Keller 1 Zachary Keller Ms. Morton ENG241-N880: British Literature I 7/10/2021 An Argument for course inclusion of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight A mysterious fire in 1731 rages through Robert Cotton’s Ashburnham House where he kept his collection of priceless artifacts including manuscripts from the late 13th to early 14th century (The British Library). Destroying many priceless manuscripts, the fire tore through the house where not even the brave Beowulf could go un-singed (The British Library). Among the survivors of this inferno was a manuscript that held 4 poems titled: Pearl, Cleanness, Patience, and Sir Gawain and The Green Knight (The British Library). The anonymous poet who can only be titled by his assumed works is known as the “Gawain Poet” or “Pearl Poet” is said to be from the northwest midlands between Cheshire and Staffordshire which was discovered by comparing the dialects they used, the time it was set, and the geographical knowledge expressed in their stories (Greenblatt, 201). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s story was so compelling to some that J.R.R Tolkien had done his very own translation and used some of it as inspiration for Lord of The Rings (Dirda). This Arthurian classic is classified as an alliterative verse and written in verse but does not follow the pattern or stresses often seen in classical old English poetry (Greenblatt, 202). This poem is broken up into fitts which is basically an old English word for division in the poem (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). A verry alluring device in this poem is at the end of each stanza are 5 lines rhyming “a b a b a” The beginning line called the “bob”, and the following lines are known as the “wheel” (Greenblatt, 202). This unique device makes this piece Keller 2 more of a flowing read without abrupt scene changes. The most noticeable characteristic of this poem, like most British Literature of the time, is its Christian morals. Like most of what is read in British Literature, such as Dr. Faustus, and Beowulf, this poem was and probably still is a very important piece for the Christian faith because of the symbolism it held. Whomever the author was they must have held some regard, and knowledge of the Christian faith. This can be seen with things such as the Green Knight himself being completely green, which was a color associated with paganism, as well as Gawain’s promise to the Knight being written as a covenant, which is the vow of vows one could make to God (Little). If you were to look under the surface of the story you would find the Gawain Poet had slipped many subtle and some obvious moral tones into the poem, one of which was the covenant mentioned previously that Sir Gawain makes with the Green Knight and goes through with. Sir Gawain is of course the main character, as well as the one of the only names mentioned of the round table besides King Arthur himself. The main story arc is about Sir Gawain proving his honor as a knight by abiding by the rules of the “beheading game” where someone offers to let their head be cut off, and in return they get to deliver a return blow (Greenblatt, 202). In this story it is the Green Knight, a giant man that is all green, with an allgreen horse and both dressed in green and gold trappings. He accepts the challenge of the Green Knight instead of King Arthur as he admits that among the knights of the round table he is the weakest and least important with the lines “ I am weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit; loss of my life would be least lamented”(“Sir Gawain”, lines 354-55). Ariel Little said it best when they wrote for the University Wire that when Sir Gawain does this, “Instead of being foolish, Sir Gawain’s acceptance of the Green Knight’s challenge is actually his being bold in the Keller 3 presence of suspected evil” (Little). By making this decision he not only shows his sacrifice, but the poet knew what they were doing in belittling King Arthurs character that normally overshadows every other character. This poet had somehow made an almost spin off King Arthur’s mythos that has such a similar style to the original works, but in their own creative way. A great comparison is like the Star Wars show The Mandalorian being a spin off the Star Wars series, wherein it is not as good as the movies, but it can hold its own. A noticeable point is the comparisons of King Arthur from writers such as Wace, to the Gawain poet, in which Mladen Jakovljević brings up in a scholarly journal: “In Wace's and Geoffrey's portrayal, Arthur is a tough and stout man with numerous virtues, whereas the Gawain poet ridiculed him for "joly of his joyfnes" that is "sumquat childgered" (86).3 His stature is more like that of a child than of a grown-up man” (Jakovljević, 185-202). Wace, who first incorporated the round table into the mythos in his poem “Roman de Brut” describes Arthur as ”of marvelous hardihood. Strong beyond the common strength and of great prowess, with lifting shield and terrible sword he hewed a path towards the summit of the mount”(Wace, 47-49). Where the Gawain Poet says, “his youth made him so merry with the moods of a boy, he liked lighthearted life, so loved he the less either long to be lying or long to be seated: so worked on him his young blood and wayward brain” (Lines 86-89). As a comparison, it is on the very same level of poetry, and moral theology, that Beowulf is even though both poems were written relatively far apart from each other, Beowulf in the 6th century, and The Green Knight in the 13th. They both have unknown authors and shared a home together in the Ashburnham Estate. As mentioned previously about Sir Gawain, Beowulf was also loved by Tolkien, and used as inspiration for his stories (Dirda). But the true comparisons are in the pages, and in the minute details sprinkled in the text. For instance, both poems have a Keller 4 marvelous knack for describing a scene with such beautiful detail, using comparisons of their own. In Sir Gawain, a noticeable example is when the poet describes the simple scene of the crippling winter, “And the wars were one thing but winter was worse: Clouds shed their cargo of crystalized rain which froze as it fell to the frost-glazed earth” (Lines 726-28), and in Beowulf when describing the path to Grendel’s lair, “A few miles from here a frost stiffened wood awaits and keeps watch above a mere; the overhanging bank is a maze of tree-roots mirrored in its surface” (Beowulf, lines 1362-1367). Both quotes have a similar feel in the way they both describe something simple in such a beautiful, haunting way. The moral theology of the two poems plays a big part in the way they were written, and the way the story develops. In Beowulf you have the constant comparison of treasure to death, “He fell beneath his shield, in the same gem-crusted, kingly gear he had worn”(lines 1205-09) which greed is a mortal sin. But in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight you have Sir Gawain fighting off the constant “no one will know” advances that the Queen makes toward him every day when the King leaves to hunt, which adultery is another sin and part of the 10 commandments. Moral theology is more than the Christian, or religious aspect but also of the bravery, and sacrifice aspect which both poems emit the same amount, but in different spurts. Sir Gawain relies more on his closeness with God, and honor as a knight. Especially when he throws himself under the axe of the Green Knight and flinches at the first stroke, he remains for two more swings, “Since Gawain has, after all, submitted to the ordeal of the beheading match hardly an act of cowardice” (Beauregard, 146-162,225). Which is comparable to the unyielding bravery and might of Beowulf, and the mention of his presence being from God’s grace, “Now Holy God has, in His Goodness, guided him here to the West-Danes, to defend us from Grendel” (Lines 381-385). Keller 5 Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is not a special, or one-of-a-kind poem but it does have aspects that can relate to today’s society. Including this poem into the course curriculum would be beneficial to the students on an educational, moralistic, and societal level. The current curriculum is filled with great poems and information and knowledge as well which makes it difficult to ascertain which works it should replace. When choosing the few to be replaced in this argument, it is solely based on relativity to today’s culture and maintaining the classics that need to be learned. “Othello” came to mind, as well as “Paradise Lost” were on the list but “Othello” has too much relevance to today’s society on a racial level that needs to be addressed in this country, and “Paradise Lost” has such great story telling, and outlook from the other side of religion that is too unique to pass. This in mind, to remove Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales”, and John Milton’s “Everyman” would be the most fitting. Chaucer and Milton are both wonderful poets, and storytellers, and both “Canterbury Tales” and “Everyman” have their own unique way of showing morality and Christian nature that was and is so abundant. But when it comes to relativity to today, they seem to fall a bit short. Compared to Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, they share a similar moral theology, but what they do not have that Sir Gawain has, is the life lessons. If you look beyond the valor of knights, and the honor and quests, you will find that Sir Gawain teaches to keep the promises you make to the best of your ability, stay true to who you are, and when you make a mistake, admit it, and work to do better. Today we see the leader of America throwing slander, and confusion, and hate, breaking the promises of the American Dream to so many. People every day giving up what they love, or who they are for the sake of likes, and false friendships, and so many people never wanting to admit to their wrong doings or mistakes, not wanting to own up to their fallacies. Keller 6 Sir Gawain made a promise to be beheaded, to save the lives of anyone else whom might play the game, as well stood true to who he was regardless of the advances of a beautiful queen, and when he did wrong, he used it a badge to show his progress as a someone who wishes to fix their future mistakes. All these life lessons were written hundreds of years ago by someone who people might never ever know and are still relevant today. The writing style is unique, and the story is exciting and relevant. These are the arguments to include the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight into the course curriculum for the British Literature class. Keller 7 Works Citied Beauregard, David N. "Moral Theology in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight: The Pentangle, The Green Knight, and the Perfection of Virtue" Renascence, vol. 65, no. 3, 2013, pp. 146-162,225. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://www-proquestcom.ezproxy.cpcc.edu/scholarly-journals/moral-theology-sir-gawain-green-knightpentangle/docview/1349795103/se-2?accountid=10008. Beowulf. Translated by Seamus Heaney. Norton Anthology of English Literature, general editor, Stephen Greenblatt. 10th ed., vol. A, Norton, 2012. Pp .42-109. Dirda, Michael. "J.R.R. Tolkien's Universe of Inspiration: [FINAL Edition]." The Washington Post, Dec 17, 2003. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://www-proquestcom.ezproxy.cpcc.edu/newspapers/j-r-tolkiens-universe-inspiration/docview/409591367/se2?accountid=10008. Greenblatt, Stephen. “The Norton Anthology of English Literature.” Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, 10th ed., vol. A, W. W. Norton & Company, 2018, pp. 201–202. Jakovljević, Mladen,M., and Vladislava S. G. Petković. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Not really a Chivalric Romance." Primerjalna Knjizevnost, vol. 42, no. 3, 2019, pp. 185-202. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://www-proquestcom.ezproxy.cpcc.edu/scholarly-journals/sir-gawain-green-knight-not-reallychivalric/docview/2332081235/se-2?accountid=10008. Little, Ariel. "The Forgotten Lesson of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." University Wire, Jan 25, 2017. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest- Keller 8 com.ezproxy.cpcc.edu/wire-feeds/forgotten-lesson-sir-gawain-greenknight/docview/1861661348/se-2?accountid=10008. Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. Translated by Simon Armitage. Norton Anthology of English Literature, general editor, Stephen Greenblatt. 10th ed., vol. A, Norton, 2018. Pp .201-56 The British Library. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The British Library, www.bl.uk/collection-items/sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight#. Accessed 10 July 2021. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Fit | Literature.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/art/fit. Accessed 13 July 2021. Volkonskaya, Maria. "Loanwords and Stylistics: On the Gallicisms in 0RW1S34RfeSDcfkexd09rT2Sir Gawain and the Green Knight1RW1S34RfeSDcfkexd09rT2." Eesti Ja Soome - Ugri Keeleteaduse Ajakiri, vol. 4, no. 2, 2013, pp. 145-156. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://wwwproquest-com.ezproxy.cpcc.edu/scholarly-journals/loanwords-stylistics-on-gallicismsem-sir-gawain/docview/1926530489/se-2?accountid=10008, doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.cpcc.edu/10.12697/jeful.2013.4.2.08. Wace. “Excerpt from Wace’s Roman de Brut | Robbins Library Digital Projects.” D.Lib.Rochester.Edu, d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/text/excerpts-from-waces-roman-debrut. Pp .47-49 Accessed 12 July 2021.
