Sir Gawainand the Green Knight :Sir Gawainand the Green Knight


I. Manuscript :I. Manuscript Cotton Nero A.x. 1375-1400 Also contains Pearl, Patience, and Purity


II. Poetic form and devices :II. Poetic form and devices Alliterative Revival Bob and Wheel Bob: one line of two or three syllables Wheel: four three-stress lines Entire structure rhymes ababa


III. The Structure of the Poem :III. The Structure of the Poem Three Gawains: Courteous and brave brother of Round Table Flawless exemplar of Christian chivalry Flawed everyman ABA structure of first half Fabliau-like parallels in Fitt Three Concentric Ring Structure (Solomon 1963)


IV. Romance Genre :IV. Romance Genre Set in a remote place and time Incorporates the marvelous, miracles Hero is “superior in degree to other men and to his environment” May involve conventional testing plot Tester is unrealistic and remote Test is extreme Hero follows higher of conflicting virtues Tester relents and allows hero to fulfill lower virtue (example: God and Abraham)


IV. Departures from Romance :IV. Departures from Romance Calendar/cyclic time and some real places Hero is one of us, not superior to us/environment Tester is split: malicious magic Morgan and likeable, realistic Bercilak Gawain fails the test because he is human/sinful Realism may result from 13th-14th century “penance campaigns,” new “moral psychology.” Mixture of romance and realism leaves the reader wondering what rules govern this world.


V. Fitt One: Characters :V. Fitt One: Characters Arthur: poet’s qualified approval Sir Gawain: representative, not elect Green Knight: ambiguous nature Green body: supernatural Green and gold equipment: courtly youth Holly bob: life, peace Axe: war


V. Fitt One: The Game :V. Fitt One: The Game Gratuitous (thus romantic, not heroic) Governed by rules (romantic, not heroic) Seasonable (customary Christmas drama) Quasi-legal (rules are reiterated) Tests important knightly virtues Involves seemingly inevitable death Ernest/game ambiguity makes it possible for Gawain to treat the obligation lightly, but does not make it right for him to do so (Burrows 24).


VI. Fitt Two :VI. Fitt Two Midwinter: Indoors/outdoors Wine, feasting, celebration Cold, sleet, rain Arming of Gawain


VI. Fitt Two: The Pentangle :VI. Fitt Two: The Pentangle “Truth” “Loyal to people, principles, or promises” Possesses “faith in God” “Without deceit,” “sincere” “Upright and virtuous” The Fifth Five: Five Virtues Generosity, companionableness, courtesy, pure mind, compassion Secular and social Interdependent


VI. Fitt Two: The Journey :VI. Fitt Two: The Journey Eight weeks: 11/2-12/24 Departs on All Souls’ Day Four phases Arthurian England N. Wales (Winifred’s Well) The Wirral “Strange country” Realistic and fantastic


VII. Fitt Two: Hautdesert :VII. Fitt Two: Hautdesert Parallels Camelot (A-B-A) Provincial outlook – a “lopsided pentangle” – skewed expectations of G Gawain’s behavior: confirms claims made for him in arming scene Names: host knows Gawain’s name but Gawain doesn’t know host’s Another contract – same qualities, ambiguity


VIII. Fitt Three :VIII. Fitt Three Fabliau: parallelism; sexual favors are commodities Dalliance: compare lines 1010-1015 to 1218-1221 Lady manoeuvres based on her misconception of Gawain – courtesy is all Courtly ladies can pursue Kisses are not adulterous


VIII. Fitt Three: Hunt and Bed :VIII. Fitt Three: Hunt and Bed In both, day three represents a departure from the noble conduct of days one and two. Deer/boar are noble; fox is ignoble In both, the victim . . . Flees an adversary (hounds/lady) Retreats from prospect of another adversary (Bercilak/Green Knight) Succumbs to original adversary (hounds/lady)


VIII. Fitt Three: The Girdle :VIII. Fitt Three: The Girdle Green and gold (should remind reader of Green Knight) Not accepted for monetary value or beauty Gawain acts differently after his fall: Gawain goes to Confession, not Mass Gawain awaits host, instead of host calling Gawain goes first, not host Gawain wears blue, color of faithfulness


IX. Fitt Four: Arming/Journey :IX. Fitt Four: Arming/Journey Green girdle added to arming Neither unqualified condemnation nor uncritical indulgence Variation from departure from Camelot – Gawain does not hear Mass – odd for day of death Qualities of Death ascribed to Green Knight Indiscriminate/universal/inevitable Must be faced alone (guide turns back)


IX. Fitt Four: Recognition :IX. Fitt Four: Recognition Green Knight is Bercilak de Hautdesert. Morgan la Faye, Gawain’s aunt, orchestrated events to humiliate the Round Table. The exchange game was the real test.


IX. Fitt Four: Confession :IX. Fitt Four: Confession Replaces false confession at Hautdesert Shame and mortification Reparation: Gawain returns girdle (and it is given back to him) Statement of sin: Gawain admits cowardice, covetousness, untruth Request for penance (Bercilak refuses)


IX. Fitt Four: Judgement :IX. Fitt Four: Judgement Condemnation – Gawain did sin Mercy – Sin was from love of life, not from lower passion or malice Contrasting responses show decorum Bercilak shows comparatively more mercy, for Gawain is more prone to despair than to presumption Gawain shows wounded pride, but is harsh on himself Problem of shifting blame to women – perhaps to make Gawain’s behavior realistic?


IX. Fitt Four: Return :IX. Fitt Four: Return Symbols Gawain’s cut is healed. Gawain wears the girdle. Court adopts the girdle. Contrasting responses again show decorum Gawain is ashamed The court downplays his sin What does the court’s adoption of the girdle really mean?


X. Concluding Points :X. Concluding Points Openness and ambiguity pervade the text. Text strives to combine romance and realism. Text does not prove that courtly and Christian values inherently conflict, rather only that Gawain is human/sinful. Gawain’s experience represents the “fundamental cycle of experience” – “social living, alienation, self-discovery, desolation, recovery and restoration” (Burrows 186). Does Gawain take responsibility for his actions?