Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

• author is anonymous—aka (The “Pearl” Poet)• written c. 1400 in Middle English• important in literature because it represents

all of the following significant poetic genres:–Arthurian romance poetry/courtly

love poetry–medieval alliterative poetry–epic poetry

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 rechesWatz euesed al vmbetorne abof his elbowes,Þat half his armes þer-vnder were halched in þe wyseOf a kyngez capados þat closes his swyre;Þe mane of þat mayn hors much to hit lyke,Wel cresped and cemmed, wyth knottes ful monyFolden 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.He loked as layt so ly3t,So sayd al þat hym sy3e;Hit semed as no mon my3tVnder his dynttez dry3e.

Sir Gawain and the

Green Knight

in Middle English

• 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 himlike 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

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 rechesWatz euesed al vmbetorne abof his elbowes,Þat half his armes þer-vnder were halched in þe wyseOf a kyngez capados þat closes his swyre;Þe mane of þat mayn hors much to hit lyke,Wel cresped and cemmed, wyth knottes ful monyFolden in wyth fildore aboute þe fayre grene,

• 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”

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as Arthurian romance/courtly

love poetry

A statue of King Arthur from around 1400 ADimage from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Arthur3487.jpg

• 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.

• Arthurian legends reach height in/around 12th century A.D.

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur#The_Arthurian_romance)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as Arthurian romance/courtly love

poetry, cont.

• 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.”

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as Arthurian romance/courtly love

poetry, cont.

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.

• related words: cavalier (Fr., L.), cavalry (from L. caval), caballero (Sp.)

• In Arthurian tradition, the “Knights of the Round Table” (Lancelot, Galahad, Bedivere, Agravain, Perceval, Tristan, Gawain, et.al.*) embodied – both individually and en masse, the characteristics of courtesie or “courtly love.”

*see a complete list at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_the_Round_Table

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as Arthurian romance/courtly love

poetry…

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• 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.

Characteristics of Courtly Behavior

• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (from now on SGGK) is cited as a seminal example of Arthurian romance poetry or “courtly love” poetry.

• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as medieval alliterative verse

• Like all other examples of literature we’ve read thus far, SGGK almost certainly began as an oral history carried from village-to-village by a bard – or singing storyteller.

• Like the Iliad and Beowulf, therefore, SGGK 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.

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 himlike 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 greencriss-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 knotbright 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 heldin sight.                He looked a lightning flash,                they say: he seemed so bright;                and who would dare to clash                in melee with such might?

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). from: http://faculty.uca.edu/~jona/

second/ggknotes.htm B

BA

A

A

Review: Characteristics of the Epic Hero1. 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 as epic poetry

Review: Characteristics of the Epic Poem1. An epic poem is a long, highly-

stylized narrative poem…2. that recounts the exploits of its main character – the epic hero.3. Because most epic poetry originated as sung or

spoken verse, it is rigidly metered and rhymed.

Journey = Quest• In medieval poetry, the epic hero’s journey to battle (like

Achilles’ voyage to Troy or Beowulf’s to Dane-land) becomes a quest.

• A quest is “an adventurous expedition in search of something spiritually fulfilling or self-enhancing.”

Gold spurs? Immediately upon

reading/hearing these lines about

the Green Knight who has

burst into Arthur’s

Christmas festivities, the

audience would know that he is a

guy not to be messed with:

He was got up in green from head to heel:a tunic worn tight, tucked to his ribs;and a rich cloak cast over it, covered insidewith a fine fur lining, fitted and sewnwith ermine trim that stood out in contrastfrom his hair where his hood lay folded flat;and handsome hose of the same green huewhich clung to his calves, with clustered

spursof bright gold; (ll. 151-55)

Why theGreen Knight?

• In medieval England, the “Green Man” was a pagan representation of nature. The “Green Man” was not Satanic, but did symbolize the nature worship that characterized pre-Christian tribal paganism.

• The “Green Man” is not evil, but is also not Christian a battle between any of Arthur’s knights and any creature reminiscent of Britain’s pagan past is, by extension, a battle between “good” and “evil” – or between the Christian piety of Arthur’s knights and their tribal, non-Christian predecessors.

Gawain’s ShieldIn the poem, Gawain’s shield is very clearly described as a golden pentangle on a field of red. The pentangle, the poem goes on to tell us, represents Gawain’s Five Fifths.The pentangle is also called the “endless knot.”

In medieval symbology, red signifies humility as the blood of ChristGold signifies perfection.Gawain was said to possess

five qualities – one for each of the pentangle’s points – each demonstrating how he far excelled all other knights.

First Fifth: His faultlessness (purity) in his SENSESSecond Fifth: Purity in his FIVE FINGERS Third Fifth: Strength he drew from knowledge of the FIVE WOUNDS OF CHRISTFourth fifth: Strength from the FIVE JOYS OF MARYFinal fifth: His practice of the FIVE SOCIAL GRACES

The Jerusalem Cross1. The wounds

in the hands.

2. The wounds in the feet.

3. The wound in the side of Christ

1. the Annunciation2. the Nativity3. the Resurrection4. the Ascension5. the Assumption

The five joys of Mary are also known as The Five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. They are:

Five social graces Gawain possesses above all others:

1. free-giving (generosity)2. brotherly love3. chastity4. pure manners (courtesie)5. piety

from: http://faculty.uca.edu/~jona/second/ggknotes.htm#id008

The Five Challenges Gawain Faces:

from: http://faculty.uca.edu/~jona/second/ggknotes.htm#id008

1. to voluntarily confront the Green Knight

2. to strike his blow properly

3. to keep his vow to meet the Green Knight in a year and a day.

4. to survive journey to the green chapel

5. to resist the lady’s temptations

The FIFTH TEST is the temptations and the three gifts--social virtues. Gawain falls—and yet, his acceptance of the girdle is not a fault. It is his hiding of it, and his actual withholding of it from Bertilak that is his fall.

Had he given it back to the lady, he would have erased his potential fault. The real fault, from Gawain's point of view, is that the reality of his own mortality induces him to break the endless knot. Thus two effects of original sin are reasserted: cowardice (bodily mortality) and covetousness (willful cupidity).

Nature as a man vs. Nature as a knight

More on

Gawain’s

fifth challe

ngefrom: http://faculty.uca.edu/~jona/second/ggknotes.htm#id008

The Garter• Honi soit qui

mal y pense • “Shame be

upon him who thinks evil of this.”