Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Feature Menu
Introducing the Poem
Literary Focus: The Romance
Reading Focus: Understanding
Cause and Effect
Writing Focus: Think as a
Reader/Writer
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
What moves a hero to act?
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Introducing the Poem
Click on the title to start the video.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Introducing the Poem
Would you take a dare that might cost you
your life?
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Introducing the Poem
Sir Gawain did.
Of course, as a knight of Arthur’s
Round Table, he was expected to
be brave.
The code of chivalry also bound
him to
• remain loyal to his lord
• protect the oppressed
• treat women with courtesy
[End of Section]
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Literary Focus: The Romance
Many stories about Gawain and King Arthur’s
other knights are about seeking justice and
helping those in need.
Chrétien de Troyes, a
French court poet, made
stories about knights’
adventures popular
between 1160 and 1190.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Literary Focus: The Romance
These stories are called Arthurian romances.
However, they’re not usually love stories.
The hero typically
• undertakes a quest in
the service of a lady
or a high ideal
• faces a series of tests
• meets dragons or
supernatural beings
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Literary Focus: The Romance
Many medieval romances are about Camelot
and King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table.
Romance describes
any story that
presents a happier,
more perfect, or
more heroic world.
Can you think of any contemporary story or
movie that fits most of the criteria for a
medieval romance?
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Literary Focus: The Romance
Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight
• One of the most famous
Arthurian romances
• Anonymous tale, probably
written around 1375
• Ideals of knightly conduct
were already beginning to
fade
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Literary Focus: The Romance
As the poem opens, King Arthur and his court are
celebrating Christmas. Suddenly, an enormous green
stranger carrying an ax rides into the hall. He
challenges any knight to hit him with the ax.
Sir Gawain accepts the challenge and beheads the
challenger. However, the Green Knight calmly picks up
his own head, repeats his challenge, and gallops off
with his head in his hand.
What element of the romantic tradition is
represented by the Green Knight?
the presence of a supernatural being
[End of Section]
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Reading Focus: Understanding Cause and Effect
A cause is anything
that makes something
happen.
An effect is the
result of that cause.
washing hands with soap
removes germs
Recognizing causes and effects will help you
understand the relationship between events in
a narrative.
Gawain makes promise
meets Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Reading Focus: Understanding Cause and Effect
Into Action: As you read, use a diagram like the
one below to record a cause for each of the
important events of the selection. Be sure not to
create incorrect relationships or logical fallacies.
[End of Section]
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Writing Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer
Find It in Your Reading
Writers often use imagery to share their ideas
with readers. A writer might present a visual
picture of a dream, for example, to share a
character’s innermost feelings in a dramatic way.
As you read, note passages in the selection in
which imagery helps you understand and
“experience” the romance hero’s challenges.
[End of Section]
Vocabulary
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
whetting v. used as adj.: sharpening a blade on a
stone made for the purpose.
daunted v. used as adj.: made to lose courage.
shied v.: shrank or flinched away.
efficacious adj.: effective or useful.
covetousness n.: desire for what belongs to
others.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
The word whetting comes from an Old English word
that means “sharp.”
The chef used the tool’s
whetting edge to sharpen
his favorite knife.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
Whetting can also have a figurative sense.
What is being sharpened in the
sentence below?
The smell of hot soup acted
like a whetting stone on the
sick toddler’s appetite.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
A whetting noise could be described as
a. grinding
b. pounding
c. sighing
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
A whetting noise could be described as
a. grinding
b. pounding
c. sighing
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
The word daunted comes from an Old French word
that means “to tame” a horse.
Later it came to refer to people who were made to
feel discouraged.
The competition was
fierce, but Sean refused to
be daunted.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
Synonyms for daunted include
cowed
intimidated
scared
When you feel
daunted, what are
some ways to recover
your courage?
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
Which of these words means the opposite of
daunted?
a. fearful
b. noble
c. unafraid
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
Which of these words means the opposite of
daunted?
a. fearful
b. noble
c. unafraid
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
The word shied comes from an Old English word
that means “to avoid.”
The nervous colt
shied away from
the snowflakes.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
People also flinch or shy away from things that make
them nervous.
Which person has shied
away from a stranger?
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
The phrase closest in meaning to shied is
a. went forward
b. moved on
c. turned away
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
The phrase closest in meaning to shied is
a. went forward
b. moved on
c. turned away
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
Something that is efficacious has the power to
produce the desired effect.
Antonyms include
• ineffective
• useless
“There are so many headache medicines.
Which is most efficacious?” asked Chris.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
Which method of study
is more likely to be
efficacious—cramming
all night before the test,
or short, regular
reviews?
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
Which word means almost the same thing as
efficacious?
a. effective
b. effervescent
c. efficient
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
Which word means almost the same thing as
efficacious?
a. effective
b. effervescent
c. efficient
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
The word covetousness comes from an Old French
word that means “long for,” but covetousness is
more than simple desire.
The person or object
that is coveted belongs
to someone else.
Covetousness suggests
the desire to take what
does not belong to you.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
Why might Gawain feel that covetousness is
unworthy of a true knight?
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
Which word is most nearly the opposite of
covetousness?
a. bravery
b. generosity
c. patience
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Vocabulary
Which word is most nearly the opposite of
covetousness?
a. bravery
b. generosity
c. patience
[End of Section]
The End