Introduction to Sir
Gawain and the Green
Knight
British Literature
October 14, 2014
Please take out your journal
or a place to take notes.
Announcements
• You need to bring a vocabulary word for Thesaurus Thursday. It must be a
word you want to start regularly using. No random or “weird” words that
are jargon-specific and therefore useless. (Regardless of how “cool” the
word is.)
• Make-up Socratic Seminar for Beowulf is TODAY during advisory. If you
missed the original, you MUST attend. If you do not like your grade, you
may attend for a better grade.
• My advisory students will be going to Mrs. Mamayan’s room for advisory
in Room 248.
• Honors Extended Dialectical Journals must be turned in before Fall break
or they will not be accepted.
• TURN IN ANY MISSING WORK INTO THE LATE BIN WITH # OF
DAYS LATE, ABSENCES, ETC.
Objectives
• Students will build context and anticipation to read
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
HOW?
• Background Information (Lecture)
• Sir Gawain SNL
• BBC Documentary
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
• Author is anonymous; though often called the “Pearl Poet”
• A medieval poem written c. 1400 in Middle English
• Important because it represents all of the following
significant poetic genres:
• Arthurian romance poetry/courtly
love poetry
• medieval alliterative poetry
• epic poetry
Sir
Gawain
and the
Green
Knight
in
Middle
English
Wel gay watz þis gome gered in grene,
And þe here of his hed of his hors swete.
Fayre fannand fax vmbefoldes his schulderes;
A much berd as a busk ouer his brest henges,
Þat wyth his hi3lich here þat of his hed reches
Watz euesed al vmbetorne abof his elbowes,
Þat half his armes þer-vnder were halched in þe
wyse
Of a kyngez capados þat closes his swyre;
Þe mane of þat mayn hors much to hit lyke,
Wel cresped and cemmed, wyth knottes ful mony
Folden in wyth fildore aboute þe fayre grene,
Ay a herle of þe here, an oþer of golde;
Þe tayl and his toppyng twynnen of a sute,
And bounden boþe wyth a bande of a bry3t
grene,
Dubbed wyth ful dere stonez, as þe dok lasted,
Syþen þrawen wyth a þwong a þwarle knot
alofte,
Þer mony bellez ful bry3t of brende golde rungen.
Such a fole vpon folde, ne freke þat hym rydes,
Watz neuer sene in þat sale wyth sy3t er þat tyme,
with y3e.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as Arthurian
romance/courtly love poetry
• There is no solid evidence for/against the
reign of a historic “King Arthur.”
• Some historians suggest Arthur was a
Roman military leader who held power
anywhere from 3rd to 7th century A.D.
(Artorius = “plowman”)
• Arthur is more important for the legends
that developed around him and his
“Knights of the Round Table” over his
true historical significance.
A statue of King Arthur from around 1400 AD
image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Arthur3487.jpg
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as
Arthurian Romance/Courtly Love Poetry
• Arthur traditionally credited with uniting all England (i.e.
uniting the pagan tribes) and therefore creating the potential for
the development of a unique British character after the Norman
invasion of England.
• Even more importantly, it is around the legendary King Arthur
that the chivalric tradition of the middle ages developed.
• Chivalry – from the French word cheval or “horse” – refers
to the code of behavior that was expected of knights (all
noblemen). This tradition was also called courtesie (also
French), meaning “the behavior of the court.”
CHIVALRY
• “Chivalry” comes from the
French cheval, or horse (n.b.
Norman influence in language).
• Only the wealthiest people in
medieval society could keep
horses and afford to use them in
combat.
• “Chivalry” became associated,
therefore, with the qualities of
“horsemen”, or knights.
• In Arthurian tradition, the
“Knights of the Round
Table” (Lancelot,
Galahad, Bedivere,
Agravain, Perceval, Tristan,
Gawain, etc.) embodied –
both individually and en
masse, the characteristics
of courtesie or “courtly
love.”
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as
Arthurian romance/courtly love poetry
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as
Arthurian romance/courtly love poetry
Characteristics of Courtly Behavior
• Respect the king. Do nothing to bring him
dishonor.
• Respect women. Do nothing to bring
dishonor to any woman.
• Protect the poor and the weak.
• Honor God as a faithful Christian.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as
Medieval Alliterative Verse
• Like all other examples of literature we’ve read
thus far, Sir Gawain almost certainly began as an
oral history carried from village-to-village by a
bard – or singing storyteller.
• Like the Iliad and Beowulf, therefore, Sir Gawain
is marked by meter, rhyme, and (as with Beowulf)
alliteration.
• All these poetic devices were intended to help in
the oral retelling of the story.
Why is it
called
alliterative
verse?
VERSE FORM: the "Gawain
stanza"--a varying number
of alliterative long lines
terminated by a "bob &
wheel," five short rhyming
lines (ABABA).
He was a fine fellow fitted in green -And the hair on his head and his horse's matched.
It fanned out freely enfolding his shoulders,
and his beard hung below as big as a bush,
all mixed with the marvelous mane on his head,
which was cut off in curls cascading to his elbows,
wrapping round the rest of him
like a king's cape clasped to his neck.
And the mane of his mount was much the same,
but curled up and combed in crisp knots,
in braids of bright gold thread and brilliant green
criss-crossed hair by hair.
And the tossing tail was twin to the mane,
for both were bound with bright green ribbons,
strung to the end with long strands of precious
stones,
and turned back tight in a twisted knot
bright with tinkling bells of burnished gold.
No such horse on hoof had been seen in that hall,
nor horseman half so strange as their eyes now held
in sight.A
He looked a lightning flash,B
they say: he seemed so bright; A
and who would dare to clash B
in melee with such might?
A
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
as epic poetry
Review: Characteristics of the Epic Hero
1. He is a model of faith, loyalty, or bravery…
2. who makes a long, difficult journey…
3. to do battle on behalf of another…
4. perhaps using his own superhuman
talents…
5. against an enemy who may himself
have or be guarded by supernatural
powers.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
SNL SKITS
• In groups, you will be assigned a scenario. You
have fifteen minutes in your groups to design,
script, and rehearse a skit to share with the class
that acts out your scenario.
• Each scenario can be found in Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight, but your skit will be a modern
adaptation of the event.
• Your skit must be school appropriate.
SCENARIO #1
GROUP:
SCENARIO #2
GROUP:
SCENARIO #3
GROUP:
• Andrew
Bowman
• Ashlyn
Donhowe
• Matthew
Hodgkins
• Kendall Hein
• Jared Hahn
• Jesse House
• Andres Gonzalez • Leah Jerusik
• Patrick Ivers
• Jennie Wolffis
SCENARIO #4
GROUP:
• Zak Solis
• Alyssa Milner
Period 2
• Andi Swing
• Tony Wilson
As a class,
you will go
through each
scenario to
prepare a
quick skit to
act out the
events of the
skit.
Period 4
SCENARIO #1
GROUP:
SCENARIO #2
GROUP:
SCENARIO #3
GROUP:
• Ed Colucci
• Jenna Ehmann
• Matt Logan
• Derek Helsing
• Claire Hodgkins
• Clarissa Padilla
• Mary Satkowski
• Kay King
• Sophia Utley
• Cristo Perales
• Jacob Garcia
• Kelyn Perales
• Gretchen Jamison • Kaley Hein
SCENARIO #4
GROUP:
• Michaela VanSant
• Monica Vasquez
Period 6
• Claire Wilhoute
• Caleb Younker
Take out your Beowulf books.
We will go to the library to
return our books. If you are
attending the make-up Socratic
Seminar, you may want to hold
onto your book. Pick up a copy
of Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight.
BBC Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74glI1lg1CQ