Sir Gawain & The Green Knight
The Poetic Form
Medieval Romance:
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A popular type of literature in the 12th and 13th centuries
Based on the feudal idea of chivalry (knightly code of conduct)
Themes: adventure, love, the supernatural
Glamorous portrayal of castle life (King Arthur & his Knights of the Round Table)
Written in Middle English in the late 1300s, Sir Gawain & the Green Knight is considered part of
the alliterative revival in British literature
Alliteration was practiced in Medieval verse poems such as Gawain. In alliterative verse, each
line of a poem usually contains three or four stressed syllables that repeat the same consonant
sound
“The battlements broken down and
burnt to brands and ashes.”
Beheading Game:
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In vegetation myths, beheading is a ritual death intended to ensure the return of spring and the
growth of new crops
Supreme test of courage
The Structure
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Strophe: stanza in the poem
Fitt: sections of the poem (Parts 1, 2, 3, & 4)
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Bob-and-Wheel: A metrical device in alliterative-verse poetry. The first short line of a group of
rhyming lines is known as the “bob,” and the subsequent four are a quatrain called the “wheel.”
The bob contains one stress preceded by either one or occasionally two unstressed syllables. Each
line of the wheel contains three stresses. Together, the bob-and-wheel constitutes five lines
rhyming in an ABABA pattern. Since it matches the alliterative pattern of the first part of the
stanza but also fits the rhyme scheme of the last five lines, the “bob” serves as a structural bridge
between the alliterative sections and the rhyming sections.
Example:
‘…and hills
Where war and marvels
Take turns with peace,
Where sometimes lightning trouble
Has struck, and sometimes soft ease.”
(lines 15-19)
Characterization
Examine the descriptions of characters and situations in the first Fitt of the poem.
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What is the historical background for the poem?
What physical descriptions are provided for the characters and their surroundings?
How do the characters behave?
How is King Arthur described?
How is Gawain described?
Does the poet appear to endorse Arthur’s behavior and the behavior of his court?
How is the Green Knight described?
Why Is the Green Knight Green?
The beheading game the Green Knight proposes has a longstanding place in the oral tradition of the
day. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight uses this tale in conjunction with another known tale that
appears in later sections—that of sexual pursuit.
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What game does the Green Knight propose?
How does he goad the knights into considering playing? How does Arthur react?
Why is Gawain chosen to administer the blow?
What other actions or options might the knights have considered?
What are the final results of the game?
The symbolism of the Green Knight's clothing is an example of balance in Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight. The Green Knight is described as being dressed in green, the color of the land, with embroidery
of gold, the color of the sun. In the Middle Ages, people would understand the color symbolism and its
ties to the duality of nature. Green can symbolize nature's positive aspects like renewal, protection,
fertility, the coming of spring, birth, and regeneration, or its negative aspects like the wild, uncontrolled
forces of nature which can dominate or even destroy man.
The duality of the Green Knight is also evident in the items he holds in each hand. The holly bob, an
evergreen, is a symbol of peace. The poet devotes only 2 lines the holly bob. The glowing green axe in
his other hand, which the poet devotes 14 lines to, demonstrates physical domination, violence and
fighting.
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How many lines in stanzas 7 through 10 are devoted to describing the Green Knight's physical size,
physical appearance, hair, clothing, saddle, horse, horse's mane, clothing he is NOT wearing, and what
he's holding in his hands?
Why do you think the poet chose to have the Green Knight hold the two different items in his hands in
stanza 10? What does each one represent?
Why do you think the poet spends so much time describing the Green Knight?
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Why is so little time devoted to describing King Arthur and his Knights?
Consider in stanzas 7 through 10 the description of various destructive and regenerative forces in nature
and society.
The Pentangle as the Endless Cycle
The pentangle is a star-shape that, like a Celtic Knot, can be drawn without lifting your pen from the
paper. When completed it has no beginning and no end, representing an endless cycle. The poem
describes the perfection of the pentangle and how it is a perfect emblem for Gawain's shield:
"Right well and worthily it went with the knight And why the pentangle is proper to that prince so noble I intend now to
tell you, though it may tarry my story… for it is a figure that in it five points holdeth, and each line overlaps and is linked
with another and every way it is endless; and the English, I hear, everywhere name it the Endless Knot."
The formal structure of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight represents an endless cycle. The poem is
composed of 101 stanzas. The poem begins in the first stanza with the Fall of Troy and ends in poem's
"extra" stanza (Stanza 101) with the Fall of Troy, establishing an endless cycle—a closed shape like the
pentangle. The poem also begins in Stanza 1 at a Yuletide celebration. The passing of the next three
seasons occurs rather quickly at the opening of Fitt 2. The poem then returns to the Yuletide season,
which is where it ends in the last stanza, representing the passage of a full year, plus a day, again creating
a closed shape, a complete and endless cycle.
As he gets ready to fulfill his promise to find the Green Knight, the poems pays a great deal of attention
to Gawain's preparations and attire. The pentangle is an important shape in the poem, representing both
the "endless knot" as well as "five fives"—five points of five where Gawain excels—another example of
symmetry within the work. Faultless in his Five Senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste)
1. In his Five Fingers he failed at no time (he is dexterous and able in combat)
2. Faith in the Five Wounds Christ received on the cross (one in each limb and the spear wound in the
abdomen)
3. Five Joys the Virgin Mary had in Jesus (These are not listed in the poem, but are offered as background:
Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, and Assumption)
4. And, finally, the Five Knightly Virtues (exact wording depends on translation, so several synonyms are
offered)
(a) free-giving (or generosity)
(b) friendliness (or brotherhood)
(c) chastity (or purity)
(d) chivalry (or courtesy)
(e) piety (or compassion)
Medieval Symbolism of Animals
A Bestiary is a collection of short descriptions about all sorts of animals, real and imaginary, birds and
even rocks, accompanied by a moralizing explanation. Although it deals with the natural world it was
never meant to be a scientific text and should not be read as such. Some observations may be quite
accurate but they are given the same weight as totally fabulous accounts. The Bestiary appeared in its
present form in England in the twelfth century, as a compilation of many earlier sources, principally the
Physiologus. A great deal of its charm comes from the humour and imagination of the illustrations,
painted partly for pleasure.
Deer
The Bestiary notes that deer "change their feeding-ground for love of another country, and in doing so,
they support each other." They are compared to members of the church.
Boar
The boar is wild, untamed, and savage.
Fox
The fox "is fleet-footed and never runs in a straight line but twists and turns. It is a clever, crafty animal.
When it is hungry and can find nothing to eat, it rolls itself in red earth so that it seems to be stained
with blood, lies on the ground and holds it breath, so that it seems scarcely alive. When birds see that it
is not breathing, that it is flecked with blood and that its tongue is sticking out of its mouth, they think
that it is dead and descend to perch on it. Thus it seizes them and devours them." Its nature is compared
to that of the devil.
Compare the Hunt and the Temptations
In the third section of the poem, Bertilak proposes a game to Gawain in which the two men exchange the
winnings each man yields: Bertilak in his hunt for "game" outdoors and Gawain in his pursuit of rest
indoors. The poet juxtaposes the scenes of the hunt outdoors with scenes of Gawain's temptations by the
beautiful lady, Bertilak's wife. Gawain's adherence to courtesy and the rules of courtly love, his devotion
to the Madonna, and his oath of knighthood are all tested.
The behavior of the animals and the people in the literal and metaphorical "hunts" are presented
symmetrically. On the first day, the deer try to run away and hide (Stanza 47). Gawain was embarrassed
and tries to feign sleep (Stanza 48). On the second day, the boar proves to be a formidable opponent
alternately confronting, feinting and eluding them for the whole day (Stanza 57, 63, 64). Gawain, now
ready for the lady, is also a formidable opponent. He firmly, but courteously, resists her (Stanzas 58-61).
On the third day, as the men are tracking the wily fox, he is called "thief" (Stanza 69). This foreshadows
Gawain's acceptance of the green girdle, which he should refuse if he is adhering to rules of propriety.
The men track the fox (Stanzas 68) vigorously and the lady pursues Gawain vigorously (Stanza 73)
offering him a ring, which he refuses. Gawain acts as a fox cunningly avoiding the lady's advances
(Stanza 72).
A Hero's Journey?
The fourth Fitt of Gawain's tale follows the knight as he fulfills his promise to appear at the Green Chapel
within a "twelvemonth and a day." Leaving Bertilak's home, Gawain travels to the Chapel, where he once
again encounters the Green Knight. Kneeling, Gawain exposes his neck to the axe blow. The Green
Knight swings the axe three times. At the first, Gawain flinches; the second is a trial to see if Gawain
would flinch again. The third blow draws blood, but is carefully administered to avoid any real harm.
Gawain discovers, then, that the tests of the hunt and the beheading game were of the same ilk, created to
test the honor and integrity of Arthur's knights. The Green Knight is revealed to be Bertilak, Gawain's
earlier host, who had been enchanted by Morgan le Fay in order to administer the test of Arthur's court.
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How does Gawain himself evaluate his performance?
How does this compare to the reactions of Bertilak and of Arthur and his court?
Think of the five points of chivalry. Which of these does Gawain adhere to and which of these does
Gawain fail?
What does the girdle symbolize for Gawain both before and after he completes his test?