An Analysis of lines 556-669 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
This passage powerfully introduces many key themes in Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight. Courtliness, bravery, ceremony, and of course, the Pentangle, are all
highlighted in this short extract.
This is very visual passage. Much of this is derived from the poet’s varied use of
colour:
‘Fyrst a tulé tapit ty t ouer þe flet,
And miche watz þe gyld gere þat glent þeralofte’1
Red and gold (‘tulé’ and ‘gyld’) are the colours of Gawain’s armour and horse. Red
being the complimentary colour of green, Gawain is immediately linked to the Green
Knight. This link is almost paradoxical, however, as the two are simultaneously
opposites and compliments. This could be a suggestion of Gawain’s double
relationship with his challenger; as the Green Knight, he is Gawain’s enemy and
opposer, and as Bertilak de Hautdesert, he is his friend and host.
Red also symbolizes fire, and implies strength, vitality, and bravery, while gold
indicates worth and nobility. But Gawain does not enter already clad in such colours,
we see him being attired:
‘Þenne set þay þe sabatounz vpon þe segge fotez,
His legez lapped in stel with luflych greuez,
1
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lines 568 - 569
Holly McFarlane
With polaynez piched þerto, policed ful clene,
Aboute his knez knaged wyth knotez of golde’2
The fact that we watch him being dressed highlights that the brave red and wealthy
gold he wears is a costume; Gawain assumes these colours in an attempt to reflect and
recreate what they symbolize, but they are not inherent in him. This is a fundamental
difference to the Green Knight, who is ‘oueral enker-grene’ (150). It would not be
particularly surprising for a character to be dressed all in green (it was a common and
popular medieval colour) if his skin, his entire being, were not green also. This
suggests something organic and natural about the Knight’s appearance; his image is a
projection of his identity, not, as with Gawain, the other way around. Already, there
is a sense that no matter how virtuous Gawain might be, he may still be unable to win
against this mysterious figure.
Much attention is paid to the detail of Gawain’s dress; the embroidery of his horse’s
attire is described at length:
‘Enbrawden and bounden wyth þe best gemmez
On brode sylkyn borde, and bryddez on semez’3
The alliteration of ‘b’ (a fairly strong consonant) gives these lines a chirpy rhythm,
mimicking the sounds of the ‘bryddez’. Such dainty cheeriness and lightness is again
in direct contrast to the rough, earthy, unstudied Green Knight, and the poet thus
emphasises the inherent differences between the two opponents.
There is a powerful interjection by the narrator midway through this extract:
2
3
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lines 574 - 577
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lines 609 - 610
Holly McFarlane
‘And quy þe pentangel apendez to þat prynce noble
I am in tent yow to telle, þof tary hyt me schulde’4
There is no subtle introduction of key themes at this moment; the pentangle is
important, and the poet ensures that his reader is aware of that. The use of ‘I’ is
striking, not only because it is rare that the narrator bring himself so blatantly to the
fore, but also because it reminds the reader that there is a strong persona and focus
behind this writing; although different interpretations are possible to an extent, some
of the writer’s themes cannot be ignored or manipulated.
The image of the pentangle is one of such ideas, and the poet describes it
unequivocally:
‘Hit is a syngne þat Salamon set sumquyle
In bytoknyng of trawþe’5
He immediately introduces two key ideas encompassed in the pentangle; religion and
truth; one must be true to chivalric ideals, God, and oneself. He then describes the
never-ending nature of the pentangle:
‘vche lyne vmbelappez and loukez in oþer,
And ayquere hit is endelez’6
The consonance in line 628 emphasises the infinite circles of the pentangle; the
repetition of the ‘l’ sound mimics its never-ending loops. Already, the shield is
established as a representation of perfect virtue; it depicts steadfast, consistent,
unwavering devotion to truth. This description would likely be highly intimidating to
Gawain, but the poet assures us:
‘Forþy hit acordez to þis kny t’7
4
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lines 623 - 624
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lines 625 - 626
6
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lines 628 - 629
5
Holly McFarlane
Gawain’s virtue and truth are here deemed to be the qualities that distinguish him
from others; if he has any weapons to use against the Green Knight, these are they.
Although Gawain does not ultimately adhere entirely to the values shown on his
shield, he displays enough honour and truth to save him from death. In this way,
though undeniably human and flawed (which is vividly represented by his final
wound, and afterwards by the green belt) he is still virtuous enough to succeed.
The poet uses a lot of alliteration when describing Gawain’s virtues:
‘Fyrst he watz funden fautlez in his fyue wyttez,
And efte fayled neuer þe freke in his fyue fyngres,
And alle his afyaunce vpon folde watz in þe fyue woundez
Þat Cryst ka t on þe croys’8
This repetition of the ‘f’ sound suggests Gawain’s virtue is organic. It links him
linguistically with the number five, and therefore with the five virtues or corners his
shield represents, implying their relationship is natural or inherent, as even the sounds
of their names are intertwined. The alliteration is broken strikingly in line 643. Jesus,
‘Cryst’, is still set apart linguistically from Gawain; although the latter is often found
‘fautlez’, he is still human.
This number five is very important in this extract. Not only is each of Gawain’s
virtues fivefold, there are five of them altogether, five times five. This serves to
highlight the interlocking nature of the shield; just as every power of five ends in five,
so every point of the pentangle, every virtue, relies on, crosses, and encompasses
another:
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8
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Line 631
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lines 640 - 643
Holly McFarlane
‘Now alle þese fyue syþez, for soþe, were fetled on þis kny t,
And vchone halched in oþer, þat non ende hade,
And fyched vpon fyue poyntez, þat fayld neuer’9
Thus, the shield represents harmony, a balance of faith and loyalty between all the
interconnecting lines. However, it is also notable that there are five distinct
‘poyntez’; although the virtues are irrevocably entwined, they still represent specific,
separate ideas.
After his exposition of the pentangle, the poet draws a swift, neat conclusion:
‘Þerfore on his schene schelde schapen watz þe knot
Ryally wyth red golde vpon rede gowlez,
Þat is þe pure pentaungel wyth þe peple called with lore.’10
Here, the images of red and gold return and combine with the idea of purity. We are
reminded of the unattainable perfection of the pentangle, that although Gawain is
possibly the character who encompasses most of the shield’s virtues, he can never
fully realize them all. Thus, the poet simultaneously expresses the possibilities and
limitations of humanity.
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lines 656 - 657
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lines 663 - 665
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Holly McFarlane