Sir Gawain & The Green Knight Analysis

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Short Summary
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight establishes the setting firmly in Arthurian Britain by means of a
lengthy description of the legendary history of Britain. Britain is a land of great wonders and strife,
but King Arthur has established a court of utmost nobility and chivalry, peopled with the bravest
knights and fairest ladies. This story begins at a lavish ew !ear"s celebration in #amelot, King
Arthur"s court.
A rich description of the celebration follows, where the poet carefully conveys lu$urious details of
decoration and attire. There is the incomparably beautiful %ueen Guinevere, Arthur himself, and
seated in honor around them, various noble knights and relatives of Arthur, including Sir Gawain . &e
learn that Arthur does not like to begin his feasts until he has heard a great tale or witnessed a great
marvel. 'ndeed, in the midst of the feasting, a wondrous stranger bursts into the hall. The giant(like
stranger is most remarkable because he is entirely green, but he nevertheless carries an air of
handsome civility, wearing sumptuous green and gold clothes and armor. )is horse is e*ually decked
in ornate green, and the knight himself holds a branch of holly in one hand and a formidable battle(
a$e in the other. )e demands, somewhat arrogantly, to speak to the ruler of the company, while the
court stares on in stunned silence. &hen Arthur finally speaks, the stranger e$plains that he has
come to this famously valiant court to play a #hristmas game. &hoever agrees to play this game will
be allowed to strike the Green Knight on the spot, in the middle of the court+ in e$change, the Green
Knight will strike a return blow upon the volunteer a year and a day hence. one of the court
volunteers as the game seems to imply certain death for whomever plays+ the stranger ridicules
them all for #amelot"s supposed bravery.
,ventually Arthur agrees to play the game, but as he is about to wield the great battle(a$e, Gawain
speaks. 'n polite and self(effacing language, Gawain begs to take up the boon instead, so the life of
the king can be spared in place of a knight as weak and lowly as he. The court agrees to let Gawain
play, and after restating the terms of the agreement to each other, the stranger gives the battle(a$e
to Gawain, who cleaves off the stranger"s head in one blow. But miraculously enough, the stranger
does not die, and the body of the Green Knight picks up the severed head, which even speaks to
Gawain. The stranger charges Gawain to meet him at the Green #hapel ne$t ew !ear"s morning, so
that he may receive his e$change blow.
After the stranger leaves, the ew !ear"s feast continues unaffected, but the poet ends the fitt by
foreshadowing the dangerous adventures Gawain must face.
The second part of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight opens with a lush, detailed description of ature
and the passing of the year. After the #hristmas feast and the Green Knight"s challenge, the winter
passes into a springtime and summer. But eventually harvest season approaches, the leaves fall, and
as winter begins, Gawain remembers his agreement with the Green Knight. So, at a -ichaelmas
feast, he sadly bids farewell to Arthur"s court. All the lords and ladies are silently sorrowful that a
knight as worthy as Gawain must go to his doom by receiving the e$change blow from the Green
Knight.
The poet then gives a meticulous description of Gawain as he dons his ornate armor the ne$t
morning. Both he and his horse Gringolet are richly attired, but Gawain"s most important piece of
armor of all is his shield, which bears the emblem of the .entangle, the five(pointed star. The
.entangle, the emblem of truth, is particularly suitable for Gawain because the five points of the star
represent the five different ways in which Gawain, like purified gold, embodies faultless virtue. )e is
perfect in the five senses+ his five fingers are unfailing+ his faith is fi$ed firmly on the five wounds
which #hrist received on the cross+ he draws his strength from the five /oys -ary had through 0esus+
and he embodies, better than any other living man, the five virtues1 2ranchise, 2ellowship,
#leanness, #ourtesy, and above all, #harity. 3n the inside of his shield is an image of the 4irgin
-ary, often the source of Gawain"s courage.
3nce armed with his shield, Gawain rides away from #amelot, the court mourning that such a young,
faultless knight should sacrifice his life as a result of a silly #hristmas game. Gawain rides for
months, alone, with no friends but his horse and no one to talk to but God. 3n the way, he battles
beasts and giants and struggles through a harsh, cold country which would have killed a weaker or
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more faithless man. 3n #hristmas ,ve, after toiling through a daunting wood, Gawain beseeches the
5ord and -ary to guide him to some haven where he may attend mass and properly pray on
#hristmas morning. Almost immediately, Gawain stumbles upon a moated fortress, a beautiful castle
with strong defences and intricate architectural flourishes. Awed and grateful, Gawain asks the porter
of the castle for entrance and is greeted by a great, /oyful, and eager company. )e is welcomed by
the lord of the castle, a massive, civili6ed, capable(looking man who sees to it that Gawain receives
the best of care. After a great feast, his company learns that he is none other than Sir Gawain of
Arthur"s court, and they are delighted to have such an honored personage in their presence, the
embodiment of good breeding and chivalry himself.
After dinner, the company attends the #hristmastide mass, where Gawain meets the lady of the
castle. She is incomparably beautiful, and she is accompanied by an ancient noble lady, whose utter
ugliness enhances her own beauty. Gawain is pleased to meet her, and their companionship deepens
over the ne$t few days of feasting. After the third day, Gawain thanks the lord and declares himself
his servant, but regrets that he must leave the ne$t morning to continue his *uest. The lord,
however, reveals that the Green #hapel is but two miles away, so Gawain must stay for the
remaining three days and rela$ in bed. 0ubilant, Gawain again declares himself the servant of the
lord, ready to do his bidding. The lord decides that the ne$t day, Gawain will stay in bed until
attending high mass and dinner with the lady of the castle+ in the meantime, the lord himself will rise
at dawn to go hunting. )e suggests one more thing1 whatever he wins in the forest tomorrow will be
given to Gawain, and in e$change, whatever Gawain wins in the castle during the day he must give
to the lord. Gawain agrees to this bargain, and the lord calls for more wine and revelry to celebrate
their game.
.art Three covers the three days before Gawain must leave the lord"s castle to meet the Green
Knight on ew !ear"s 7ay. 3n the first day, as planned, the lord arises early to go hunting. The poet
describes in detail the hunting party as it moves through the winter forest, hounds and blaring horns
in hot pursuit of deer. Then, almost drastically, the scene switches to the interior of the castle, to
Gawain"s bedroom where the slumbering knight is approached by the lovely lady of the castle.
A careful dialogue follows between Gawain and the lady, where he delicately and diplomatically
evades and parries her se$ual advances. As she is about to leave him, she asks for a kiss, and
Gawain, as befits the chivalrous knight, grants her that. The rest of the day Gawain spends at mass
and then in the company of the two ladies of the castle.
'n the meantime, the lord"s hunting party has slaughtered a great number of deer by sunset, and
they then begin the meticulous process of cutting and dividing the bodies of the game. 3nce this is
done, they return home and Gawain commends the lord for his fine hunting. As promised, the lord
gives the game to Gawain and Gawain, in e$change, gives the lord a sweet kiss he received that day,
but refuses to reveal who it was won from, claiming that it was not part of the agreement. The two
men revel for the rest of the evening and agree to continue their contract, by e$changing their
winnings of the ne$t day.
The second day begins with the hunting party on the trail of an huge and vicious boar. -eanwhile,
Gawain welcomes the lady as she enters his bedchamber, as dogged as ever in her pursuit of him.
-ore flirtatious conversation ensues1 she reprimands him for forgetting to kiss her and alludes to his
reputation in #ourtly 5ove and asks to be taught. 'n the end, Gawain evades the lady"s amorous
intentions, with only two kisses being e$changed. 3utside, the hunt of the boar continues viciously,
and the lord wins the battle by thrusting his sword into the boar"s heart. Another complicated
process divides the body of the boar, and the triumphant hunting party returns to the castle. Again,
Gawain and the lord are /oyously reunited+ /ust as the lord gives the boar to Gawain, the younger
knight bestows two kisses on him. The lady continues to dote adoringly on Gawain, and the lord
convinces Gawain to stay a third day, with the same contract of e$changing winnings.
The final day of the game dawns with a description of its brilliant, wintry beauty, and the hunting
dogs fall on the trail of a cunning fo$. 'nside the castle, the lady enters Gawain"s bedchamber while
wearing a lovely and very revealing gown. She wakes him from his sorrowful slumber, as he dreads
the impending day of doom at the Green #hapel. Gawain again escapes her advances but the lady
offers a token of remembrance1 a valuable ring of gold, which he kindly refuses. The lady then offers
him a green silk tunic which can protect the wearer from death. Aware of his impending meeting with
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the Green Knight, Gawain accepts the girdle, which the lady begs him to keep secret. After receiving
a third kiss from her that morning, Gawain dresses, confesses his sins to a priest in preparation for
his challenge the ne$t day, and then spends the rest of the day in utter merriment. -eanwhile, after
much dogged pursuit, the lord triumphantly captures the sly fo$, and gives it to Gawain that night in
the castle, in e$change for three kisses. Gawain does not reveal anything about the green girdle, and
the lord assigns a servant to guide Gawain to the Green #hapel the ne$t morning. )eavy(hearted,
Gawain bids farewell to the people of the castle, all of whom are sad to see him go. That night,
Gawain has trouble sleeping for fear of the ne$t day"s events.
The final, dreaded day opens ominously with a fierce winter storm that keeps Gawain up at night.
Before dawn on ew !ear"s 7ay, the knight is awake and getting dressed, garbing himself in rich,
be/eweled clothes (( most importantly the green girdle which the lady had given him. &ith the
servant accompanying him, Gawain leaves the castle and travels through a somber, snow(covered
landscape. The servant begs Gawain to reconsider his mission and run from the Green Knight, who is
a horrible, cruel monster1 huge, merciless, someone who kills for pure /oy. But Gawain refuses to
run, as that would prove himself a cowardly knight. 8esigned, the servant leaves Gawain, and the
knight continues alone to the Green #hapel. Gawain marvels at the deserted ugliness of the place,
fearing that he might encounter the 7evil himself in such a place.
Suddenly, Gawain hears the sound of a blade being sharpened on a grindstone, and meets the
terrifying Green Knight, who bears a monstrous a$e. )e welcomes Gawain, praising him for
maintaining his part of the agreement and the horrified Gawain e$poses his neck to receive the
e$change blow. But at the last moment, he flinches from the a$e, and the Green Knight stops to yell
at the cowardly Gawain. The second attempt stops short as well, enraging Gawain. 3n the third
stroke, the Green Knight splits the skin on Gawain"s neck but that is all the in/ury done. The Green
Knight e$plains to the wondrous Gawain what has /ust happened1 the Green Knight is the lord of the
castle, and the two feinted a$ strokes represent the first two days of the game, when Gawain
faithfully gave everything he won that day to the King. But that third day, Gawain did conceal the
green sash from the King and as a result is punished by the slight scrape on his neck. The lord
reveals that he arranged his wife"s advances upon Gawain, but having seen the result, he is
convinced that Gawain is the finest man alive, his only failure stemming understandably from his
love of life. But Gawain is harsher on himself, cursing his cowardice and covetousness and re/ecting
the green sash which made him guilty.
The Green Knight urges Gawain to keep the sash as a token of their struggle and invites him back to
the castle to celebrate the ew !ear. Gawain declines and considers the dangerous wiles of women .
)e agrees to keep the girdle to remind himself of the 9fault and frailty of the foolish flesh.9 The
Green Knight reveals himself to be Bertilak de )autdesert, servant to the sorceress -organ le 2ay. 't
was -organ who engineered the entire game, sending Bertilak down to #amelot so that Guinevere
would be shocked to death by the staged beheading. 'n fact, -organ was the ancient noble lady at
)autdesert castle and is the scheming half(sister to Arthur, the king"s traditional nemesis. A
disillusioned Gawain returns to #amelot, where is greeted with much cheering and /oy from Arthur,
Guinevere, and the others. )e recounts his entire adventure, but is ashamed when he tells of his
ultimate failing as a result of the green girdle. evertheless, Arthur and the courtiers, unaware of
Gawain"s shame, adopt the green girdle as a heraldic token in honor of Gawain. 2rom there, the poet
concludes in much the same way he opened the poem, praising Arthur, moving back through Brutus
to the siege of Troy. The final two lines implore 0esus #hrist for bliss.
About Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The -anuscript1 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight e$ists in only one original manuscript, as the last
of four poems in the -S. #otton ero A $. dating no later than :;<<. The three poems preceding it
are .earl, .urity, and .atience, and all four are generally considered to have been written by the
same anonymous poet, /udging from similarities in style, dialect, and theme. The poems are also
illustrated with crude drawings+ in the case of Gawain, the illustrations show the various characters
of the poem but are not necessarily in keeping with the poem"s description of the characters. &e
have no further evidence of when or where the manuscript was written, although most scholars
believe that the dialect indicates an origin in the northwest -idlands of ,ngland. The earliest record
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of this manuscript is in the catalogue of an si$teenth(century lord in !orkshire, but we do not know
how it got there, or how it fell into the hands of Sir 8obert #otton, after whom the manuscript has
now been named.
ote on poetic meter1 Gawain is typical of -iddle ,nglish alliterative poems in that it is written in
alliterative long lines, following the basic metrical principles of 3ld ,nglish verse. ,ach long line
consists of two half(lines, each half with two stressed syllables and a varying number of unstressed
syllables. -ost importantly, the two half lines are connected by alliteration = that is, repetition of the
same consonant sound on at least two, often three, of the stressed syllables. 2or e$ample, the poem
begins1 9Sithen the sege and the assaut was sesed at Troye9 >line :?, with the 9s9 sound recurring
five times within the single long line. The long lines do not rhyme with each other. )owever, they are
organi6ed in stan6as of fifteen to twenty(five lines, and each stan6a concludes with a construction
known as a 9bob and wheel.9 This term refers to a group of five short lines, which do rhyme, to the
pattern of ababa. 'f you are not reading Gawain in the original -iddle ,nglish, the poetic structure
may not be maintained in the translation. Some modern ,nglish translations keep the rhyme and
meter strictly+ others are only prose translations.
Character List
Sir Gawain
The protagonist of the poem, Sir Gawain is the central figure whose fundamental character change
forms the focus of the work. At the start of the poem he is an eager, optimistic, and loyal knight who
undertakes the Green Knight"s challenge to protect Arthur and preserve the reputation of #amelot.
By the end, he has come to *uestion the viability of the chivalric code and reali6e the weakness in his
own human nature. @ltimately, it is his instinctive fear of mortality which comes in conflict the
societal values he has learned and it is this conflict which leaves Gawain feeling troubled at the
poem"s close.
By all societal standards, Gawain is seen as the epitome of chivalry, as illustrated by his deferential
speech to Arthur when he accepts the Green Knight"s challenge1 9-y life would be least missed, A if
we let out the truth. A 3nly as you are my uncle have ' any honor, A 2or e$cepting your blood, ' bear
in my body slight virtue9 >Gardner ll.BBB(C?. )ere he demonstrates the chivalric values of selfless
loyalty to one"s king and one"s relative, and it is this strong sense of chivalry that serves as the
catalyst for Gawain"s adventure. #entral to our understanding of Gawain"s character is his shield,
marked on the inner side by the image of the 4irgin and on the other by the .entangle. The
.entangle represents the five ways in which Gawain is seen as a flawless character who embodies
2ranchise, 2ellowship, #leanness, #ourtesy, and #harity1 95ike purified gold, Sir Gawain was known
for his goodness, A All dross refined away, adorned with virtues9 >Gardner ll. DE;(B?. And the image
of the 4irgin on the inside signifies the religious faith which Gawain uses as his inner protection.
'ndeed, much of Gawain"s virtue rests in his religious piety, from which he gains the strength to
endure his ordeals. As he wanders through a desolate &aste 5and, Gawain is the 9servant of God9
and finds his strength in talking to God >ll. DFG(C::?. 3n the brink of despair, Gawain beseeches the
4irgin -ary to guide him, and almost immediately stumbles upon the castle of Bertilak. 'n 2itt ''',
Gawain draws upon his #hristian faith and chivalric loyalty to Bertilak to counter the se$ual advances
of 5ady Bertilak1 9And all that passed between them was music and bliss and delight.AHBut the
danger might have been great A )ad -ary not watched her knightI9 >Gardner ll.:CDD(C<? )is human
se$ual desire, coupled with the chivalric sense of duty to a lady, are formidable adversaries to his
religious faith and chivalric loyalty to the lord but ultimately, it is his human fear of death that
defeats his chivalric values when Gawain decides to keep the green girdle.
This failure is certainly understandable from a human perspective, and the Green Knight pardons
Gawain after wounding him in an e$change stroke. But Gawain himself, so tied to a sense of chivalry
and morality, dwells upon his moral failing. )e at first blames the wily -organ le 2ay and 5ady
Bertilak in an une$pected misogynistic outburst >ll. G;<C(G;GJ?, but ultimately can only come to
blame himself his cowardice and covetousness (( for his failure. By the end, the e$perience has
shattered Gawain"s faith in himself and in a society which cannot see his moral failure. 'n this way,
the poet uses Gawain"s character to subtly *uestion the validity of societal and chivalric values, and
to *uestion the strength of human nature when compared to the infallibility of Godliness.
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The Green Knight/Bertilak de Hautdesert
As the other title character, the Green Knight functions mainly as a static foil to the dynamic
character of Gawain. &e see him in two different guises1 first as the Green Knight who bursts into
Arthur"s court to issue a beheading challenge, and secondly as the generous, noble, though
somewhat mischievous lord who hosts Gawain in the days before the ew !ear. 't is not until 2itt '4,
after the e$change stroke has been given, that we reali6e the Green Knight and the lord are one and
the same. Thus, the character is shrouded in mystery and we know no more about him than the
baffled Gawain does.
As the Green Knight, he represents an 3therworldly, natural force intruding into the refined circle of
#amelot. )is green color, enormous si6e, and apparent immortality indicate his 3therworldliness+ he
seems allied with ature in all its furious, regenerative grandeur. -any critics here point out out his
resemblance to the Green -an of #elticA,nglish legend, and certainly the Green Knight can be seen
as a symbol of the fertility and magnitude of ature, as opposed to Society. )e mocks the reputation
of Arthur"s court, and in this sense can also be seen in opposition to the artificial constructions of
society, its values, and its pretensions. 'n 2itt '4, he is very much the same figure, superhuman,
supercilious, yet respectful of true courage. 'n this guise, the Green Knight is always a figure of awe
and fear, clearly operating above the constructions and restrictions of the human world.
As Bertilak, he is not *uite so formidable and easily fits the role of the generous, civili6ed host who
treats Gawain with the respect befitting his reputation. )owever, he proposes an unusual pact to
e$change each day"s winnings with Gawain, and seems nonchalantly aware of the attraction between
Gawain and his own wife. Again, there is the sense that the lord is operating above and beyond the
rules of Gawain"s world. This is all *uite subtle, though, and is not fully reali6ed until 2itt '4. 'n the
hunting scenes, the vigorous Bertilak seems to function with an innate connection to the natural
world, perhaps suggesting his true identity as the primal, visceral Green Knight.
Lady Bertilak
The only other character with a ma/or role, 5ady Bertilak"s motives seem all too clear until the
surprising e$planation in 2itt '4 that all her advances have been staged. A static character, she
serves as a temptation for Gawain to break his chivalric duty to 5ord Bertilak and his #hristian duty
to uphold his moral purity. And yet, she approaches him in such a way that challenges Gawain"s
chivalric sense of courtly love1 would he not be dishonoring a noble lady by re/ecting her re*uests for
passion= The dialogue between Gawain and 5ady Bertilak in these bedroom scenes is a fascinating
study of careful diplomatic arguments around and about the topic of courtly love and chivalry. 'n a
sense, 5ady Bertilak triumphs by giving Gawain the green girdle which he does not relin*uish to her
husband. )owever, it is his fear of death more than his covetousness or his sense of chivalry that
causes him to hide the girdle. And yet, at the end it is revealed that 5ord and 5ady Bertilak have
been conspiring with each other to outwit Gawain in this game. Thus, /ust as Bertilak pursued beasts
relentlessly in the hunting scenes, 5ady Bertilak pursued Gawain relentlessly in the bedroom, pushing
him to the limit of his moral capacity.
King Arthur
Arthur plays a small role in the poem, functioning primarily as the figurehead of #amelot, the
epitome of chivalric society. )owever, the author does not perhaps portray Arthur in a thoroughly
positive light. 'n 2itt ', the author suggests that the young Arthur, while gentle and noble, may
perhaps be too immature in his need for entertaining adventures and marvels. )e accepts the Green
Knight"s challenge only to protect the name of #amelot, when no one else volunteers+ he lightly
passes over Gawain"s new, forbidding mission by turning to revelry at the end of 2itt '+ and at the
end of the poem he honors Gawain for his bravery without detecting the knight"s moral unease. 7oes
Arthur take these matters seriously enough= And if not, what does this say about the validity of his
courtly society and its views toward serious moral issues=
Guinevere
,ssentially a bit player in the poem, Guinevere, Arthur"s *ueen, functions as the epitome of feminine
courtliness. 'n 2itt ', she is the richly garbed vision of beauty+ the author later describes 5ady
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Bertilak as lovelier even than Guinevere to emphasi6e her entrancing beauty. At the poem"s end, she
too, is /ust as unaware as Arthur of Gawain"s moral crisis. .erhaps we can see her as a symbol of the
superficiality of courtly society.
ld Lady !"organ le #ay$
A rather strange character, she is the elderly noble lady in Bertilak"s castle who befriends Gawain.
)ideously ugly, she serves to emphasi6e 5ady Bertilak"s beauty while also demonstrating Gawain"s
virtue and courtesy toward even unattractive ladies. evertheless, Bertilak in 2itt '4 reveals her to be
the scheming -organ le 2ay, Arthur"s /ealous half(sister and traditional nemesis who engineered the
entire beheading game so that Guinevere would be shocked to death. This sort of e$planation often
comes off as unsatisfactory and artificial to readers, and many view it as a cheap tack(on to an
otherwise gripping and emotionally genuine story.
Gawain%s guide to the Green Cha&el
This servant is assigned by Bertilak to guide Gawain to the Green #hapel on ew !ear"s 7ay. Though
he only figures in a few stan6as at the end of 2itt ''' and the start of 2itt '4, he nevertheless serves
two functions1 :? to again emphasi6e the respect that is shown to the highly(esteemed Gawain, and
more importantly, G? to heighten the sense of fear that the Green Knight incites. )is descriptions of
the Green Knight are truly terrifying and allow us to feel the fear that Gawain is e$periencing and the
threat to his mortality.
"a'or Themes
(ature vs) Human Society
This is the central conflict which Gawain must deal with in his *uest. )e is forced to confront the
forces of ature both e$ternal and internal (( in the form of the Green Knight, the winter landscape,
his own se$ual desire, and ultimately, his own fear of death. Throughout, Gawain counters this with
his own faith in God and in chivalric values. But in the end his natural fear of death overcomes his
sense of human morality, causing him to accept the green girdle. And when Gawain returns to
human society at the end of the poem, it is with a sense of unease, having reali6ed the power of
ature in comparison to his human beliefs. Throughout the poem, we see natural settings and
impulses constantly opposed to those of human society and civility. And while humans shy away from
their inevitable death, it is ature which can continue to restore and regenerate itself, as seen in the
indestructible Green Knight and the passing and resurrection of the year.
The #utility o* Human Constructions
The poem is full of detailed descriptions of human constructs, like armor, clothing, food, architecture,
even the cutting of hunted deer. There is a ritualistic, overly technical sense to these descriptions,
where the poet seems to be hinting at the superficiality of these human constructs and *uestioning
their purpose. 2or e$ample, the concept of #ourtly 5ove is one such elaborate human construction,
but in 2itt ''', it is essentially parodied in the conversations between Gawain and 5ady Bertilak. And
Gawain"s sumptuous armor, no matter how well(forged or polished, will be of little use to him when
he receives the e$change stroke from the Green Knight. 'n comparison to the powerful descriptions
of natural forces, these human constructions appear silly, e$cessive, and ultimately futile.
The +iability o* Chivalric +alues
.erhaps the most significant of these human constructions is chivalric code which forms such an
essential part of medieval literature and of Gawain"s belief system. Gawain is the very embodiment of
chivalric values, yet his encounter with the seductive 5ady Bertilak forces a crisis in the chivalric
value system1 should he honor the re*uests of the noble lady or remain faithful to his lord= @pon his
return to #amelot, King Arthur does not even detect the moral crisis within Gawain. And most
une$pectedly, the 9test9 of Gawain"s chivalric values have been in fact a game engineered by -organ
le 2ay for a less(than(noble purpose. 7isillusioned, the once(idealistic Gawain finds that the code of
chivalry which once formed his moral core has now been shaken.
#aith in God
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'n contrast to the *uestionable nature of the chivalric code, the poet upholds #hristian faith as the
ultimate, saving grace for humanity. ,ver pious, Gawain continuously finds guidance in God1 from the
image of the 4irgin -ary on the inside of his shield to his prayers while /ourneying alone, to his
narrow escape from the adulterous temptations of 5ady Bertilak. 't is, in a sense, faith in God which
enables mankind to negotiate between the dangers of human society and the dangers of the natural
world. To affirm this, the poem concludes with a supplication to 0esus #hrist, the Savior.
Celtic ,agan Sources and Christian overlay
7espite its #hristian message, the poem has strong roots in #eltic pagan myth. There are many
elements common to pre(#hristian #eltic mythology, such as the waiting period of twelve months
and a day, the Beheading Game, and the Temptation Game. The Green Knight himself is a strongly
pagan character, similar to the Green -an or &ild -an of the &oods who symboli6es fertility in
folklore. Gawain"s /ourney can even be seen as the hero"s archetypical encounter with the
3therworld, an essential theme in pagan belief. The .entangle is often a pagan symbol+ thus Gawain"
s shield, with the .entangle on one side and the 4irgin -ary on the other, comes to represent the
dual paganA#hristian nature of the poem.
-uestioning the .omance
The poem contains many conventions of the medieval romance tradition, but in many ways it does
not celebrate the genre. -any elements verge on parody+ others seem deliberately e$cessive. The
conversation between the seductive 5ady Bertilak and the diplomatic Gawain satiri6es the language
of #ourtly 5ove, the descriptions of armor and clothing can be over(the(top, and the poem does not
conclude with the resolution of the typical romance. 'nstead, there is a sense of unease, as the poet
concludes what seems to be a subtle *uestioning of the romance genre.
The #all o* "an and Loss o* /nnocence
Biblical parallels can be found in the appearance of Bertilak"s castle >.aradise? and the role of his wife
as temptress >,ve?. Accordingly, Gawain loses his moral innocence when his value system is
shattered by the end of the poem. Such an allegory emphasi6es once more the poet"s #hristian
message, and the relationship between mankind and the divine.
Summary and Analysis o* #itt /
2itt ' Summary1
The poem begins with a lengthy description which establishes the setting firmly in Arthurian Britain.
The writer traces the history of Britain from the Tro/an &ar, the founding of 8ome by Aeneas, and
through to the eventual founding of Britain by the legendary 2eli$ Brutus. Britain is a land of great
wonders and strife, but King Arthur has established a court of utmost nobility and chivalry, peopled
with the bravest knights and fairest ladies. The poet will now proceed to relate a particularly
e$traordinary episode from King Arthur"s court, which begins at a lavish ew !ear"s celebration in
#amelot.
A rich description of the celebration follows, where the poet carefully conveys lu$urious details of
decoration and attire. There is the incomparably beautiful %ueen Guinevere, Arthur himself, and
seated in honor around them, various noble knights and relatives of Arthur, including Sir Gawain . &e
learn that Arthur does not like to begin his feasts until he has heard a great tale or witnessed a great
marvel. 'ndeed, in the midst of the feasting, a wondrous stranger bursts into the hall. The stranger is
most remarkable because he is entirely green, and the poet devotes nearly :<< lines to a meticulous
description of his appearance.
Giant(like with an enormous green beard, the stranger nevertheless carries an air of handsome
civility, wearing sumptuous green and gold clothes and armor. )is horse is e*ually decked in ornate
green, and the knight himself holds a branch of holly in one hand and a formidable battle(a$e in the
other. )e demands, somewhat arrogantly, to speak to the ruler of the company, while the court
stares on in stunned silence. &hen Arthur finally speaks, the stranger e$plains that he has come to
Page n 7 / 20
this famously valiant court to play a #hristmas game. &hoever agrees to play this game will be
allowed to strike the Green Knight on the spot, in the middle of the court+ in e$change, the Green
Knight will strike a return blow upon the volunteer a year and a day hence. one of the court
volunteers as the game seems to imply certain death for whomever plays+ the stranger ridicules
them all for #amelot"s supposed bravery. ,ventually Arthur agrees to play the game, but as he is
about to wield the great battle(a$e, Gawain speaks. 'n polite and self(effacing language, Gawain
begs to take up the boon instead, so the life of the king can be spared in place of a knight as weak
and lowly as he. The court agrees to let Gawain play, and after restating the terms of the agreement
to each other, the stranger gives the battle(a$e to Gawain, then e$poses his neck for the blow.
Gawain cleaves off the stranger"s head in one blow, but the stranger does not die, despite the
abundant bloodshed. 'n fact, the body of the Green Knight picks up the severed head, which then
addresses Gawain. The stranger charges Gawain to meet him at the Green #hapel ne$t ew !ear"s
morning, so that he may receive his e$change blow.
After the stranger leaves, Arthur urges Guinevere to continue reveling, while he tells Gawain to hang
up the stranger"s battle(a$e and forget about his new mission for the time being . The ew !ear"s
feast continues unaffected, but the poet ends the fitt by foreshadowing the dangerous adventures
Gawain must face.
2itt ' Analysis1
The conventions of the romance genre1 Gawain appears to fit neatly into the genre of the medieval
romance, a 2rench poetic form which had great influence in ,ngland beginning in the middle of the
twelfth century. The romance has several characteristics1 a celebration of warrior society, a setting
amidst the feudal nobility, close attention to details of pageantry, and most importantly an
emphasis on the chivalric concept of courtly love. This last idea hinged on the relationship between
the ideal hero the knight errant and the noble woman he loves. )owever, in the aristocratic society
of chivalry, the most supreme kind of courtly love was for an unattainable woman, often the *ueen of
a knight"s lord. A knight"s love for this lady would inspire him to braver deeds, /ust as, in the
traditional Arthurian material, Sir 5ancelot was driven to great accomplishments by his love for
%ueen Guinevere Thus, in a larger sense, the code of chivalry focused on the protection of the weak
and fair elements of society by the loyal, self(sacrificing knight. But it also included a knight"s fidelity
to his court and king, and his respect for other warriors and the rules of combat.
't is important to consider Gawain in light of the conventions of the romance genre. All the
characteristics of the romance are present, however, closer e$amination suggests a *uestioning of
the values of chivalry and the typical romance. 7oes the poet really support these values, even when
he writes in the style of the romance= 's there a not a greater irony to his description of conventional
romance elements, or to the way the events unfold in the poem= 8emember the poem was written
sometime in the fourteenth century, at a time when the romance genre was already a dying form.
Thus, the poet, while not e$actly satiri6ing the romance, could certainly be e$pressing his doubts
about the values and social institution of the chivalric court by playing within the bounds of the
romance genre.
2itt ' and the 8omance Genre1 2rom the very beginning, 2itt ' corresponds with e$pected
conventions of the romance genre. Among these is the opening e$position which establishes the
historical setting via a list of previous battles and legendary heroes. -any other romances and epics
>another popular genre of the time? began this way, establishing a link with the legendary past and
thereby legitimi6ing the unfolding content of the current narrative. &hen the poet focuses upon
Arthur"s court, this too is a romantic convention, for Arthur and his knights were already a popular
topic of romances, serving as the ideal of chivalric loyalty and valor. Again, it is no surprise that the
scene unfolds at a great ew !ear"s feast, another romantic convention, for this provides the poet
with a chance to display the chivalric society at its greatest and most vibrant. otice how he
describes Arthur and his knights in superlatives, as the most famous knights in #hristendom and the
handsomest of kings. Superlative mention is also made of %ueen Guinevere, her beauty and nobility,
with particular attention paid to the details of her dress and accoutrements. 2inally, the poet
emphasi6es Arthur"s wish for a great wonder or tale to entertain him at the feast, again an
affirmation of the typical view of #amelot as a place of adventure and unparalleled bravery. 'n all
these elements the historical opening, the Arthurian setting, the opulent feast, the superlative
Page n 8 / 20
portrayal of Guinevere, the lavish attention to detail, and Arthur"s desire for adventure in all of
these, the poet acts clearly within the convention of the romance.
But perhaps it is not so simple, for as we have noted earlier, the poet seems to be *uestioning the
values of the chivalric romance at the same time he uses the conventions. The historical opening
hints at the darker side of British history, writing that war, misery and distress, have alternated with
prosperity since the founding of Britain. Already, this is no glorifying portrayal of military values.
Also, the superlative description of #amelot verges on the e$cessive. A poet this skilled in description
would surely be able to e$alt Arthur and his court in a less simplistic manner. But lines ED(;< are so
unsophisticated in their utmost praise of #amelot that we cannot help but *uestion the poet"s
genuine belief in its glory. #ertainly this supposed 9greatness9 of #amelot is something we will want
to consider at the end of the poem, when Gawain has returned to Arthur after his momentous
adventure.
'n similar ways, the poet"s description of the lavishness and merriment at the ew !ear"s feast
suggests a certain decadence in Arthur"s court. The description of Guinevere thus far is in keeping
with romantic conventions of the e$alted noble woman, but these portrayals of women will continue
to evolve throughout the poem, calling into *uestion the concept of courtly love. -eanwhile, in 5ine
JD the poet describes Arthur as restless, youthfully light(hearted and rather boyish >9so /oly of his
/oyfnes, and sum*uat childgered9?. &hile this is certainly a young, attractive King Arthur, in the
springtime of life, we get the sense that this Arthur is also somewhat immature, demanding great
wonders as an entertainment before his feast, and not as events with serious outcomes and
implications. Again, we should consider this at the end of the poem, when Arthur and the court react
to the result of Gawain"s *uest.
2or the meantime, 2itt ' continues with more subtly ambiguous treatment of romantic conventions.
#onsiderable detail is lavished on the stranger"s physical appearance, down to the ornamental knots
in the mane of his horse. &hen the stranger speaks, his half(mocking tone provides another chance
to critici6e the chivalric court. And surely, the initial silence of the court affirms his censure of
#amelot"s cowardice, despite its reputation of valor. Arthur responds nobly to the challenge, but the
poet describes the wary king in not(so(flattering terms, at least in comparison to the magnificent and
towering stranger. Gawain"s speech, while deferential and self(effacing, is perhaps too deferential,
perhaps hiding a criticism of the other cowardly court members as he begrudgingly accepts the
challenge for his king= The repeated terms of agreement between the Green Knight and Gawain
serve to reinforce the chivalric code of respect for the rules of combat. !et for all their seriousness,
Arthur at the end of the fitt lightly ignores the implications of Gawain"s mission, urging for more
revelry and suggesting again, the immature and decadent #amelot of this complicated romance. As
the poem progresses and Gawain moves from #amelot to other settings, it will be important to view
other romantic conventions as they appear and consider their commentary on the values of chivalry.
5inks with #eltic mythology1 Another way to view Gawain is to consider its relationship with #eltic
mythology, something fre*uently present in Arthurian material. The #elts, the people who lived in the
British 'sles prior to the arrival of the 8omans and the Anglo(Sa$ons, had a strong body of pagan
belief, ritual practices, and stories surrounding those beliefs and practices. -any of the characters in
these myths were gods and goddesses+ many of their ritual practices and beliefs echoed motifs in
their myths. As the -iddle Ages progressed and #hristianity grew more dominant, these motifs and
characters were often preserved in the folklore and literature of the British 'sles. Arthurian material
is particularly notable for its ties to #eltic myth, for many of the characters and events in these
stories resemble gods and motifs in the older myths. 'n Gawain, there is a constant sense of the
#eltic, pagan cosmology underlying the events with the Green Knight and Gawain"s *uest. As the
poem progresses, this becomes especially complicated when set against the obvious #hristianity in
the story1 #hristian belief and pagan ritual mingle in intricate ways in Gawain.
2itt ' and #eltic mythology1 'n 2itt ', this link with #eltic belief is most noticeable in two ways1 in the
#hristmasAew !ears setting of the scene and in the figure of the Green Knight. #eltic pagan belief
considered the year to be an important cycle in both the human and natural worlds. The #elts
designated a certain time of year as the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one. At this
9limbo9 time of year, strange, supernatural events were likely to happen and the human world was
likely to come in contact with the 3therworld of mystical beings. At the same time, though, the year
was made new and revelry often took place to celebrate the new year and release the e$cess of
Page n 9 / 20
spiritual energy. Traditionally, this designated time of year took place around ovember : for the
#elts, and was known as Samhain. )owever, with the influence of #hristianity and more #ontinental
beliefs, this limbo time was moved to the period between #hristmas and ew !ear"s day.
Gawain corresponds with this pattern, with the strange Green Knight bursting in upon King Arthur"s
court on ew !ear"s day. 'n this way, he can be seen as an 3therworldly visitor to the human world,
as a strange, unaccountable force of nature entering #amelot, the epitome of civili6ed society. The
bi6arre beheading game has been seen to represent the ritual slaying and renewal of the year. There
are in fact direct parallels between the beheading game in Gawain and an eighth(century 'rish myth,
9Bricriu"s 2east.9 'n this tale, the #eltic hero #uchulainn must behead an 3therworldly figure at a
feast, with similar conse*uences the apparent immortality of the other figure and the challenge for
an e$change stroke a year later. 'n both cases, the Beheading Game has a ritual, pagan significance,
suggesting the regenerative *uality of ature and the turning of the year.
'n Gawain, the Green Knight in fact designates the following ew !ear"s day as the date for the
e$change blow, thus emphasi6ing the significance of the year as a cycle of time. And renewal and
regeneration are certainly implicit in the Green Knight"s immortality, since the beheading has no
effect on him. Another clue to his 3therworldly nature would be his green color. Green, as the
dominant color in nature, here suggests the natural cycle of rebirth and renewal that is so essential
to the concept of the year and, as well, to the character of the Green Knight.
Symbols in 2itt '1 The Green Knight himself thus serves as an important symbol in the story. &e have
already established that he personifies the renewable, indestructible forces of nature, entering
human society on ew !ear"s 7ay. But his description merits a closer look, for the poet does not
portray him solely as a figure of terror and foreignness. 'n fact, the Green Knight is a mi$ture of the
familiar >the civil? and the foreign >the raw?. )e is opulently dressed and clearly noble, yet his green
color and sheer si6e indicate he is not entirely of this world. Thus, the Green Knight functions as a
liminal figure, mediating between the civili6ed world of chivalry and the unknown world of nature. As
we will see later on, he not only signifies the ritual renewal of the natural cycle, but also calls into
*uestion the civili6ed structure of chivalric and #hristian values which confront Gawain.
Several specific traits of the Green Knight should be noted in this light. 2irst, he bears in one of his
hands a branch of holly and in another a cruel battle(a$e. This clearly symboli6es his dual function.
3n one level it indicates his civili6ed wish for peace, offset by his potential for destruction. 3n
another level, it symboli6es his understanding of the rules of society, despite his innate link with the
natural world.
&e should also note the recurring colors of green and gold in the description of the Green Knight.
Similar to the battle(a$e and holly, the green obviously indicates his raw, natural character, yet the
gold implies something different. Gold is, after all, often associated with wealth, royalty, and the
ultimate level of society. 'n medieval times, it was seen as the desired end product of the meticulous
process of alchemy, the final possible attainment for human beings. Thus, the gold here brings a
note of civility and social greatness to the figure of the Green Knight, in addition to his 3therworldly
nature. As the poem progresses, green and gold will continue to take on a greater significance,
especially in relation to the character of Gawain himself.
2itt '' Summary1
The second part of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight opens with a lush, detailed description of ature
and the passing of the year. After the #hristmas feast and the Green Knight"s challenge, the winter
passes into a fair, green springtime and then a rich, /oyful summer. But eventually harvest season
approaches, the leaves fall, 9and so the year descends into yesterdays, A And winter returns again as
the world re*uires9 >Gardner ll. BE<(:?. At this point of the year, Gawain remembers his agreement
with the Green Knight and so, at a -ichaelmas feast, sadly bids farewell to Arthur"s court. Although
Gawain pretends not to be bothered by the upcoming %uest, all the lords and ladies are silently
sorrowful that a knight as worthy as Gawain must go to his doom by receiving the e$change blow
from the Green Knight.
Page n 10 / 20
The ne$t few stan6as are dedicated to a meticulous description of Gawain as he dons his ornate
armor the ne$t morning. Both he and his horse Gringolet are richly attired1 Gawain"s helmet, for
e$ample, has a priceless veil embroidered with parrots and turtledoves, and above that he wears a
diamond(studded crown. But most important of all is his shield, which bears the emblem of the
.entangle, the five(pointed star. The poet pays particular attention to the .entangle, the emblem of
truth, known everywhere as 9the endless knot.9 't is particularly suitable for Gawain because the five
points of the star represent the five different ways in which Gawain, like purified gold, embodies
faultless virtue. These five ways are in themselves five groups of five1 :? he is perfect in the five
senses+ G? his five fingers are unfailing+ E? his faith is fi$ed firmly on the five wounds which #hrist
received on the cross+ ;? he draws his strength from the five /oys -ary had through 0esus+ and B? he
embodies, better than any other living man, the five virtues. These virtues are 2ranchise, 2ellowship,
#leanness, #ourtesy, and above all, #harity.
3n the inside of his shield is an image of the 4irgin -ary, to which Gawain would look as a source of
courage.
3nce armed with his shield, Gawain rides away from #amelot, the court mourning that such a young,
faultless knight should sacrifice his life as a result of a silly #hristmas game. Gawain rides for months
through a rough, unfriendly, and godless land. 3ften alone, Gawain has no friends but his horse and
talks to no one but God. And no one he encounters knows of the Green Knight or the Green #hapel.
Gawain battles with beasts and giants in his travels and struggles through a harsh, cold country
which would have killed a weaker or more faithless man. 3n #hristmas ,ve, after toiling through a
daunting wood, Gawain beseeches the 5ord and -ary to guide him to some haven where he may
attend mass and properly pray on #hristmas morning. Almost immediately, Gawain stumbles upon a
moated fortress, a beautiful castle with strong defences and intricate architectural flourishes. Awed
and grateful, Gawain asks the porter of the castle for entrance and is greeted by a great, /oyful, and
eager company. )e is welcomed by the lord of the castle, a massive, civili6ed, capable(looking man
who sees to it that Gawain receives the best of care. Gawain is dressed in lu$urious robes, and ((
looking as refreshed and radiant as the spring (( he is brought to a lavish table and fed the best of
wines and food. ,ventually, his company learns that he is none other than Sir Gawain of Arthur"s
court, and they are delighted to have such an honored personage in their presence, the embodiment
of good breeding and chivalry himself.
After dinner, the company attends the #hristmastide mass, where Gawain meets the lady of the
castle. She is incomparably beautiful, even lovelier than Guinevere, and she is accompanied by an
ancient noble lady, whose utter ugliness enhances her own beauty. Gawain is pleased to meet her,
and their companionship deepens the ne$t morning at the #hristmas 7ay feast. They are seated ne$t
to each other, while the ancient lady is given the highest seat, and the lord the ne$t highest. A third
day passes in revelry, and on the day of St. 0ohn, the guests of the castle leave to go home. Gawain
thanks the lord and declares himself his servant, but regrets that he must leave the ne$t morning to
continue his *uest. The lord, however, reveals that the Green #hapel is but two miles away, so
Gawain must stay for the remaining three days and rela$ in bed. 0ubilant, Gawain again declares
himself the servant of the lord, ready to do his bidding. The lord decides that the ne$t day, Gawain
will stay in bed until attending high mass and dinner with the lady of the castle+ in the meantime, the
lord himself will rise at dawn to go hunting. )e suggests one more thing1 whatever he wins in the
forest tomorrow will be given to Gawain, and in e$change, whatever Gawain wins in the castle during
the day he must give to the lord. Gawain agrees to this bargain, and the lord calls for more wine and
revelry to celebrate their game.
2itt '' Analysis1
7escription of ature1 The first two stan6as of 2itt '' are notable for their lovely description of ature
and the passing of the seasons. The poet portrays ature as an ever(changing world which sustains
the human world and yet is not affected it, always continuing forward in its yearly cycle. Thus, as
much as Gawain would like to avoid the impending meeting with the Green Knight, the year moves
forward ine$orably and the seasons push along to winter again1 9A year turns all too soon, and all
things change1 A The opening and the closing are seldom the same9 >Gardner ll. ;FF(B<<?. The
overall picture enhances the superior power of ature in its creative and destructive aspects through
springtime back to winter and the insignificance of human actions and emotions in comparison to
the natural world.
Page n 11 / 20
The ne$t description of ature emphasi6es this disparity even more, as the despondent Gawain, a
solitary human figure, traverses a great and desolate wasteland in search of the Green #hapel. 3n
his /ourney he encounters all the malevolent, destructive aspects of ature1 vicious beasts, cold rain,
wild forests, ragged moss, treacherous bogs. Again, ature is an overpowering world that belittles
the individual human. The one thing that saves Gawain from destruction is his faith in God, and in a
larger sense, it is only this religion which can guide and rescue the human from the dangerous
world around him. 2aith in God enables mankind to negotiate and survive the forces of ature, both
those natural forces outside and within him.
'mposing 2orm and 7econstructing the 8omance1 'n contrast to this wild, untamed world of ature,
the Gawain(poet also presents us with the seemingly ordered and carefully crafted world of human
society. &e have already glimpsed this world in 2itt ', as epitomi6ed by Arthur"s lavish court, but in
2itt '', the poet digresses into long, somewhat technical descriptions of Gawain"s armor, the
architecture of the mysterious castle, and lu$urious court within it. These detailed passages, with
their technical language and e$cessive description, create a sense of e$treme artifice in the human
world. The embroidered fabrics, the skillfully cooked fish, the intricately ornamented castle, the
e$pertly crafted armor these all stand in direct contrast to the ever(changing, primal world of
ature. 3n a larger level, these human constructions >armor, architecture, cuisine, etc? impose form
on the natural world. They are a means by which humans control their own sphere within the larger
world and establish a sense of order. By listing the technical details of these human productions, the
poet opposes society, order, craftsmanship, and artifice against unbridled nature, wildness, fertility,
and destructiveness.
But the Gawain(poet is not so simplistic in his portrayals of these two opposing worlds. )e does not
praise the civility of the human world over the wildness of ature. 'n fact, his representation of
human society is subtly complicated1 he seems to be implying that perhaps human society is not as
wonderful and ordered as it strives to be. 0ust as in 2itt ', with the descriptions of Arthur"s court, the
poet verges on the e$cessive. 's he merely glorifying the appearance of the castle, the armor, the
ban*uet(hall, or does he ask if this is perhaps too much, too lavish, too superficial= 'n all these
descriptions there is such an emphasis on e$ternalities and sensuality appearances, the te$ture of
the fabrics, the taste of the food that there seems to be a distancing from the spiritual. 'ndeed,
doesn"t Gawain appear to be closer to God when he toils alone through the forest than when he
revels at a royal feast=
'n *uestioning these constructions and forms, the poet eventually *uestions the romance genre
itself. As we pointed out in 2itt ', the conventions of the romance include such lavish descriptions of
feasts, armor, and clothing. But by subtly undermining these descriptions, perhaps the poet is
deconstructing the romance and its reason for creating such constructions. @ltimately, what is the
purpose of the romance genre1 is it merely another false construction, a product of human society
that eventually separates us from our spiritual selves and the natural world= The romance, like the
e$cessive feasts and armor of the poem, perhaps strive to impose form on nature but in a way that
only serves to confuse and superficiali6e the human soul.
#hivalric 4alues1 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is often noted for its complicated commentary on
chivalric values, one of the most important conventions of the medieval romance and of medieval
society. 'n 2itt '', we see Gawain as the idealistic knight, the very embodiment of chivalric values.
The poet writes1 95ike purified gold, Sir Gawain was known for his goodness, A All dross refined away,
adorned with virtuesA HA man still undefiled, A And of all knights most gentle.9 >Gardner ll. DGE(EF?
)ere we have the metaphor of gold which appeared in 2itt ' >see Symbols under Analysis for 2itt '?+
again, the allusion is to the medieval process of alchemy, in which gold was seen as the final, perfect
product of a long, refining process the metallic symbol of divine transcendence. &ith such a
metaphor, there is no *uestion here that the poet intends to portray Gawain as the ultimate paragon
of medieval virtue and chivalry. To emphasi6e this, he delves into a lengthy e$planation of the
pentangle on Gawain"s shield, stressing how Gawain possesses, better than any other man, all the
five points of #hristian and chivalric perfection. >See Symbols below.?
Gawain is also notable because he believes so fully in these societal values. 2or him, there is no
*uestion as to whether or not he should set off on this *uest, as unpleasant as it is. )e volunteered
to undertake the Green Knight"s challenge from his sense of chivalric duty. )e insists on keeping his
side of the bargain, again, as part of his chivalric duty. The poet makes clear that Gawain is guided
Page n 12 / 20
and protected entirely by his sense of morality, both #hristian and chivalric, which is symboli6ed by
the shield with #hristian and chivalric symbols on it.
But is this enough protection for one as idealistic as young Gawain= As the poem progresses into
2itts ''' and '4, Gawain will be confronted with numerous challenges to his strong moral idealism.
Thus far in 2itt '' he has survived the natural perils of his /ourney largely as a result of his own
#hristian piety. But eventually he will encounter perils that come from other members of society and
from within his own human nature. &ill his unerring moral sense be enough to protect him from
these more disguised forces= And are #hristian and chivalric perfection enough to make a man
whole= This ultimately is cru$ of the poem. Throughout, the writer *uestions the viability of societal
values when pitted against human nature and societal imperfection.
Through his e$cessive descriptions of lu$ury and revelry, the poet has already implied the
weaknesses and superficiality of human society. Gawain himself seems too perfect, too idealistic to
survive unscathed in the less(than(perfect human world.
The 2all of -an and the #astle as .aradise1 &hen describing this less(than(perfect human world,
medieval writers fre*uently would allude to the Biblical story of the 2all of -an. According to the
Bible, -an was intended by God to be a perfect creature, and the first man, Adam, originally lived in
an untouched .aradise >the Garden of ,den?, along with the first woman, ,ve. They lived in a state
of perfect, ignorant bliss, like children, and did not have to work to survive. But ,ve was eventually
tempted by Satan, became >se$ually? curious, and convinced Adam to eat the forbidden fruit from
the Tree of Knowledge. As punishment for their 3riginal Sin, they were thrown from .aradise to
earth, where mankind has since had to labor in order to survive. )ence, the 2all of -an, the ultimate
metaphor for the loss of human innocence.
!ou may wonder what this Biblical story has to do with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The poem
is certainly not an outright parallel, but there are many allusions and motifs. Gawain, like Adam and
,ve in the beginning, e$ists as a purely faultless creature, even ignorant in his idealism. .erhaps he,
too, will eventually lose his innocence and undergo a fall from the paradise of ignorant bliss. .aradise
is perhaps also symboli6ed in the poem by the shining image of the castle, towering over the dark
forest. -edieval literature and art was full of such images of .aradise+ often it appeared as an oasis,
a garden, or a castle amidst a threatening desert or wasteland. 'n Gawain, we clearly have this
medieval convention, but perhaps this castle as welcoming and as lu$urious as it first seems to
Gawain is not the bastion of moral virtue and perfection that the original ,den was. This castle is a
complicated symbol, for it appears to have all the trappings of a .aradise+ it appears to Gawain
immediately after he has prayed for salvation in the dark forest, and the descriptions of its
architecture emphasi6e its strength and impregnability. But as we will see, there is much more to this
castle and its inhabitants than simple appearances. And for Gawain, learning this lesson may be akin
to falling from his original moral perfection.
Symbols in 2itt ''1 'n the previous paragraphs, we have already e$plained the significance of the
castle as a symbol1 it seems to be the very symbol of salvation and .aradise for Gawain, harking
back to a medieval convention of castles as .aradise. But perhaps it is not as morally pefect as the
Biblical .aradise, and the e$cessive, technical descriptions of the castle"s superficialities seem to
imply this falseness.
3ne other symbol dominates 2itt '', and this may be the most important symbol in the poem1
Gawain"s two(sided shield. There are several things one can say about the shield. 3n one level it
functions as both his form of physical protection and as his symbol of moral protection. Gawain as a
character drives his strength from his belief in #hristian and chivalric values, and the shield is the
perfect representation of this, protecting him from physical dangers while serving as a reminder of
his spiritual and moral beliefs. The .entangle on the outside can be seen as a symbol of chivalric
values+ indeed the five virtues of 2ranchise, 2ellowship, #leanness, #ourtesy, and #harity *uickly
summari6e the chivalric code. The image of the 4irgin -ary, on the other hand, obviously symboli6es
#hristian faith. Thus, Gawain displays his chivalric beliefs and behavior outwardly to the rest of
society, but #hristian faith (( as symboli6ed by the image of -ary on the inside of his shield #hristian
faith is his inner strength.
Page n 13 / 20
3ne further interpretation of the shield should be mentioned. 8ecall again the role that #eltic, pagan
mythology plays in the poem. The .entangle is often seen as a pagan, and not a #hristian, symbol,
so it is unusual that it should appear on Gawain"s shield, with the image of -ary on the reverse side.
The two(sided shield, with a pagan symbol on one side and a #hristian symbol on the other, can thus
represent the dual pagan(#hristian nature of the story. 2urthermore, the poet writes that the
.entangle is noteworthy because it is an 9endless knot9 it has no beginning and no end, and
wherever you start, the beginning ultimately becomes the end. 'n this way, the .entangle comes to
resemble the yearly cycle which the poet described so beautifully at the start of 2itt '' again,
something endless with no beginning or end. 0ust as the circularity of the year testified to the
superior, replenishing power of ature, the endless .entangle on Gawain"s shield may also allude to
the eternality of ature and the need to balance this with a strong faith in religion.
Summary and Analysis o* #itt ///
2itt ''' Summary1
.art Three of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight covers the three days before Gawain must leave the
lord"s castle to meet the Green Knight on ew !ear"s 7ay. 3n the first day, as planned, the lord
arises early to go hunting. The poet describes in detail the hunting party as it moves through the
winter forest, hounds and blaring horns in hot pursuit of deer. Then, almost drastically, the scene
switches to the interior of the castle, to Gawain"s bedroom where he still lies beneath the covers as
the morning breaks. The lovely lady of the castle silently enters his bedroom and sits on his bed,
watching Gawain. The knight is already awake, but he pretends to sleep, wary of the situation and
the lady"s intentions. ,ventually, he 9wakes up9 and acts surprised to find the lady there.
A careful dialogue follows between Gawain and the lady, where he delicately and diplomatically
evades and parries her se$ual advances. 2irst, the lady threatens flirtatiously to keep him prisoner+
then praising his greatness as a knight, she assures Gawain that their situation is secret and offers
her body to him. Gawain replies that he is 9certainly honored9 >Gardner l. :G;C?, but declares
himself wholly unworthy for a lady as good as her. The lady denies this and replies that if she were to
choose any husband, she would choose Gawain himself. Gawain tells her that she has done better
already, subtly reminding her of her own husband, and their pleasant conversation continues until
mid(morning. As she is about to leave him, she asks for a kiss, and Gawain, as befits the chivalrous
knight, grants her that. The rest of the day Gawain spends at mass and then in the company of the
two ladies of the castle.
'n the meantime, the lord"s hunting party has slaughtered a great number of deer by sunset, and
they then begin the meticulous process of cutting and dividing the bodies of the game. 3nce this is
done, they return home and Gawain commends the lord for his fine hunting. As promised, the lord
gives the game to Gawain and Gawain, in e$change, gives the lord a sweet kiss he received that day,
but refuses to reveal who it was won from, claiming that it was not part of the agreement. The two
men revel for the rest of the evening and agree to continue their contract, by e$changing their
winnings of the ne$t day.
The second day begins with the hunting party out before dawn, frantically on the trail of an ancient,
huge, and vicious boar. Both men and hounds are in/ured in the dogged pursuit of this savage beast.
-eanwhile, Gawain welcomes the lady as she enters his bedchamber, as dogged as ever in her
pursuit of him. -ore flirtatious conversation ensues1 she reprimands him for forgetting to kiss her, he
states that he does not like to take things by force, she says that he would hardly need force. Then
she praises his reputation in #ourtly 5ove and asks to be taught+ he wisely replies that she already
knows more in the art of love. 'n the end, Gawain evades the lady"s amorous intentions, with only
two kisses being e$changed. 3utside, the hunt of the boar continues viciously, and the savage swine
is eventually cornered in a pool of water. The lord boldly wades in the water alone to confront the
beast and wins the battle by thrusting his sword into the boar"s heart. Another complicated process
divides the body of the boar, and the triumphant hunting party returns to the castle. Again, Gawain
and the lord are /oyously reunited+ /ust as the lord gives the boar to Gawain, the younger knight
bestows two kisses on him. 2or the rest of the night, there is much merriment and singing of carols,
while the lady continues to dote adoringly on Gawain. The lord convinces Gawain to stay a third day,
with the same contract of e$changing winnings. )e intones ominously1 92or '"ve tested you twice, my
friend, and found you faithful, A But it"s always the third strike that counts9 >Gardner ll. :DCC(J?.
Page n 14 / 20
The third day dawns with a description of its brilliant, wintry beauty, and the hunting dogs fall on the
trail of a cunning fo$, which constantly outwits and eludes the hunting party. 'nside the castle, the
lady enters Gawain"s bedchamber while wearing a lovely and very revealing gown. She wakes him
from his sorrowful slumber, as he dreads the impending day of doom at the Green #hapel. 8elentless
and charming as ever, she kisses him and asks if he is not promised to another lady elsewhere.
Gawain denies this, and the lady begs him to leave her a token of remembrance. )e has nothing to
give her, but she in turn offers him a valuable ring of gold, which he kindly refuses. The lady then
offers him a green silk tunic, which he at first refuses, but then she reveals that whoever wears the
green girdle cannot be killed. Aware of his impending meeting with the Green Knight, Gawain accepts
the girdle, which the lady begs to keep secret. After receiving a third kiss from her that morning,
Gawain dresses, confesses his sins to a priest in preparation for his challenge the ne$t day, and then
spends the rest of the day in utter merriment. -eanwhile, after much dogged pursuit, the hunting
party succeeds in stunning the wily fo$, and the lord triumphantly captures the sly creature. That
evening at the castle, Gawain gives the lord three kisses, who in turn gives him the lone product of
the day"s hard work, the 9foul(smelling fo$9. But the party continues into the night and the lord
assigns a servant to guide Gawain to the Green #hapel the ne$t morning. )eavy(hearted, Gawain
bids farewell to the people of the castle, all of whom are sad to see him go. That night, Gawain has
trouble sleeping for fear of the ne$t day"s events.
2itt ''' Analysis1
'n analy6ing 2itt ''' of the poem, it is impossible not to ignore the careful structuring of the three
days of events, each with their parallel scenes of drama, both outdoors and indoors. 3n all three
days, the structure is very similar1 the lord hunts outdoors, while indoors, Sir Gawain is being hunted
by the lady. At the end of each day, these two separate and very different hunts are brought together
by the e$change of winnings between Gawain and the lord. The poet clearly intends to parallel the
lord"s hunting of beasts with the lady"s hunting of Gawain. The very masculine pursuit of animals is
thus e*uated to the lady"s very feminine se$ual pursuit of this chivalric hero.
But much more remains to be said about this deliberate parallel of hunting episodes. 'n many ways,
this parallel de(constructs the superficial constructions of society which the poet has, throughout the
poem, subtly *uestioned. By e*uating the delicate, artfully crafted pursuit of the knight to the rough,
primal pursuit of the beasts, the poet has effectively reduced to basics all that medieval society has
built up as the ultimate in chivalric behavior. The lady for the most part pursues Gawain by using
comple$ flirtations and societal conventions that recall his sense of duty to a noble lady+ yet she is
banking on a very basic human instinct lust. Their dialogue is comple$, drawing upon many
medieval attitudes to courtesy and humility. !et what it all comes down to is something very primal,
very >in a sense? uncivil and animalistic. Again, then, we get a sense of the falseness of societal
constructions. As with the descriptions of lu$urious clothes and architecture, the careful, diplomatic
dialogue between Gawain and the lady is e$tremely comple$. But ultimately, they are only used to
mask the real nature of human lust another e$ample of societal artifice imposing itself falsely upon
nature.
'nterestingly enough, though, Gawain uses this very sense of civility to fend off the dangers of lust.
't is only through his diplomatic responses and references to social rules >her e$isting marriage to
the lord, his refusal to use force, etc.? that he is able to e$tricate himself from a very complicated
situation. 'ndeed, Gawain"s conflict is a very comple$ one because in re/ecting the lady"s re*uests he
runs the risk of offending a moral code which until this moment, had never posed a problem to him.
#hivalric duty had always re*uired service and deference to both one"s lord and one"s lady, but only
now does Gawain"s fervent belief in chivalry create a conundrum for him. 3n the one hand, he is
tempted to give into the lady"s advances by his own human nature and by her appeal to his sense of
chivalry to a noble lady. 3n the other hand, he counters this with his sense of chivalry to a sworn
lord and his strong #hristian belief. As with the earlier trial in the dark forest, it is Gawain"s sense of
#hristian righteousness which ultimately saves him. The poet writes1 9But the danger might have
been great A )ad -ary not watched her knightI9 >Gardner ll. :CDF(C<?
But Gawain does not entirely evade the lady"s seductions. )is acceptance of the green girdle may at
the time seem small, but it has huge conse*uences by the end of the poem. Thus, it is something
worth e$amining. By secretly accepting the girdle and refusing to give it away, Gawain violates the
agreement he had with his lord thereby violating the chivalric code of honor that binds such
Page n 15 / 20
contracts. 't is not nearly as great a violation as adultery would have been, but it nevertheless
shatters the code of chivalry which Gawain lives by. Thus, where the lady failed to seduce Gawain by
appealing to his desire for se$, she succeeds by appealing to his desire to live. Both are basic animal
instincts, and while Gawain can smother the one through his strong moral sense, he cannot
ultimately ignore the other1 the fear of death hangs too much on him. 'n this way, the idealistic
Gawain finally allows himself to be guided by his own nature, and not by his sense of societal duty.
Gawain"s fear of mortality is obviously linked to his impending meeting with the Green Knight, and
this is where the poet so masterfully connects this story about Gawain in the castle with the larger
framework of the first, more imposing story about Gawain and the Green Knight. 2urthermore, the
poet"s careful cross(cutting between outdoors and indoors hunting scenes e*uates Gawain with the
hunted beasts both are pursued, both are gripped by the fear of death. )ence while Gawain does
not at the time connect the lady"s advances with the Green Knight"s return stroke, the magical,
death(defying green girdle does it for him, causing him to break his ever(important code of chivalry
because of his fear of death.
To push the hunting parallel further, the language used during the bedroom scenes often employs
metaphors of fighting and fencing. 2or e$ample, a polite Gawain at first says to the forward lady1 9'
surrender my arms at once and sue for kind treatment9 >Gardner l.:<EB?. 5ater, the poet writes1
9But Sir Gawain remained, in his graceful way, en garde. A H ,ven so, his mind would be drawn to the
dark that he need not long await, A The stroke that must destroy him9 >Gardner ll.:GCF(JE? At the
same time, Gawain, aware of the lady"s advances and afraid of his impending doom, is e*uivalent to
the deer that the lord is hunting right now both await their final stroke. The overall effect of these
parallels is to e*uate the two scenes of the e$posed, dangerous e$terior forest and 9sheltered,9
9safe9 interior bedroom. Thus, the poet reduces the complicated, artificiali6ed world of human society
to the basic, primeval world of nature, and shows that the societal code is merely a pretense which
sometimes cannot always hold up.
The 8ole of the 5ady and Temptress and )ealer1 'n 2itt ''', the character of the lady until now a
pleasant companion to Gawain takes a turn for the worse. She suddenly becomes a temptress,
attempting to seduce Gawain into violating his sense of morality. 'n this way, the lady easily
resembles archetypal female characters in earlier literature.
-edieval, Arthurian, and #eltic lore often had such female temptresses, all of whom e$isted to
distract the knight errant from his moral task. The 5ady in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
obviously fits this role, but we should also not forget the Biblical story of the 2all of -an which we
discussed in our analysis of 2itt ''. There we saw how the castle in the poem resembled popular
medieval representations of .aradise, emerging miraculously from a dark wasteland. 'n Sir Gawain
and the Green Knight, this 9.aradise9 is not all it seems to Gawain, for rather than bring him
salvation, it now only provides him with further perils, in the guise of the predatory lady. 'ndeed, by
appealing to Gawain"s se$ual desire, the lady becomes an ,ve(figure in this false .aradise, tempting
the hero to violate his moral agreement with his higher lord.
Another resemblance should be noted, and that is to the archetypal enchantressAhealing women of
#eltic myth. 2olklore abounded with 3therworldly women who could cure wounded warriors and bring
them back to health. The lady in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, strangely enough, offers Gawain a
cure in the form of the green girdle. 'ts magical healing properties associate her with such archetypal
female healers, yet it is this very girdle which lies at the root of Gawain"s moral deception. 'nstead of
curing him, it only taints him in a moral sense. Thus, the lady does not heal but instead wounds
Gawain, and, /ust as with the false .aradise of the castle, nothing is as it seems.
Symbols1 The most obvious symbol in 2itt ''' is the green girdle which Gawain secretly accepts from
the lady. As discussed above, it is a deceptive ob/ect, for it claims to protect a man, but in this case
has only caused Gawain to breach his moral code and >as we will see? ruin his sense of self. Although
Gawain accepts it because of his fear of death, there are still all the trappings of romantic love1 the
lady unties it from her waist and wraps it around Gawain"s. 3n the outside, it still appears as a love(
token, thereby emphasi6ing the sense of deception when Gawain hides it from the lord. Also, of
course, it is green, linking it immediately with the Green Knight whom Gawain must meet the ne$t
day. 'n a sense, it is a sort of a reverse(magic to that of the supernatural, indestructible knight or at
least Gawain hopes so. !et both the Green Knight and the green girdle seem to hark from a world of
Page n 16 / 20
the magical, the otherworldly, the natural and fertile and indestructible. Again, there are pagan
connotations with the obvious emphasis on fertility. &e can even see the pagan, magical green girdle
as representing everything that is not acceptable by chivalric and #hristian standards1 in keeping it,
Gawain goes against his code of honesty, courage, and faith.
Summary and Analysis o* #itt /+
2itt '4 Summary1
The final, dreaded episode of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the day of Gawain"s e$change stroke
opens ominously with a fierce winter storm that keeps Gawain up at night. Before dawn on ew
!ear"s 7ay, the knight is awake and getting dressed, garbing himself in rich, be/eweled clothes ((
most importantly the green girdle which the lady had given him. &ith the servant accompanying
him, Gawain mounts his horse Gringolet and leaves the castle, thinking fondly of the court and his
host and hostess. Gawain and the servant travel through a somber, snow(covered landscape, and at
the top of a hill, the servant stops and begs Gawain to reconsider his mission. )e warns that the
Green Knight is a horrible, cruel monster1 huge, merciless, someone who kills for pure /oy. The
servant begs Gawain to run away+ he would not tell anyone. But Gawain refuses to run, as that
would prove himself a cowardly knight. 8esigned, the servant leaves Gawain with the final directions
to the Green #hapel, and the knight moves forward through a rough, ominous wood to an ancient
cave. Gawain marvels at the deserted ugliness of the place, fearing that he might encounter the
7evil himself in such a place.
Suddenly, Gawain hears the sound of a blade being sharpened on a grindstone, but the terrified
knight resolves to continue and calls out for the Green Knight. )e is answered and in due time, the
Green Knight, huge and formidable as before, meets Gawain with a monstrous a$e. )e welcomes
Gawain, praising him for maintaining his part of the agreement and asking him to remove his helmet,
so the e$change stroke can be received. The horrified Gawain e$poses his neck, but at the last
moment, he flinches from the a$e and the Green Knight stops to yell at the cowardly Gawain. Gawain
promises not to move the ne$t time, but the second attempt stops short as well, enraging Gawain.
3n the third stroke, the Green Knight splits the skin on Gawain"s neck but that is all the in/ury done.
An elated Gawain *uickly leaps up to defend himself and remind the Green Knight that the
agreement allowed for one stroke of the a$ only.
The Green Knight e$plains his unusual behavior1 he and the lord of the castle are one and the same
man, and the two feinted a$ strokes represent the first two days of the game, when Gawain faithfully
gave everything he won that day to the King. But that third day, Gawain did conceal the sash from
the King and as a result is punished by the slight scrape on his neck. The lord reveals that he
arranged his wife"s advances upon Gawain, but having seen the result, he is convinced that Gawain is
the finest man alive, his one failure stemming understandably from his love of life. But Gawain is
harsher on himself, cursing his cowardice and covetousness and re/ecting the green sash which made
him guilty. The Green Knight forgives Gawain, urges him to keep the sash as a token of their
struggle, and invites him back to the castle to celebrate the ew !ear. Gawain declines, sends his
wishes to the two noble ladies, and laments on four Biblical figures >Adam, Solomon, Samson, and
7avid? who were all ruined by the wiles of a lovely woman. )e agrees to keep the girdle to remind
himself of the 9fault and frailty of the foolish flesh9 >Gardner l. G;GB?. To answer Gawain"s *uestion,
the Green Knight reveals himself to be Bertilak de )autdesert, servant to the sorceress -organ le
2ay. 't was -organ who engineered the entire game, sending Bertilak down to #amelot so that
Guinevere would be shocked to death by the staged beheading. 'n fact, -organ was the ancient
noble lady at )autdesert castle and is the scheming half(sister to Arthur, the kindg"s traditional
nemesis. 7espite Bertilak"s invitation, Gawain decides not to return to the castle for more merriment,
and moves back to #amelot, traveling 9through the wild woods of the world9 with the green girdle on
his shoulders. 3nce at the Arthur"s court, Gawain is greeted with much cheering and /oy from Arthur,
Guinevere, and the others. )e recounts his entire adventure, but is ashamed when he tells of his
ultimate failing as a result of the green girdle. evertheless, Arthur and the courtiers, unaware of
Gawain"s shame, adopt the green baldric as a heraldic token in honor of Gawain. 2rom there, the
poet concludes in much the same way he opened the poem, praising Arthur, moving back through
Brutus to the siege of Troy. The final two lines implore 0esus #hrist for bliss.
2itt '4 Analysis1
Page n 17 / 20
7escription of the atural &orld1 2itt '4 is filled with some of the poet"s most striking images of the
desolate, wintry world of ature. The first stan6a alone describes a terrible storm on ew !ear"s ,ve,
emphasi6ing Gawain"s sense of dread as he fearfully anticipates the meeting with the Green Knight.
This is a good e$ample of pathetic fallacy, a literary device whereby the weather and the natural
world echo the emotions of a character. )ere, the night storm reflects Gawain"s dread, but it also
heightens the sense of an overpowering, superior force of ature which mankind cannot possibly
contend with. The effect is the same as the descriptions of ature in 2itt ''1 the individual human is
belittled when compared to the magnitude and power of the natural world. As Gawain and the
servant approach the Green #hapel, there are more remarkable descriptions of ature. Always, it is a
cold, intimidating, barren world they are moving through+ the bleak, dead surroundings heighten the
bleakness of Gawain"s task and seem to foreshadow his own doom.
The servant"s frightened outburst at the end of the Green #hapel serves much the same purpose.
0ust as the poet described the terror of the natural world during the /ourney, the servant here
describes the terror of the Green Knight. )ere, too, is an overpowering, superior force that seems
impossible to contend with. 'n this way, there is an implicit linking of Green Knight with ature >see
9The Green Knight 8evealed9 below?. This, of course, has been the association all along since the
poem"s start, but here, nearing the suspenseful clima$ of the story, the e$treme horror of the Green
Knight and of ature are magnified to di66ying proportions. 't is the poet"s clever way of building
suspense, while also emphasi6ing the nobility and idealism of Gawain"s character. 2or all his dread
and all the warnings from other humans, Gawain will not abandon his chivalric duty to uphold the
terms of the agreement. )e remains courageous in the face of imminent death and a terrifying force
of ature.
The 2utility of )uman #onstructions1 0ust as 2itt '' had detailed descriptions of nature and armor, so
too does 2itt '4. Stan6as G and E concentrate on Gawain"s careful arming of himself on ew !ear"s
7ay. 't is very similar to previous descriptions of armor we have encountered before1 in 2itt ' with
the Green Knight and in 2itt '' with Gawain before setting off on his *uest. But at this point in the
story, the meticulously polished armor and clothing bear a particular irony for the reader and for
Gawain. o matter how strong or how beautiful his armor is, it still will not save him from the
impending blow of the Green Knight. &hy, then, go through this ritualistic arming process, when it
will ultimately prove futile=
The poet seems once more to be hinting at the futility of human constructions, with his ironic
description of the elaborate, but ultimately useless armor. The poem thus far has been filled with
such elaborate, technical descriptions of armor, castle architecture, the cutting of the hunted deer. All
these are elements of medieval aristocratic life which are meant to enhance the sense of the noble
and the refined in medieval society. But here finally, such an elaborate, ennobling social construction
>the armor? is pitted against the finality of death, and it proves to be useless.
To go further, is the poet again implying the futility of human constructions like the romance genre
and our moral code= The conventions of the romance have been mocked in a way1 the grand armor
is useless, the language of courtly love has been used not to ennoble but to deceive and seduce. And
the greatest human construction of all the moral code which guides the faultless Gawain has
crumbled under the natural, primal threat of death.
The Green Knight 8evealed1 The character of the Green Knight is key to understanding the theme of
nature and human society in the poem. 8ecall again that in 2itt ' he appeared as a liminal figure
between the natural and the human worlds1 with a civili6ed look to his armor and clothes, yet clearly
3therworldly. )ere in 2itt '4, we reali6e that the Green Knight has been in the story all along, in the
guise of 5ord Bertilak, Gawain"s host during the holidays. #ertainly both we and Gawain are
surprised, but what does this revelation say about the relationship between the natural and the
human worlds=
Scholars such as Brian Stone have argued that the Green Knight is essentially a stand(in for the
7evil, a trickster who changes identities, appears always invincible, and challenges humans to
abandon their #hristian and moral principles. Gawain, for e$ample, is certainly tempted by the
sensual lu$uries of Bertilak"s court and by the se$ual advances of Bertilak"s wife. 0ust as the 7evil
fre*uently makes bargains with hapless human beings in folktales and medieval stories, the Green
Knight also makes bargains >two in fact? with Gawain. Gawain even comments that the Green #hapel
Page n 18 / 20
seems like a place where one would meet Satan himself. And the description and name of the Green
#hapel are in some ways a parody of the clean, welcoming, sanctuary of the #hristian church, the
)ouse of God. .acts with the 7evil traditionally ended with the human giving up his soul, and one
can even argue that by the end of the poem, Gawain does seem to have lost his soul or at least, the
moral faith that guided his soul.
But it is possible to view the devilish role of the Green Knight as merely a medieval #hristian overlay
to a pagan figure, where the conflict between the human and the 3therworldlyAnatural has been
transformed into a conflict between the #hristian and the Satanic. 'ndeed, the Green Knight, in both
his forms, seems to maintain an innate link with ature. As Bertilak, he still carries a uni*ue,
instinctual natural(ness, as evidenced by his prowess and physicality during the hunts in 2itt '''. &ith
Bertilak ranging through the wild forests and Gawain in bed having a diplomatic, flirtatious
conversation with 5ady Bertilak, it seems there could be no greater polarity between the vigorous
natural world and the guarded human world.
'f the natural vs. the human is the real conflict, then ature would seem to have won out in this
story, for the human constructions >as we have seen above? have proven to be futile and Gawain
ultimately lets himself be guided by his own natural impulse to survive. But what confuses everything
at the end is the revelation that none of this has been, in a sense, genuine, and that all of it has
been a carefully engineered construction, planned by -organ le 2ay. 'n a sense, it isn"t at all ature
or the 9all(natural9 Green Knight that Gawain has been contending with, but merely the machinations
of another human being, driven by human /ealousies and emotions, and dependent on constructions
and artifices /ust as elaborate as those we have already encountered in the other human characters.
'n this light, Gawain"s challenge hasn"t been natural in the least, but instead the very definition of
artificial.
-organ le 2ay, Gawain"s 9-isogynistic9 Speech, and the 2all of -an1 &ith the revelation of -organ le
2ay"s villainy, nothing is as it seems, and the Green Knight, instead of the dynamic embodiment of
ature, ends up as the puppet of a relatively minor character in the story. Again, many critics have
ob/ected to the final e$planation in 2itt '4, that it seems forced, doesn"t 9ring true,9 and that the poet
was merely giving into the conventions of the larger Arthurian genre. &hether or not this is true, and
whether -organ"s character really does play a vital role in a comple$ story or is merely a tack(on,
the mention of her does cause Gawain"s outburst in the eighteenth stan6a, where he mentions
Biblical figures who have been deceived by women. This speech is often labeled 9misogynistic9
>woman(hating? and out(of(character for Gawain. 't may even reveal the underlying misogyny of the
poet himself.
But Gawain"s speech, drawing upon Biblical parables, relies upon his fervent faith in #hristian
morality. Shattered by the reali6ation that everything has been a false game, he seems to be angrily
lashing out at the weakening vices of 9cowardice and covetousness9 and the predatory women that
prey upon such vices. Bertilak himself helps to draw the parallel between -organ and the dangerous
Biblical women when he talks of how -organ gained her skills in sorcery by seducing -erlin.
eedless to say, the same trope of the temptress lies >as we have seen? in the figures of ,ve and
5ady Bertilak. 3nly now, with Bertilak"s e$planation, do the lady"s seductive actions seem to bear a
more planned, but somehow more sinister motive to the entire game. But the basic motif remains
the same1 the temptress, the .aradise which is no longer, and the 2all from innocence. )ere,
Gawain"s 2all comes with the reali6ation that his entire *uest has been an artifice, a mere game, and
as a result, his moral belief in the world around him is shattered.
Gawain"s 7isillusionment1 The final episode, where Gawain returns to Arthur"s court, only serves to
drive home his sense of disillusionment. Already, Gawain"s trust in things has been weakened by the
reali6ation that he has been played all along by Sir Bertilak, 5ady Bertilak, and -organ le 2ay all of
whom appeared, at first, to be respectable, noble characters. But when he arrives at Arthur"s court,
their inability to see his moral failure ruins his moral conviction even more. &hy is it that the noblest
court in all of Britain cannot understand his moral dilemma and celebrates his cowardice as courage=
The poem even ends with Gawain in a moral *uagmire, bearing his green girdle as a mark of shame,
while the rest of #amelot continues to celebrate and raises the green girdle in blind admiration of
Gawain. 't is a comple$ ending, and certainly not the conventional sense of resolution that is found in
most romances.
Page n 19 / 20
!et, as we have reali6ed by now, the poet does not aim to simply re(create the romance genre and
its chivalric code, but also to *uestion it. Gawain"s final disillusionment has been foreshadowed all
along by the poet in his e$cessive, overly technical descriptions of romance conventions. 'f previous
in 2itt ', we got the sense that #amelot"s lords and ladies were a bit shallow and too decadent in
their revelries, then our suspicions are confirmed here, when Gawain returns to this glowing world at
the end of the poem. Arthur"s court is still reveling, and yet, they do not have the moral seriousness
to reali6e Gawain"s dilemma. .erhaps this world this supposed epitome of human civility and chivalry
does not glow as brightly as it once did for the idealistic knight.
@ltimately, the poem implies the loss of the importance of chivalric values, for as Gawain has
learned, they do not always bring peace to the individual soul.
arrative Structure and the -ythic 0ourney1 2inally, it is important to note the narrative structure of
the poem, the way in which the events of the poem are patterned and what these have to do with
the themes. 'f we look closely, we can notice that the fitts seem to alternate in terms of similarity of
events. 2or e$ample, the first fitt takes place within a royal court, the second fitt is a perilous /ourney
outdoors which ends at another royal court, the third fitt alternates between the setting of the royal
court and the perilous outdoors, and the final fitt is again a /ourney outdoors that ends at the same,
original court of Arthur. otice, for one, that the poem"s setting alternates between the outdoors >the
natural world? and the royal court >the human world?. Gawain begins safely in the human world, and
is fully confident in the rules of chivalry and morality which supposedly guide human society. But
after taking his perilous /ourney into the natural world and encountering many challenges >both
natural and society?, he returns to the human world not with a reaffirmed confidence in its safety
and righteousness, but instead with a nagging uncertainty about the moral code he once believed so
strongly.
This is *uite different from the conventional narrative structure of conflict and restoration a structure
which goes back as far as the #eltic myths which lie at the roots of the poem. .re(#hristian #eltic
myths often had motifs of e$changes between the human world and the 3therworld, with the time
period of a year and a day commonly used. A mythic interpretation of the poem would have the
Green Knight as an 3therworldly lord and Gawain"s /ourney from #amelot into a terrifying, strange
land as the hero"s archetypical descent into the 3therworld or @nderworld. >Some e$amples of the
3therworld /ourney include Aeneas" descent into )ades in the Aeneid or more closely related to Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight (( the 'rish hero #uchulainn"s /ourney to the 3therworld in the #eltic
myth 9The &asting Sickness of #uchulainn.9? 'n most cases, the hero undertakes the /ourney to right
some previous wrong or restore balance to the natural order. 'n Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,
the poem"s symmetry would suggest that the natural order has been restored, as the ew !ear
dawns brightly on Arthur"s court, but this masks the fact that within Gawain"s individual soul, the
moral order has been uprooted.
Page n 20 / 20

Sir Gawain & The Green Knight Analysis

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

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