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“SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT”
The venue is set as a medieval banquet. Three sides for audience. A fourth side to be
used by the “Courts” of “Arthur” and later “Bertilak.” Audience can be treated to a
medieval banquet with food / drink as part of the ticket. The "Servant group" can bring
them food/wine.
Action takes place on both the floor and on the court staging. A large pentangle is
painted on the floor centre. This will be Gawain's bed in part 2. In centre of each of 3
audience blocks is an aisle used for cast entrances and exits. Opposite the court, the
aisle is home to the musicians. The Green Knight / Bertilak entrances come from a
similar side aisle. The servants and court groups all enter via the opposite aisle. As a
“base” – “John the storyteller” and his wife “Morgan” use the diagonal corners of the
room to view all the action. Once involved with the action they are seen to always
viewing events of the story from their respective corners.
The Green Knight in the first section is a giant puppet figure on a horse. The voice of
the first part Green Knight is pre-recorded and played with full appropriate distorted
effects. The animal figures hunted in the second half are dancers with detachable animal
heads. Each dance ends in their being caught up in a giant scramble net before their
“heads” are taken by Bertilak. The “Dance of the Pentangle” is performed with a long
rope which fills the floor with the pentangle shape. All music/songs used are either
traditional or written by the cast themselves.
A tiny part of the text is an abridged version of “Falstaff’s Honour Speech” from
Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part One. Large sections of choral description are taken from
the original medieval poem.
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CAST
OLD JOHN THE STORY TELLER.
MORGAN HIS STROPPY WIFE.
MARTHA AND MARIE HIS STROPPY DAUGHTERS.
MUSICIANS
OLD MOTHER HAGGERT. (LEAD MUSICIAN)
MUSICIANS/SINGERS. (AT LEAST THREE INCLUDES “YOUNG TOM”)
CHIEF SERVANT / CHORUS OF SERVANTS
INCLUDES “ADAM” THE SQUIRE AND “MARTIN” THE MAN SERVANT OF
BERTILAK’S COURT AND AT LEAST 2 BUTCHERS.
SPIRIT’S GROUP
USED FOR GREEN KNIGHT PUPPET ENTRANCE AND DANCE OF PENTANGLE
IN THE FIRST ACT. THEY REPRESENT THE HUNTS IN SECOND ACT.
BERTILAK / LADY BERTILAK
(TAKE PART AS SPIRITS IN ACT 1)
A COURT GROUP
TO INCLUDE “ARTHUR” “GUINIVERE” AND AT LEAST 3 OTHER LADIES
AND KNIGHTS. (“GAWAIN” IS CREATED FROM THIS GROUP)
SIR GAWAIN.
SIR BERTILAK.
LADY BERTILAK.
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“SIR GAWAIN AND THE
GREEN KNIGHT”
(Any group dialogue in bold is suggested as being best for more than one voice. On
clearance the servants gather together in to a formal pose to audience on 3 sides)
SERVS: Oh Christmas is here / Once again / Great crowds are here / Once again / And
feasting is here / Yet again / We do our job and we don't complain / But tell us, won't
you please explain / Why we have to serve them / And hear them complain / Why can't
we join in their fun? (Musicians are heard) They're coming. / Who are? / "Old
Mother Haggert and her Haglets." / Old John's musicians. (Musicians enter with their
best flourish. The servants give ironic applause)
MUS: Don't be like that. / We practised that for ages.
SERVS: Better go away and do it some more than hadn't you? / Or do us a favour and
come up with something new instead of the same old rubbish.
O.M.H: We got something new haven’t we my children?
MUS: Arr!
O.M.H: Bring it in young Tom! (Tom carrying a Sousaphone or Sackbut or some other
ridiculously large instrument enters and blows loud rude note) There. Bet you aven’t
seen or heard anything like that before have you?
SERVS: No! / How old is that lad? / ‘Bout twelve. / Shouldn’t be allowed giving poor
little scrap something that big to lug about.
MUS: Oh he’s alright. / He’s fit he is.
SERVS: How long is it now since Old Man Haggert died? / Over thirty years I reckon.
/ Excuse me for asking but, how old are you lot?
MUS: I’m fifteen, they be fourteen, and him twelve.
SERVS: Thought so. This “Old Mother Haggert,” she may be no looker but she gets
about a bit. / Watch out she’s got her eye on you. / Proper man-eater that one.
MUS: Ladies and gentlemen, / Dwellers of this hall. / We give you greeting / and
salute you all. / We come with excitement. / With spell binding tales. / Songs that will
cheer you ...
SERVS: And dances that fail. / Forget the flannel, what's the story this year?
MUS: To tell you our tale of heroes and slaughter / We give you "Old John" the story
teller. (John enters with a flourish) His charming wife (She enters, sour.) And two
lovely daughters. (They enter is similar sour fashion to their mother)
SERVS: Who are those charmers?
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MUS: Old John's missus and daughters. / He's trying to get them interested in the story
telling business. / But they ain't having none of it.
O.M.H: Stroppy madams all of them. (Flirts to a servant) Nothing like as good as a
mature woman Eh?
SERVS: What have you got for us this year John? / Something new I hope. / New!
From Old John? You have got to be joking.
O.J: You can mock. You'll just have to wait until the masters get here, until then it's a
secret. But I would like everyone to meet my daughters. Children, come here. These are
my off-spring. Two lovely cherry blossoms in winter don't you think? And both yet to
be married gentlemen.
MORG: Husband! How dare you?
SERVS: He's Old John. He'd dare do anything.
O.J: They've come to help me tell this year's story.
MART: We'll do no such thing.
MARIE: We don't do "stories"!
O.J: Sssh! We've prepared it all now; it is too late to change it.
MART / MARIE: No!
O.J: Come look around you. See? This is the sort of place we'll make our money.
This is the sort of place I'll get you a husband.
MART: I don't want a husband!
MARIE: I don't need a husband!
SERVS: What's wrong John? Can't you control your women?
MORG: They are not "his women" and we will not be controlled.
SERVS: So what is the story this year John?
O.J: Thank you friend. Friends, I have a story, indeed I have. I have a story that will
fill you with awe and wonder. That will take you far away from your dreary existence
for a short time and transport you into a world of magic, of chivalry, of romance, of
temptation, my friends, we...
MART: You!
O.J: ...bring you the tale of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." True stories of history
tell of torture and pain. Of fighting. Of losing. Of winning the game. Brave knights and
leaders the whole world known, my seeds of adventures have all been sown. (Musicians
play as all the lords and ladies of court enter in procession and take their places at the
fourth side of banqueting tables) Of all its kings, King Arthur was the best. (John gives
a Lord some sort of costume symbol to show he is to represent Arthur. The Lord accepts
the role and stands as positioned by John) The stories of King Arthur's court are full of
life and widely sought. But I propose to tell you all, a tale as never heard before. As I
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have heard it I will tell, I beg you please to listen well. (Reluctantly Martha follows
John's signals to blindfold him as dialogue continues)
MUS: This king lay at Camelot one Christmastide. / With loyal lords, liegemen
peerless. / Members rightly reckoned of the Round Table. / In splendid celebration,
seemly and carefree. / The feasting flowed for fully fifteen days. / With all the meat and
merry-making men could devise. / The year being so young that yester-even saw its
birth. / That day double on the dais were the dinners served. / When the singing and
psalms had ceased in the chapel the King and his company had come into the hall.
O.J: (Being spun as he speaks) And Arthur stands his heart aglow. In strong assurance
he does know that near or far across the land no nobler court can claim to stand. But
eyes of all are fixed on she, (He picks out a queen and moves her to stand beside Arthur)
The queen of this fair company. Fairest of form, standing here, the beauty that is
Guinivere. (Music as John crowns the pretend King and Queen)
ART: My friends all. I welcome you most heartily to our festive celebrations. And
you, you most flattering of rogues, you and your fair daughters, are no less welcome.
Unless your price has risen again?
O.J: My Lord I would gladly entertain you for nothing: if only to be repaid by the smile
of your lady wife.
ART: My friends the part I shall play as is customary, needs I feel some explanation.
Camelot again has risen from the darkness I see around.
COURT: Never before on my travels have I seen a fairer place. / The days are no
longer dull but bright. / The knights seem twice as jolly. / Your king has assembled you
as he did when Camelot he first created. / Christmas draws near and the year draws to its
close. / Festivity rolls through and about our land.
ART: Sir Gawain. Gawain? (He looks to John to select a knight to become Gawain.
John moves the chosen one to Arthur’s side) My loyal friend, as a son to his father;
And Guinivere, my right loving wife and respected queen of this fair company.
COURT: I present a toast, the wine is good so let it remain: "King Arthur. The Lady
Guinivere and Sir Gawain"!
ALL: King Arthur. The Lady Guinivere and Sir Gawain!
ART: Drink you shall. But eat thou shalt not, until a tale is told, of intrigue and
adventure. A tale to whet my appetite, only then will the feasting truly begin. My
Lords, Ladies. I humbly ask which one of you has a tale fit to entertain your king.
Come now. Surely my request is reasonable? (Smoke, lighting flashes, thunderclaps.
The Green Knight group enters)
GK: (recording or voice on mike) Who and where is the governor of this gathering?
Gladly would I behold him with my eyes and have speech with him.
ART: Right noble sir I am he. Arthur is my name.