sir gawain and the green knight by kelsey ferrell, sophie hogan, katie binger, owen powell and...
TRANSCRIPT
SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
By Kelsey Ferrell, Sophie Hogan, Katie Binger, Owen Powell
and Parker Dolton
SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
Middle English romance
Alliterative
Bob and wheel• A metrical alliteration device
SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
During the time of King Aurthur
Two plots:• The beheading game• Temptation
Romance
GAWAIN POET
Pearl poet
Unknown
Cotton Nero A x.
Concluded in 1925 that…• He was a serious writer but not without a little bit of
humor• Interest in theology• West Midlands of England
COTTON NERO A X.
Consisted of four poems• Pearl, Patience, Purity and Sir Gawain and The Green
Knight
Around the late 14th century, near the
same time as Geoffery Chaucer
All of the poems had the same style,
allusions, and theme.
SIR GAWAIN
The protagonist of the story
Beheads the Green Knight
Is a figure of chivalry, honesty, and
loyalty
Very respected among the other
knights
THE GREEN KNIGHT
A sinister visitor to Camelot
He is killed by Gawain, then reborn
Is also Bertilak of Hautdesert
One of Morgan La Faye’s henchmen
BERTILAK OF HAUTDESERT
A kind, noble, ruler of the castle
where Gawain is at Christmas
Also the Green Knight
BERTILAK’S WIFE
The wife of Bertilak, lady of the castle
Tries to seduce Gawain
Turns out to be another one of
Morgan La Faye’s minions
MORGAN LA FAYE
An evil sorceress
King Arthur’s half sister
The mastermind behind the havoc
wreaked by the Green Knight
QUEEN GUENEVIRE
The intelligent, charming wife of King
Arthur
Does not have a big role in the poem
overall
SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
Knights are all at the round table, Arthur asks for a good story to
be told
Knight dressed in green appears, asks for a deal: someone can
hit him with an axe if he can hit them back a year and a day later
Gawain volunteers to take the challenge, chops the head of off
green knight, but does not kill him.
Later Gawain must go to the green knight so that he gets hit
(year and day later)
SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
Long journey to the green knight’s green chapel, and he
encounters magical creatures, but he defeats them.
After prayer on Christmas eve, he suddenly can see a castle
Spends some time with the people of the castle, including an
old woman, but it is not the chapel of the knight. However he
gets directions to the chapel.
The wife of the lord whom is master of the castle tries to get
Gawain to sleep with her, but he refuses and only kisses her
SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
For the next sequences of kisses that Gawain receives
from the lord’s wife, he passes on to the lord as thanks for
the hospitality
Over the next few days, she attempts to seduce him, but
only manages to convince Gawain to kiss her a few times
Then she offers him her green girdle, which she claims
will protect him from death. He takes it. (girdle could be a
belt or it could be a corset)
SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
For the next sequences of kisses that Gawain receives
from the lord’s wife, he passes on to the lord as thanks for
the hospitality
Over the next few days, she attempts to seduce him, but
only manages to convince Gawain to kiss her a few times
Then she offers him her green girdle, which she claims
will protect him from death. He takes it. (girdle could be a
belt or it could be a corset)
THE GREEN KNIGHT DESCRIPTION
“For all men marveled what it might
mean, /That a horseman and his horse should
have such a colour, /As to grow green as
grass, and greener yet, it seemed, /More
gaudily glowing then green enamel on gold.”
(lines 233-236)
PRE-CHRISTIAN REPRESENTATION
Before Christianity spread, the Green Knight is a
representation of nature, also called the “Green Man”
100% green from head to toe, green is the color often
connected with nature
He is a sprite-like creature of the forest
The Green Knight uses a green axe, instead of the
common sword or spear, and carries holly in the other
hand
BEHEADING DESCRIPTION
“Gawain gripped his axe and
gathered it on high, /Advanced the left
foot before him on the ground, /And
slashed swiftly down on the exposed
part, /The fair head fell from the neck,
struck the floor,” (lines 395-401)
CHRISTIAN REPRESENTATION
Christianity was extremely popular and growing during the medieval time periodThe Green Knight is an allegory of the crucifixion of Jesus ChristThe beheading and attempted killing of the Green Knight by Sir Gawain was the figurative crucifixion of Jesus The Green Knight shares Christ-like immortality If the Green Knight is a representation of Jesus, then Sir Gawain would be representing the common man, who tried to kill the immortal Christ
TIME
Sir Gawain waits a whole year for his
death, he knows that he is going to get
splayed. He doesn’t back down though.
He lives for a full year knowing that
his life was coming to an end.
SUPERNATURAL CREATURES
Everybody in King Arthurs court
thinks the green knight is some kind of
creature because he is all green and
after when Sir Gawain slays his head
the green knight picks up his head and
talks with it.