gawain does. Why does Gawain wear the green girdle?
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For Gawain, then, the green girdle represents his survival. He wears the girdle which compromises his code of "honor". Gawain says he will forever wear the green girdle as a sign of his failure, "a man may hide his misdeed, but never erase it." When the other knights wear something similar, it is more of a tribute to Gawain than anything else. This transforms the green belt to a symbol of honor rather than failure.