Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Characters and summary

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Characters and summary

Part I Summary

The poem begins with a description which establishes the setting firmly in Arthurian 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. The poet will now proceed to relate a particularly extraordinary episode from King Arthur's court, which begins at a lavish New Year's celebration in Camelot.

A rich description of the celebration follows, where the poet carefully conveys luxurious details of decoration and attire. There is the incomparably beautiful Queen Guinevere, Arthur himself, and seated in honor around them, various noble knights and relatives of Arthur, including Sir Gawain. We learn that Arthur does not like to begin his feasts until he has heard a great tale or witnessed a great marvel. Indeed, 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 100 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. His horse is equally decked in ornate green, and the knight himself holds a branch of holly in one hand and a formidable battle-axe in the other. He demands, somewhat arrogantly, to speak to the ruler of the company, while the court stares on in stunned silence. When Arthur finally speaks, the stranger explains that he has come to this famously valiant court to play a Christmas game. Whoever agrees to play this game will be allowed to strike the Green Knight on the spot, in the middle of the court; in exchange, the Green Knight will strike a return blow upon the volunteer a year and a day hence. None of the court volunteers as the game seems to imply certain death for whoever plays; the stranger ridicules them all for Camelot's supposed bravery. Eventually Arthur agrees to play the game, but as he is about to wield the great battle-axe, Gawain speaks. In 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-axe to Gawain, then exposes 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. In 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 Chapel next New Year's morning, so that he may receive his exchange blow.
After the stranger leaves, Arthur urges Guinevere to continue reveling, while he tells Gawain to hang up the stranger's battle-axe and forget about his new mission for the time being . The New Year's feast continues unaffected, but the poet ends the Part by foreshadowing the dangerous adventures Gawain must face.

Part II Summary

The second part of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight opens with a lush, detailed description of Nature and the passing of the year. After the Christmas feast and the Green Knight's challenge, the winter passes into a fair, green springtime and then a rich, joyful summer. But eventually harvest season approaches, the leaves fall, "and so the year descends into yesterdays, / And winter returns again as the world requires." At this point of the year, Gawain remembers his agreement with the Green Knight and so, at a Michaelmas feast, sadly bids farewell to Arthur's court. Although Gawain pretends not to be bothered by the upcoming Quest, all the lords and ladies are silently sorrowful that a knight as worthy as Gawain must go to his doom by receiving the exchange blow from the Green Knight.

The next few stanzas are dedicated to a meticulous description of Gawain as he dons his ornate armor the next morning. Both he and his horse Gringolet are richly attired: Gawain's helmet, for example, 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 Pentangle, the five-pointed star. The poet pays particular attention to the Pentangle, the emblem of truth, known everywhere as "the endless knot." It 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 five:
1) he is perfect in the five senses
2) his five fingers are unfailing
3) his faith is fixed firmly on the five wounds which Christ received on the cross
4) he draws his strength from the five joys Mary had through Jesus
5) he embodies, better than any other living man, the five virtues:
Franchise, Fellowship, Cleanness, Courtesy, and above all, Charity.

On the inside of his shield is an image of the Virgin Mary, to which Gawain would look as a source of courage. Once armed with his shield, Gawain rides away from Camelot, the court mourning that such a young, faultless knight should sacrifice his life as a result of a silly Christmas game. Gawain rides for months through a rough, unfriendly, and godless land. Often 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 Chapel. 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. On Christmas Eve, after toiling through a daunting wood, Gawain beseeches the Lord and Mary to guide him to some haven where he may attend mass and properly pray on Christmas morning. Almost immediately, Gawain stumbles upon a moated fortress, a beautiful castle with strong defenses and intricate architectural flourishes. Awed and grateful, Gawain asks the porter of the castle for entrance and is greeted by a great, joyful, and eager company. He is welcomed by the lord of the castle, a massive, civilized, capable-looking man who sees to it that Gawain receives the best of care. Gawain is dressed in luxurious 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. Eventually, 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 Christmastide 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 next morning at the Christmas Day feast. They are seated next to each other, while the ancient lady is given the highest seat, and the lord the next highest. A third day passes in revelry, and on the day of St. John, 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 next morning to continue his quest. The lord, however, reveals that the Green Chapel is but two miles away, so Gawain must stay for the remaining three days and relax in bed. Jubilant, Gawain again declares himself the servant of the lord, ready to do his bidding. The lord decides that the next 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. He suggests one more thing: whatever he wins in the forest tomorrow will be given to Gawain, and in exchange, 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.

Part III Summary

Part 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 New Year's Day. On 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. Eventually, he "wakes up" 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 sexual advances. First, 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 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.

In 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. Once 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 exchange, 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 exchanging their winnings of the next 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 injured in the dogged pursuit of this savage beast. Meanwhile, Gawain welcomes the lady as she enters his bedchamber, as dogged as ever in her pursuit of him. More flirtatious conversation ensues: 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 Courtly Love and asks to be taught; he wisely replies that she already knows more in the art of love. In the end, Gawain evades the lady's amorous intentions, with only two kisses being exchanged. Outside, 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 joyously reunited; just as the lord gives the boar to Gawain, the younger knight bestows two kisses on him. For 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 exchanging winnings. He intones ominously: "For I've tested you twice, my friend, and found you faithful, / But it's always the third strike that counts."

The third day dawns with a description of its brilliant, wintry beauty, and the hunting dogs fall on the trail of a cunning fox, which constantly outwits and eludes the hunting party. Inside 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 Chapel. Relentless 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. He 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 next day, and then spends the rest of the day in utter merriment. Meanwhile, after much dogged pursuit, the hunting party succeeds in stunning the wily fox, 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 "foul-smelling fox." But the party continues into the night and the lord assigns a servant to guide Gawain to the Green Chapel the next morning. Heavy-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 next day's events.

Part IV Summary

The final, dreaded episode of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: the day of Gawain's exchange stroke opens ominously with a fierce winter storm that keeps Gawain up at night. Before dawn on New Year's Day, the knight is awake and getting dressed, garbing himself in rich, bejeweled clothes - most importantly the green girdle which the lady had given him. With 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. He warns that the Green Knight is a horrible, cruel monster: huge, merciless, someone who kills for pure joy. 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. Resigned, the servant leaves Gawain with the final directions to the Green Chapel, 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 Devil 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. He is answered and in due time, the Green Knight, huge and formidable as before, meets Gawain with a monstrous axe. He welcomes Gawain, praising him for maintaining his part of the agreement and asking him to remove his helmet, so the exchange stroke can be received. The horrified Gawain exposes his neck, but at the last moment, he flinches from the axe and the Green Knight stops to yell at the cowardly Gawain. Gawain promises not to move the next time, but the second attempt stops short as well, enraging Gawain. On the third stroke, the Green Knight splits the skin on Gawain's neck but that is all the injury done. An elated Gawain quickly leaps up to defend himself and remind the Green Knight that the agreement allowed for one stroke of the ax only.

The Green Knight explains his unusual behavior: he and the lord of the castle are one and the same man, and the two feinted ax 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 rejecting 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 New Year. Gawain declines, sends his wishes to the two noble ladies, and laments on four Biblical figures (Adam, Solomon, Samson, and David) who were all ruined by the wiles of a lovely woman. He agrees to keep the girdle to remind himself of the "fault and frailty of the foolish flesh." To answer Gawain's question, the Green Knight reveals himself to be Bercilak de Hautdesert, servant to the sorceress Morgan le Fay. It was Morgan who engineered the entire game, sending Bercilak down to Camelot so that Guinevere would be shocked to death by the staged beheading. In fact, Morgan was the ancient noble lady at Hautdesert castle and is the scheming half-sister to Arthur, the king's traditional nemesis.

Despite Bercilak's invitation, Gawain decides not to return to the castle for more merriment, and moves back to Camelot, traveling "through the wild woods of the world" with the green girdle on his shoulders. Once at the Arthur's court, Gawain is greeted with much cheering and joy from Arthur, Guinevere, and the others. He recounts his entire adventure, but is ashamed when he tells of his ultimate failing as a result of the green girdle. Nevertheless, Arthur and the courtiers, unaware of Gawain's shame, adopt the green baldric as a heraldic token in honor of Gawain. From 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 Jesus Christ for bliss.

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Characters and summary

Part 1 (lines 1–490)

The poem opens with a mythological account of Britain's founding. After the fall of Troy, we are told, various heroes left to build cities. Romulus founded Rome, Ticius founded Tuscany, and Brutus founded Britain. The author introduces Britain's greatest leader, the legendary King Arthur. This brief introduction ends with the poet telling us he will relate a story he heard told in a hall about a great Arthurian adventure.

The story begins at Christmastime at King Arthur's court in Camelot. The knights of the Round Table join Arthur in the holiday celebrations, and Queen Guinevere presides in their midst. The lords and ladies of Camelot have been feasting for fifteen days, and now it is New Year's Day. Everyone participates in New Year's games, exchanging gifts and kisses. When the evening's feast is about to be served, Arthur introduces a new game: he refuses to eat his dinner until he has heard a marvelous story.

While the lords and ladies feast, with Arthur's nephew Gawain and Guinevere sitting together in the place of privilege at the high table, Arthur continues to wait for his marvel. As if in answer to Arthur's request, an unknown knight suddenly enters the hall on horseback. The gigantic knight has a beautiful face and figure. Every piece of his elaborate costume is green, with flourishes of gold embossing. His huge horse is green, and his green hair and beard are woven together with gold thread. He holds a holly bob in one hand and a huge green and gold axe in the other.

Without introducing himself, the knight demands to see the person in charge. His question meets dead silence—the stunned lords and ladies stare at him silently, waiting for Arthur to respond. Arthur steps forward, inviting the knight to join the feast and tell his tale after he has dismounted from his horse. The knight refuses the invitation, remaining mounted and explaining that he has come to inspect Arthur's court because he has heard so much about its superior knights. He claims to come in peace, but he demands to be indulged in a game. Arthur assumes the knight refers to some kind of combat and promises him a fight. However, the knight explains that he has no interest in fighting with such young and puny knights. Instead, he wants to play a game in which someone will strike him with his own axe, on the understanding that he gets to return the blow in exactly a year and a day.

The strange conditions of the game shock the court into silence once again. The Green Knight begins to question the reputation of Arthur's followers, claiming that their failure to respond proves them cowards. Arthur blushes and steps forth defend his court, but just as he begins to swing the giant axe at the unfazed Green Knight, Gawain stands up and requests that he be allowed to take the challenge himself. The king agrees, and Gawain recites the terms of the game to show the Green Knight that he understands the pact he has undertaken. The Green Knight dismounts and bends down toward the ground, exposing his neck. Gawain lifts the axe, and in one stroke he severs the Green Knight's head. Blood spurts from the wound, and the head rolls around the room, passing by the feet of many of the guests. However, the Green Knight does not fall from his horse. He reaches down, picks up the head, and holds it before him, pointing it toward the high table. The head speaks, reiterating the terms of Gawain's promise. The Green Knight rides out of the hall, sparks flying from his horse's hooves. Arthur and Gawain decide to hang the axe above the main dais. They then return to their feast and the continuing festivities.

Part 2 (lines 491–1125)

Part 2 begins with a brief summary of the New Year's feast in Part 1. The poet calls the Green Knight's game with Gawain King Arthur's New Year's gift, since it provided him with the marvelous story he had waited to hear. The poet describes in elaborate language the change of seasons, from Christmas to the cold season of Lent with its ritual fasting, to a green young spring and summer, then into harvest time, and finally back to winter. In late autumn, on the Day of All Saints, the knights of Camelot prepare to send a mournful Gawain off on his quest for the Green Chapel.

Worried but resigned, Gawain calls for his armor, which the poet describes in great detail. He devotes space to each and every piece, down to the shimmering skirts on Gawain's horse, Gringolet. The description lingers on Gawain's shield, which depicts on its outside a gold five-pointed star, or pentangle, on a red background. On the inside of the shield is the face of Mary, Christ's mother. Each of the five points of the pentangle, which is described as an “endless knot” (630), represents a set of Gawain's virtues: his five senses; his five fingers; his fidelity, founded on the five wounds of Christ; his force, founded on the five joys of Mary; and the five knightly virtues.

After dressing, Gawain says goodbye to his friends and leaves the court. Sparks fly from Gringolet's hooves as they ride off. He heads out into the wilderness, traveling through North Wales and the west coast of England in his search for the mysterious Green Chapel. He encounters various foes—wolves and dragons, bulls and bears, boars and giants—but always prevails over his enemies. He sleeps in his armor and has frequent nightmares. As the winter grows colder, he nearly freezes to death.

Finally, on Christmas Eve, the desperate Gawain prays to the Virgin Mary that he might find a place to attend Christmas Mass. He repents his sins, crosses himself three times, and, when he looks up, he sees a beautiful castle. Surrounded by a green park and a moat, the castle shimmers in the distance through the trees, and Gawain, full of thanks to God for saving him, approaches the drawbridge. The castle is so white and its crowns and turrets so tall and intricately carved that the whole building looks as if it were cut out of paper. Gawain salutes, and a guardian allows him to enter.

The porter welcomes Gawain warmly, inviting him in to meet the courtiers and the lord of the castle. The host's lords and ladies repeatedly express their joy that Gawain (a minor celebrity because he is Arthur's nephew and a knight of the Round Table) can show them the latest in knightly behavior and help them to become more courtly themselves. Like Arthur's followers, the courtiers seem inexperienced and carefree. But Gawain's host presents a much more imposing figure than Arthur. The lord appears to be middle-aged, with a thick, gray-black beard and solid, sturdy legs. Though the host's fiery face and stocky figure make him appear fierce, his speech reveals him to be gracious and gentle.

The lord takes Gawain to a rich chamber, where he feeds Gawain sumptuous food and wine, and introduces Gawain to two women. The host's wife is young, beautiful, and elegantly dressed, her firm neck and bosom exposed. The other, an old woman, is wrinkled, stocky, hairy, black-browed, and covered entirely in clothing. Only her nose, eyes, and blistered lips are exposed by the fabric. After the introductions, the lords and ladies play games and celebrate late into the night, when Gawain retires for bed.

Christmas morning and the two days following it pass in a similar manner, but Gawain begins to feel the weight of his quest pressing on him. With only three days remaining before his engagement with the Green Knight, Gawain refuses his host's offer of a longer stay, explaining that he must search for the Green Chapel or else be judged a failure. The host responds gleefully, telling Gawain he can send him to the Green Chapel easily—it is only two miles away. Gladdened, Gawain thanks the host and accepts the invitation to stay the three days until New Year's. The host proposes a game of sorts: during the day, he wants Gawain to stay at court and linger in bed and around the castle, spending time with the two ladies. Meanwhile, the host will go out hunting with his men. At the end of each of the three days, the two men will exchange whatever they have won. Happy to play along, Gawain accepts. The men kiss each other, repeating their vows, and then go off to bed.

Part 3 (lines 1126–1997)

Early in the morning, the host and his guests get out of bed and prepare to ride forth from the castle. They attend Mass, eat a small breakfast, and leave with their hunting dogs as dawn breaks. They ride through the woods, chasing after the deer and herding the does away from the bucks and harts. In the fields, they slay the deer dozens at a time with their deadly arrows. The hounds hunt down the wounded animals, and the hunters follow to kill them off with their knives.

Back at the castle, Gawain lingers in bed until daybreak. While still half asleep, he hears the door open quietly. Peeking out of his bed's canopy, he sees the host's wife creeping toward his bed. Gawain lies back down, pretending to be asleep. Stealthily, the lady climbs inside the bed curtains and sits beside Gawain. Confused but curious, Gawain stretches and pretends to wake up. Upon seeing the lady in his bed, he feigns surprise and makes the sign of the cross. The host's wife smiles and greets him, teasing him for sleeping so deeply that he didn't notice her entering his chamber. She jokes that she has captured him, and she threatens to tie him to the bed, laughing at her own game. Gawain laughs and “surrenders” to her, then asks her leave to get up and put on his clothes. She refuses, saying that instead she will hold him captive. She tells Gawain that she has heard many stories about him and wants to spend time alone with him. She offers to be his servant and tells him to use her body any way he sees fit.

The two continue bantering, and the lady tells Gawain that she would have chosen him for her husband if she could have. Gawain responds that her own husband is the better man. Until mid-morning, the lady continues to lavish Gawain with admiration, and Gawain continues to guard himself while still being gracious.

When the lady gets up to leave, she laughs and then sternly accuses her captive knight of not being the real Gawain. Alarmed and worried that he has failed in his courtesy, Gawain asks her to explain what she means. She responds that the real Gawain would never let a lady leave his chamber without taking a kiss. Gawain allows one kiss, and then the lady leaves. He dresses immediately and goes to hear Mass, then spends the afternoon with the host's wife and the old woman.

Meanwhile, the lord has been hunting deer with his men all day. As evening comes on, the hunters begin to flay the animals, separating the meat and skin from the carcasses. The poet describes the dismembering of the deer in gory detail, from the removal of their bowels to the severing of their heads. After they finish their bloody task, the hunters return home with their meat.

The host greets Gawain and gives him the venison he won during the hunt that day. Gawain thanks him and in return gives him the kiss he won from the lady. The host jokingly asks where Gawain won such a prize, and Gawain points out that they agreed to exchange winnings, not to tell where or how they were acquired. Happy, the men feast and retire to bed, agreeing before they part to play the game again the next day.

The next two days follow a similar pattern. On the second day, the lord hunts a wild boar, risking his life as he wrestles it to the ground and stabs it with his sword. At the castle, the lady continues to teasingly challenge Gawain's reputation, pressuring him into allowing her two kisses and continuing to make convincing arguments for how his acceptance of her love would be chivalrous. That night, the host brings home the boar's head on a stick and exchanges it with Gawain for the two kisses.

On the third day the host hunts a fox, and Gawain, awakened by the lady from horrible nightmares about the Green Knight, receives three kisses from the lady during the course of their conversation. However, while they banter, the lady asks Gawain for a love token. Gawain refuses to fulfill her request, claiming he has nothing to give, so the lady offers him a ring, which he also refuses. She then offers him her green girdle, which she claims has magical properties: it possesses the ability to keep the man who wears it safe from death. Tempted by the possibility of protecting his life, Gawain accepts the girdle.

That afternoon, Gawain goes to confession. At the end of the day, he gives the three kisses to his host but fails to mention the lady's gift. After the exchange, the host and his courtiers hold a farewell party for Gawain, who later retires to his chamber, prepared to leave the next day to seek out the Green Chapel. Whether he sleeps or not, the poet cannot say.

Part 4 (lines 1998–2531)

Gawain lies in bed during the early hours of New Year's morning, listening to the harsh wind wailing outside the castle. Before the sun comes up, he rises and prepares to depart, putting on his armor and ordering servants to saddle his horse. Despite Gawain's anxiety, his armor shines as brightly as it did when he left Camelot. He does not forget to tie the lady's girdle around his waist. The girdle's green color stands out against the red cloth of Gawain's surcoat.

As Gawain and Gringolet prepare to ride off, Gawain silently blesses the castle, asking Christ to keep it safe from harm and wishing joy on the host and the host's wife. Accompanied by a guide, Gawain crosses the drawbridge and rides back out into the wilderness, up to the heights of the neighboring snowy hills. There, the guide turns to Gawain and proposes a solution to his impending problem: if Gawain leaves now without facing the knight, the guide promises not to tell anyone. No one survives an encounter with the Green Knight, the guide informs Gawain, so continuing is tantamount to suicide. Gawain thanks the guide for his concern, but he refuses to be a coward. The guide wishes Gawain well and leaves at a breakneck pace, afraid to go any farther into the woods.

Gawain strengthens his resolve and heads onward into the strange forest. He sees no sign of buildings and searches without success for a chapel in the wilderness. Finally he notices a strange mound and investigates it. He spots a kind of crevice or cave, fringed with tall grass, and realizes it must be the Green Chapel.

Suddenly certain that the place belongs to the devil, Gawain curses the chapel and is proceeding toward the cave with his lance in hand when he hears the horrifying sound of a weapon being sharpened on a grindstone. Terrified, and fully aware that the sound means his own doom, Gawain calls out to the lord of the place, stating that he has come to fulfill his agreement. The Green Knight replies, telling Gawain to stay put, and continues to sharpen his weapon. The Green Knight emerges from around a crag, carrying a Danish axe. He welcomes Gawain warmly and compliments him on his punctuality, then tells him he will repay him for his own beheading a year ago. Gawain tries to act unafraid as he bares his neck for the deadly blow.
The Green Knight lifts the axe high and drops it. When the Green Knight sees Gawain flinch he stops his blade, mocking Gawain and questioning his reputation. Gawain tells him he will not flinch again, and the Green Knight lifts the axe a second time. Gawain doesn't flinch as the axe comes down, and the Green Knight holds the blade again, this time congratulating Gawain's courage. He then threatens Gawain, saying that the next blow will strike him. Angry, Gawain tells the knight to hurry up and strike, and the knight lifts his axe one last time. He brings it down hard, but causes Gawain no harm other than a slight cut on his neck. Gawain leaps away, draws his sword gleefully, and challenges the Green Knight to a fight, telling him that he has withstood the promised blow. The Green Knight leans on his axe and agrees that Gawain has met the terms of the covenant, but refuses to fight. He points out that he has spared Gawain. He feinted the first two times, in accordance with their contract on the first two days, when Gawain gave him the gifts he had received from the lady. The nick from the third blow was punishment for Gawain's behavior on the third day, when he failed to tell the truth about the green girdle.

This speech reveals that the Green Knight is the host of the castle where Gawain was staying. He again congratulates Gawain on his bravery, calling him the worthiest of Arthur's knights and excusing his transgression on the third day. Gawain responds by untying the girdle and cursing it, and asking to regain the host's trust if possible. The Green Knight laughs and absolves Gawain, now that he has adequately confessed his sin. He gives Gawain the girdle to keep and asks him to come back to the castle and stay there longer to celebrate New Year's, but Gawain refuses.

Gawain thanks the Green Knight and sends his best wishes to the lady and the old woman, then complains about the deceitfulness of women, who have brought about the downfalls of great men such as Adam, Solomon, Samson, and David. He accepts the girdle, though, and asks that the Green Knight tell him his true name. The knight agrees and reveals himself as Bertilak de Hautdesert, servant of Morgan le Faye, who is the old woman in the castle. Le Faye is also Gawain's aunt and Arthur's half sister, as well as Merlin's mistress; she sometimes helps and sometimes makes trouble for Arthur. Bertilak reveals that Le Faye sent him in disguise as the Green Knight to Camelot in order to scare Queen Guinevere to death. One last time, Bertilak asks Gawain to return with him to the castle and celebrate New Year's with Morgan le Faye and the others, but Gawain refuses and hurries back toward Camelot.

On his journey back to Arthur's castle, Gawain's wound heals, but he continues to wear the green girdle on his right shoulder. When he enters the court, he meets a gleeful reception and tells the story of his encounter with Bertilak. He explains that he intends to wear the green girdle forever as a sign of his failure and sin. Arthur and the court try to comfort Gawain, and they decide that they will all wear belts of green silk as a sign of respect and unity.

The poet concludes by reaffirming the truth of his story, which happened in the days of King Arthur, and which is recorded in “[t]he books of Brutus' deeds” (2523). In the last wheel of the poem, the poet praises Christ.

Source : http://s10560.chomikuj.pl/File.aspx?e=HnlQZu3gghPhgemr4tYWloPA8txcbbfLPa3JFkWpITI3MAHTbjgSMSBJkzA4AjGSOod4f-GuWCmRQxHp46-Oy_P3L0lY_d7sy6CWqoBlfilA8cAOxH8NFLEdRH_ooDtQFUPjh46gXow1Gf783-gnjg&pv=2

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Characters and summary

Background of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

only one original manuscript exists in a British museum

the earliest record of this manuscript is in the catalogue of an sixteenth-century lord in Yorkshire, but we do not know how it got there, or how it fell into the hands of Sir Robert Cotton

the last of four poems dating no later than 1400
written in the time of Chaucer
published in 1839
three poems preceding it are Pearl, Purity, and Patience
all considered to have been written by the same anonymous poet (the “Pearl Poet”), judging from similarities in style, dialect, and theme

the poems are also illustrated with crude drawings

most scholars believe that the provincial dialect indicates an origin in the northwest Midlands of England, use of local allusions supports this theory

written for an aristocratic audience

Gawain is typical of Middle English alliterative poems in that it is written in alliterative long lines, following the basic metrical principles of Old English verse

repetition of the same consonant sound on at least two, often three, of the stressed syllables
the poem begins: "Sithen the sege and the assaut was sesed at Troye" (line 1)
the long lines do not rhyme with each other

during Camelot’s “Golden Age” before Launcelot’s prominence

Sir Gawain was said to be the ideal of knightly courtesy – “Gawain the Good” – nephew of King Arthur

Basic Characteristics of a Medieval Romance
(a French poetic form which had great influence in England beginning
in the middle of the twelfth century)

opens at a feast with close attention to details of pageantry

involves a challenge

a setting amidst the feudal nobility

a celebration of warrior society

tells adventures of a young hero

involves supernatural elements

teaches hero a moral lesson

archetypal woman as temptress

cyclical qualities of nature

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

in the aristocratic society of chivalry, the most supreme kind of courtly love was for an unattainable woman, often the queen of a knight's lord

a knight's love for this lady would inspire him to braver deeds

the code of chivalry focused on the protection of the weak and fair elements of society by the loyal, self-sacrificing knight

it also included a knight's fidelity to his court and king, and his respect for other warriors and the rules of combat

Notes on Part I

The Conventions of the Medieval Romance

Gawain appears to fit neatly into the genre of the medieval romance. All the characteristics of the romance are present, however, closer examination suggests a questioning of the values of chivalry and the typical romance.

Does the poet really support these values, even when he writes in the style of the romance?
Is there not a greater irony to his description of conventional romance elements, or to the way the events unfold in the poem?
Remember 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 exactly satirizing the romance, could certainly be expressing his doubts about the values and social institution of the chivalric court by playing within the bounds of the romance genre.

Part I and the Romance Genre

opening exposition establishes the historical setting via a list of previous battles and legendary heroes; this establishes a link with the legendary past and thereby legitimizes the unfolding content of the current narrative
when the poet focuses upon Arthur's court; Arthur and his knights were already a popular topic of romances, serving as the ideal of chivalric loyalty and valor
it is no surprise that the scene unfolds at a great New Year's feast, another romantic convention, for this provides the poet with a chance to display the chivalric society

notice how he describes Arthur and his knights in superlatives, as the most famous knights in Christendom and the handsomest of kings
superlative mention is also made of Queen Guinevere, her beauty and nobility, with particular attention paid to the details of her dress and accoutrements

the poet emphasizes Arthur's wish for a great wonder or tale to entertain him at the feast, again an affirmation of the typical view of Camelot as a place of adventure and unparalleled bravery

Possible Questioning of Values of a Romance

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
the superlative description of Camelot verges on the excessive

a poet this skilled in description would surely be able to exalt Arthur and his court in a less simplistic manner
we cannot help but question the poet's genuine belief in its glory
Certainly this supposed "greatness" of Camelot is something we will want to consider at the end of the poem

the poet's description of the lavishness and merriment at the New Year's feast suggests a certain decadence in Arthur's court
the description of Guinevere thus far is in keeping with romantic conventions of the exalted noble woman, but these portrayals of women will continue to evolve throughout the poem, calling into question the concept of courtly love
the poet describes Arthur as restless, youthfully light-hearted and rather boyish

while 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

when the stranger speaks, his half-mocking tone provides another chance to criticize the chivalric court

surely, the initial silence of the court affirms his censure of Camelot'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

for all their seriousness, Arthur lightly ignores the implications of Gawain's mission, urging for more revelry and suggesting again, the immature and decadent Camelot of this complicated romance

Links with Celtic Mythology

the Celts, the people who lived in the British Isles prior to the arrival of the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons, had a strong body of pagan belief, ritual practices, and stories surrounding those beliefs and practices
many of the characters in these myths were gods and goddesses
as the Middle Ages progressed and Christianity grew more dominant, these motifs and characters were often preserved in the folklore and literature of the British Isles

in Gawain, there is a constant sense of the Celtic, pagan cosmology underlying the events with the Green Knight and Gawain's quest
as the poem progresses, this becomes especially complicated when set against the obvious Christianity in the story
Christian belief and pagan ritual mingle in intricate ways in Gawain

Link with Celtic Belief is Noticeable in Two Ways

the Christmas/New Years setting of the scene

Celtic pagan belief considered the year to be an important cycle in both the human and natural worlds
the Celts designated a certain time of year as the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one
at this "limbo" time of year, strange, supernatural events were likely to happen and the human world was likely to come in contact with the Otherworld 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 excess of spiritual energy
traditionally, this designated time of year took place around November 1 for the Celts, and was known as Samhain
however, with the influence of Christianity and more Continental beliefs, this limbo time was moved to the period between Christmas and New Year's day

the figure of the Green Knight

he can be seen as an Otherworldly visitor to the human world, as a strange, unaccountable force of nature entering Camelot, the epitome of civilized society
the bizarre 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 Irish myth, "Bricriu's Feast."

in this tale, the Celtic hero Cuchulainn must behead an Otherworldly figure at a feast, with similar consequences: the apparent immortality of the other figure and the challenge for an exchange stroke a year later
in both cases, the Beheading Game has a ritual, pagan significance, suggesting the regenerative quality of Nature and the turning of the year

the Green Knight in fact designates the following New Year's day as the date for the exchange blow, thus emphasizing the significance of the year as a cycle of time
renewal and regeneration are certainly implicit in the Green Knight's immortality, since the beheading has no effect on him
another clue to his Otherworldly 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

Symbols in Part I

The Green Knight

personifies the renewable, indestructible forces of nature, entering human society on New Year's Day
a mixture of the familiar (the civil) and the foreign (the raw)

he is opulently dressed and clearly noble, yet his green color and sheer size indicate he is not entirely of this world
thus, the Green Knight functions as a liminal figure, mediating between the civilized world of chivalry and the unknown world of nature

he also calls into question the civilized structure of chivalric and Christian values which confront Gawain

he bears in one of his hands a branch of holly and in another a cruel battle-axe
indicates his civilized wish for peace, offset by his potential for destruction
on another level, it symbolizes his understanding of the rules of society, despite his innate link with the natural world

Recurring Colors of Green and Gold

the green obviously indicates his raw, natural character
gold is, after all, often associated with wealth, royalty, and the ultimate level of society

in 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 Otherworldly nature

Notes on Part II

Description of Nature & Passing of the Seasons

the poet portrays Nature as an ever-changing world which sustains the human world and yet is not affected by 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 inexorably and the seasons push along to winter again:
the overall picture enhances the superior power of Nature in its creative and destructive aspects through springtime back to winter
the insignificance of human actions and emotions in comparison to the natural world

Malevolent, Destructive Aspects of Nature

vicious beasts, cold rain, wild forests, ragged moss, treacherous bogs

nature is an overpowering world that belittles the individual human
the one thing that saves Gawain from destruction is his faith in God
it is only this religion which can guide and rescue the human from the dangerous world around him
faith in God enables mankind to negotiate and survive the forces of Nature, both those natural forces outside and within him

Imposing Form and Deconstructing the Romance

In contrast to this wild, untamed world of Nature, the Gawain-poet also presents us with the seemingly ordered and carefully crafted world of human society

the poet digresses into long, somewhat technical descriptions of Gawain's armor, the architecture of the mysterious castle, and luxurious court
these detailed passages, with their technical language and excessive description, create a sense of extreme artifice in the human world

the embroidered fabrics, the skillfully cooked fish, the intricately ornamented castle, the expertly crafted armor all stand in direct contrast to the ever-changing, primal world of Nature

on 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
the poet contrasts society, order, craftsmanship, and artifice with unbridled nature, wildness, fertility, and destructiveness

Representation of Human Society is Subtly Complicated

the Gawain-poet does not praise the civility of the human world over the wildness of Nature
he seems to be implying that perhaps human society is not as wonderful and ordered as it strives to be
the poet verges on the excessive

Is he merely glorifying the appearance of the castle, the armor, the banquet-hall, or does he ask if this is perhaps too much, too lavish, too superficial?
There is such an emphasis on externalities and sensuality (appearances, the texture of the fabrics, the taste of the food) that there seems to be a distancing from the spiritual.
Doesn't Gawain appear to be closer to God when he toils alone through the forest than when he revels at a royal feast?

In questioning these constructions and forms, the poet eventually questions the romance genre itself

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

Ultimately, what is the purpose of the romance genre: 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 excessive feasts and armor of the poem, perhaps strive to impose form on nature but in a way that only serves to confuse and superficialize the human soul.

Chivalric Values

Gold, Transcendence, & Christian/Chivalric Perfection

Gawain as the idealistic knight, the very embodiment of chivalric values

"Like purified gold, Sir Gawain was known for his goodness, / All dross refined away, adorned with virtues/ ŠA man still undefiled, / And of all knights most gentle."

the metaphor of gold which appeared in Part I
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
there is no question here that the poet intends to portray Gawain as the ultimate paragon of medieval virtue and chivalry
to emphasize this, he delves into a lengthy explanation of the pentangle on Gawain's shield, stressing how Gawain possesses, better than any other man, all the five points of Christian and chivalric perfection

Gawain’s Chivalric Faith

Gawain is also notable because he believes so fully in these societal values
for him, there is no question as to whether or not he should set off on this quest

he volunteered to undertake the Green Knight's challenge from his sense of chivalric duty
he insists on keeping his side of the bargain, again, as part of his chivalric duty
the poet makes clear that Gawain is guided and protected entirely by his sense of morality, both Christian and chivalric, which is symbolized by the shield with Christian and chivalric symbols on it

Will his Christian Piety & Morality be Enough?

he has survived the natural perils of his journey largely as a result of his own Christian piety
eventually he will encounter perils that come from other members of society and from within his own human nature

Important Questions

Will his unerring moral sense be enough to protect him from these more disguised forces?
Are Christian and chivalric perfection enough to make a man whole?
This ultimately is crux of the poem
The writer questions the viability of societal values when pitted against human nature and societal imperfection

Implications of Poet

through his excessive descriptions of luxury 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 Fall of Man and the Castle as Paradise

When describing this less-than-perfect human world, medieval writers frequently would allude to the Biblical story of the Fall of Man. According to the Bible, Man was intended by God to be a perfect creature, and the first man, Adam, originally lived in an untouched Paradise (the Garden of Eden), along with the first woman, Eve. They lived in a state of perfect, ignorant bliss, like children, and did not have to work to survive. But Eve was eventually tempted by Satan, became (sexually) curious, and convinced Adam to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. As punishment for their Original Sin, they were thrown from Paradise to earth, where mankind has since had to labor in order to survive. Hence, the Fall of Man, the ultimate metaphor for the loss of human innocence.

Gawain Parallels

Gawain exists as a purely faultless creature, even ignorant in his idealism
perhaps he, too, will eventually lose his innocence and undergo a fall from the paradise of ignorant bliss
Paradise is perhaps also symbolized in the poem by the shining image of the castle, towering over the dark forest

Medieval literature and art was full of such images of Paradise; often it appeared as an oasis, a garden, or a castle amidst a threatening desert or wasteland
in Gawain, we clearly have this medieval convention
but perhaps this castle as welcoming and as luxurious as it first seems to Gawain is not the bastion of moral virtue and perfection that the original Eden was
this castle is a complicated symbol, for it appears to have all the trappings of a Paradise

it appears to Gawain immediately after he has prayed for salvation
the descriptions of its architecture emphasize its strength and impregnability
but, 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 Part II

the castle

salvation and Paradise for Gawain, harking back to a medieval convention of castles as Paradise
perhaps it is not as morally perfect as the Biblical Paradise, and the excessive, technical descriptions of the castle's superficialities seem to imply this falseness

Gawain's two-sided shield

may be the most important symbol in the poem
functions as both his form of physical protection and as his symbol of moral protection

Gawain derives his strength from his belief in Christian 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 Pentangle on the outside can be seen as a symbol of chivalric values; indeed the five virtues of Franchise, Fellowship, Cleanness, Courtesy, and Charity quickly summarize the chivalric code
the image of the Virgin Mary, on the other hand, obviously symbolizes Christian faith

Thus, Gawain displays his chivalric beliefs and behavior outwardly to the rest of society, but Christian faith -- as symbolized by the image of Mary on the inside of his shield - Christian faith is his inner strength

Dual pagan-Christian Interpretation of Shield

the Pentangle is often seen as a pagan, and not a Christian symbol, so it is unusual that it should appear on Gawain's shield, with the image of Mary on the reverse side
the Pentangle is noteworthy because it is an "endless knot" and has no beginning and no end, and wherever you start, the beginning ultimately becomes the end

it comes to resemble the yearly cycle which the poet described so beautifully at the start of Part II again, something endless with no beginning or end
just as the circularity of the year testified to the superior, replenishing power of Nature, the endless Pentangle on Gawain's shield may also allude to the eternality of Nature and the need to balance this with a strong faith in religion

Notes on Part III

Significance of Structure

on all three days, the structure is very similar
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 exchange 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 equated to the lady's very feminine sexual pursuit of this chivalric hero

Parallel de-constructs the Superficial Constructions of Society

by equating 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 pursues Gawain by using complex 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 complex, drawing upon many medieval attitudes to courtesy and humility
yet what it all comes down to is something very primal, very uncivil and animalistic

again, then, we get a sense of the falseness of societal constructions

as with the descriptions of luxurious clothes and architecture, the careful, diplomatic dialogue between Gawain and the lady is only used to mask the real nature of human lust
another example of societal artifice imposing itself falsely upon nature

Gawain’s Complex Conflict & the Role of Civility

it is only through his diplomatic responses and references to social rules (her existing marriage to the lord, his refusal to use force, etc.) that he is able to extricate himself from a very complicated situation
Gawain's conflict is a very complex one because in rejecting the lady's requests he runs the risk of offending a moral code

Chivalric duty had always required service and deference to both one's lord and one's lady
only now does Gawain's fervent belief in chivalry create a conundrum for him

on 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
on the other hand, he counters this with his sense of chivalry to a sworn lord and his strong Christian belief

As with the earlier trial in the dark forest, it is Gawain's sense of Christian righteousness which ultimately saves him

Gawain’s Fall to the Lady's Seductions

by secretly accepting the girdle and refusing to give it away, Gawain violates the agreement he had with his lord and the chivalric code of honor
it 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 sex, she succeeds by appealing to his desire to live

both are basic animal instincts
while Gawain can smother the one through his strong moral sense, he cannot ultimately ignore the other: the fear of death hangs too much on him
in this way, the idealistic Gawain finally allows himself to be guided by his own nature, and not by his sense of societal duty

Masterful Connection of Plots

Gawain's fear of mortality is linked to his impending meeting with the Green Knight
this is where the poet so masterfully connects this story about Gawain in the castle with the more imposing story about Gawain and the Green Knight
the poet's careful cross-cutting between outdoors and indoors hunting scenes equates Gawain with the hunted beasts

both are pursued
both are gripped by the fear of death

Hence 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

Further Parallels: Language

the language used during the bedroom scenes often employs metaphors of fighting and fencing

a polite Gawain at first says to the forward lady: "I surrender my arms at once and sue for kind treatment"
later, the poet writes: "But Sir Gawain remained, in his graceful way, en garde. / Even so, his mind would be drawn to the dark that he need not long await, / The stroke that must destroy him"

at the same time, Gawain, aware of the lady's advances and afraid of his impending doom, is equivalent to the deer that the lord is hunting right now
the overall effect of these parallels is to equate the two scenes of the exposed, dangerous exterior forest and "sheltered," "safe" interior bedroom
Thus, the poet reduces the complicated, artificialized 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 Role of the Lady and Temptress and Healer

initially, the character of the lady is a pleasant companion to Gawain
she suddenly becomes a temptress, attempting to seduce Gawain
the lady easily resembles archetypal female characters in earlier literature

Medieval, Arthurian, and Celtic lore often had such female temptresses, all of whom existed to distract the knight errant from his moral task
the Lady in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight obviously fits this role, but we should also not forget the Biblical story of the Fall of Man which we discussed in our analysis of Part II

the castle appears as a "Paradise" and is not all it seems to Gawain
rather than bring him salvation, it now only provides him with further perils, in the guise of the predatory lady
by appealing to Gawain's sexual desire, the lady becomes an Eve-figure in this false Paradise, tempting the hero to violate his moral agreement with his higher lord

The Archetypal Enchantress/Healing Women of Celtic Myth

folklore abounded with Otherworldly women who could cure wounded warriors
the lady offers Gawain a cure in the form of the green girdle
its 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
instead of curing him, it only taints him in a moral sense
thus, the lady does not heal but instead wounds Gawain, and, just as with the false Paradise of the castle, nothing is as it seems

Symbols in Part III

The Green Girdle

a deceptive object, for it claims to protect a man, but in this case has only caused Gawain to breach his moral code and ruin his sense of self
although Gawain accepts it because of his fear of death, there are still all the trappings of romantic love: the lady unties it from her waist and wraps it around Gawain's
it still appears as a love-token, thereby emphasizing the sense of deception when Gawain hides it from the lord
it is green, linking it immediately with the Green Knight

it is a sort of a reverse-magic to that of the supernatural, indestructible knight or at least Gawain hopes so
yet both the Green Knight and the green girdle seem to hark from a world of the magical, the otherworldly, the natural and fertile and indestructible
pagan connotations with the obvious emphasis on fertility
we can even see the pagan, magical green girdle as representing everything that is not acceptable by chivalric and Christian standards
in keeping it, Gawain goes against his code of honesty, courage, and faith

Notes on Part IV

Description of the Natural World

striking images of the desolate, wintry world of Nature

a terrible storm on New Year's Eve, emphasizing Gawain's sense of dread as he fearfully anticipates the meeting with the Green Knight
a good example of pathetic fallacy, a literary device whereby the weather and the natural world echo the emotions of a character
the night storm reflects Gawain's dread, but it also heightens the sense of an overpowering, superior force of Nature which mankind cannot possibly contend with
the effect is the same as the descriptions of Nature in Part II: the individual human is belittled when compared to the magnitude and power of the natural world

as Gawain and the servant approach the Green Chapel, there are more remarkable descriptions of Nature

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

Implicit Linking of Green Knight with Nature

just as the poet described the terror of the natural world during the journey, the servant here describes the terror of the Green Knight
the GK as an overpowering, superior force that seems impossible to contend with
this has been the association all along since the poem's start
nearing the suspenseful climax of the story, the extreme horror of the Green Knight and of Nature are magnified to dizzying proportions
it is the poet's clever way of building suspense, while also emphasizing the nobility and idealism of Gawain's character
for all his dread and all the warnings from other humans, Gawain will not abandon his chivalric duty to uphold the terms of the agreement
he remains courageous in the face of imminent death and a terrifying force of Nature

The Futility of Human Constructions – Useless Armor

Gawain's careful arming of himself on New Year's Day is very similar to previous descriptions of armor we have encountered before

in Part I with the Green Knight
in Part II with Gawain before setting off on his quest
at this point in the story, the meticulously polished armor and clothing bear a particular irony for the reader and for Gawain

no matter how strong or how beautiful his armor is, it still will not save him from the impending blow of the Green Knight
Why, 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 gutting 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 such an elaborate, ennobling social construction (the armor) is pitted against the finality of death, and it proves to be useless.

Futility of Human Constructions – Mocking of the Romance Genre

the grand armor is useless
the language of courtly love has been used not to ennoble but to deceive and seduce
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 Revealed

the Green Knight is key to understanding the theme of nature and human society

in Part I he appeared as a liminal figure between the natural and the human worlds: with a civilized look to his armor and clothes, yet clearly Otherworldly
here in Part IV, we realize that the Green Knight has been in the story all along
both we and Gawain are surprised, but what does this revelation say about the relationship between the natural and the human worlds?

The Green Knight as the Devil?

a trickster who changes identities
appears always invincible
challenges humans to abandon their Christian and moral principles

Gawain is certainly tempted by the sensual luxuries of Bercilak's court and by the sexual advances of Bercilak's wife
just as the Devil frequently 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 Chapel seems like a place where one would meet Satan himself
the description and name of the Green Chapel are in some ways a parody of the clean, welcoming, sanctuary of the Christian church, the House of God
pacts with the Devil 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 the moral faith that guided his soul

Bercilak’s/Green Knight’s Link with Nature

as Bercilak, he still carries a unique, instinctual natural-ness, as evidenced by his prowess and physicality during the hunts
with Bercilak ranging through the wild forests and Gawain in bed having a diplomatic, flirtatious conversation with Lady Bercilak, it seems there could be no greater polarity between the vigorous natural world and the guarded human world

Is the Natural vs. the Human the Real Conflict?

If so, then Nature would seem to have won out in this story, for the human constructions have proven to be futile and Gawain ultimately lets himself be guided by his own natural impulse to survive
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 Morgan le Fay
in a sense, it isn't at all Nature or the "all-natural" Green Knight that Gawain has been contending with, but merely the machinations of another human being, driven by human jealousies and emotions, and dependent on constructions and artifices just as elaborate as those we have already encountered in the other human characters
in this light, Gawain's challenge hasn't been natural in the least, but instead the very definition of artificial

Morgan le Fay

with the revelation of Morgan le Fay's villainy, nothing is as it seems
the Green Knight, instead of the dynamic embodiment of Nature, ends up as the puppet of a relatively minor character

Critics of le Fay Element & Gawain's "Misogynistic" Speech

many critics have objected to the final explanation in Part IV

it seems forced
doesn't "ring true"
the poet was merely giving into the conventions of the larger Arthurian genre

Whether or not this is true, the mention of her does cause Gawain's outburst in the eighteenth stanza, where he mentions Biblical figures who have been deceived by women
this speech is often labeled "misogynistic" (woman-hating) and out-of-character for Gawain
it may even reveal the underlying misogyny of the poet himself

The Fall of Man & Woman as Temptress

Gawain's speech, drawing upon Biblical parables, relies upon his fervent faith in Christian morality

shattered by the realization that everything has been a false game, he seems to be angrily lashing out at

the weakening vices of "cowardice and covetousness" and
the predatory women that prey upon such vices

Bercilak himself helps to draw the parallel between Morgan and the dangerous Biblical women when he talks of how Morgan gained her skills in sorcery by seducing Merlin

the same trope of the temptress lies in the figures of Eve and Lady Bercilak

now, with Bercilak's explanation, do the lady's seductive actions seem to bear a more planned, but somehow more sinister motive to the entire game
the basic motif remains the same

the temptress
the Paradise which is no longer
the Fall from innocence

Gawain's Fall comes with the realization that his entire quest has been an artifice, a mere game, and as a result, his moral belief in the world around him is shattered.

Gawain's Disillusionment Extended upon hi Return to Camelot

The final episode, in which 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 realization that he has been played all along by Sir Bercilak, Lady Bercilak, and Morgan le Fay (all of whom appeared, at first, to be respectable, noble characters)
when he arrives at Arthur's court, their inability to see his moral failure ruins his moral conviction even more

Why 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 quagmire

he bears his green girdle as a mark of shame
the rest of Camelot continues to celebrate and raises the green girdle in blind admiration of Gawain

It is a complex ending, and certainly not the conventional sense of resolution that is found in most romances

the poet does not aim to simply re-create the romance genre and its chivalric code, but also to question it

Gawain's final disillusionment has been foreshadowed all along by the poet in his excessive, overly technical descriptions of romance conventions
If previously in Part I, we got the sense that Camelot'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 realize Gawain's dilemma
perhaps this supposed epitome of human civility and chivalry does not glow as brightly as it once did for the idealistic knight

Ultimately, 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.

Narrative Structure and the Mythic Journey

the Parts seem to alternate in terms of similarity of events

the first Part takes place within a royal court
the second Part is a perilous journey outdoors which ends at another royal court
the third Part alternates between the setting of the royal court and the perilous outdoors
the final Part is again a journey outdoors that ends at the same, original court of Arthur

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
after taking his perilous journey 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 chivalric code he once believed so strongly

this is quite different from the conventional narrative structure of conflict and restoration (a structure which goes back as far as the Celtic myths which lie at the roots of the poem)
Pre-Christian Celtic myths often had motifs of exchanges between the human world and the Otherworld, with the time period of a year and a day commonly used

in most cases, the hero undertakes the journey to right some previous wrong or restore balance to the natural order
in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the poem's symmetry would suggest that the natural order has been restored, as the New Year dawns brightly on Arthur's court
but this masks the fact that within Gawain's individual soul, the his sense of order has been uprooted

Source : http://www.crsd.org/cms/lib5/PA01000188/Centricity/Domain/378/Gawain_Notes.doc

Web site link: http://www.crsd.org/

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Characters and summary

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 Camelot. By the end, he has come to question the viability of the chivalric code and realize the weakness in his own human nature. Ultimately, 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 challenge: "My life would be least missed, / if we let out the truth. / Only as you are my uncle have I any honor, / For excepting your blood, I bear in my body slight virtue" (Gardner ll.555-7). Here 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. Central to our understanding of Gawain's character is his shield, marked on the inner side by the image of the Virgin and on the other by the Pentangle. The Pentangle represents the five ways in which Gawain is seen as a flawless character who embodies Franchise, Fellowship, Cleanness, Courtesy, and Charity: "Like purified gold, Sir Gawain was known for his goodness, / All dross refined away, adorned with virtues" (Gardner ll. 634-5). And the image of the Virgin on the inside signifies the religious faith which Gawain uses as his inner protection.

Indeed, 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 Waste Land, Gawain is the "servant of God" and finds his strength in talking to God (ll. 692-711). On the brink of despair, Gawain beseeches the Virgin Mary to guide him, and almost immediately stumbles upon the castle of Bercilak. In Part III, Gawain draws upon his Christian faith and chivalric loyalty to Bercilak to counter the sexual advances of Lady Bercilak: "And all that passed between them was music and bliss and delight./ŠBut the danger might have been great / Had Mary not watched her knight!" (Gardner ll.1766-70) His human sexual 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 exchange stroke. But Gawain himself, so tied to a sense of chivalry and morality, dwells upon his moral failing. He at first blames the wily Morgan le Fay and Lady Bercilak in an unexpected misogynistic outburst (ll. 2407-2428), but ultimately can only come to blame himself his cowardice and covetousness -- for his failure. By the end, the experience has shattered Gawain's faith in himself and in a society which cannot see his moral failure. In this way, the poet uses Gawain's character to subtly question the validity of societal and chivalric values, and to question the strength of human nature when compared to the infallibility of Godliness.

The Green Knight/Bercilak de Hautdesert

As the other title character, the Green Knight functions mainly as a static foil to the dynamic character of Gawain. We see him in two different guises: 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 New Year. It is not until Part IV, after the exchange stroke has been given, that we realize 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 Otherworldly, natural force intruding into the refined circle of Camelot. His green color, enormous size, and apparent immortality indicate his Otherworldliness; he seems allied with Nature in all its furious, regenerative grandeur. Many critics here point out out his resemblance to the Green Man of Celtic/English legend, and certainly the Green Knight can be seen as a symbol of the fertility and magnitude of Nature, as opposed to Society. He 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. In Part IV, he is very much the same figure, superhuman, supercilious, yet respectful of true courage. In 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 Bercilak, he is not quite so formidable and easily fits the role of the generous, civilized host who treats Gawain with the respect beParting his reputation. However, he proposes an unusual pact to exchange 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 quite subtle, though, and is not fully realized until Part IV. In the hunting scenes, the vigorous Bercilak seems to function with an innate connection to the natural world, perhaps suggesting his true identity as the primal, visceral Green Knight.

Lady Bercilak

The only other character with a major role, Lady Bercilak's motives seem all too clear until the surprising explanation in Part IV that all her advances have been staged. A static character, she serves as a temptation for Gawain to break his chivalric duty to Lord Bercilak and his Christian duty to uphold his moral purity. And yet, she approaches him in such a way that challenges Gawain's chivalric sense of courtly love: would he not be dishonoring a noble lady by rejecting her requests for passion? The dialogue between Gawain and Lady Bercilak in these bedroom scenes is a fascinating study of careful diplomatic arguments around and about the topic of courtly love and chivalry. In a sense, Lady Bercilak triumphs by giving Gawain the green girdle which he does not relinquish to her husband. However, 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 Lord and Lady Bercilak have been conspiring with each other to outwit Gawain in this game. Thus, just as Bercilak pursued beasts relentlessly in the hunting scenes, Lady Bercilak 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 Camelot, the epitome of chivalric society. However, the author does not perhaps portray Arthur in a thoroughly positive light. In Part I, the author suggests that the young Arthur, while gentle and noble, may perhaps be too immature in his need for entertaining adventures and marvels. He accepts the Green Knight's challenge only to protect the name of Camelot, when no one else volunteers; he lightly passes over Gawain's new, forbidding mission by turning to revelry at the end of Part I; and at the end of the poem he honors Gawain for his bravery without detecting the knight's moral unease. Does 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

Essentially a bit player in the poem, Guinevere, Arthur's queen, functions as the epitome of feminine courtliness. In Part I, she is the richly garbed vision of beauty; the author later describes Lady Bercilak as lovelier even than Guinevere to emphasize her entrancing beauty. At the poem's end, she too, is just as unaware as Arthur of Gawain's moral crisis. Perhaps we can see her as a symbol of the superficiality of courtly society.

Old Lady (Morgan le Fay)

A rather strange character, she is the elderly noble lady in Bercilak's castle who befriends Gawain. Hideously ugly, she serves to emphasize Lady Bercilak's beauty while also demonstrating Gawain's virtue and courtesy toward even unattractive ladies. Nevertheless, Bercilak in Part IV reveals her to be the scheming Morgan le Fay, Arthur's jealous half-sister and traditional nemesis who engineered the entire beheading game so that Guinevere would be shocked to death. This sort of explanation 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 Chapel

This servant is assigned by Bercilak to guide Gawain to the Green Chapel on New Year's Day. Though he only figures in a few stanzas at the end of Part III and the start of Part IV, he nevertheless serves two functions: 1) to again emphasize the respect that is shown to the highly-esteemed Gawain, and more importantly, 2) to heighten the sense of fear that the Green Knight incites. His descriptions of the Green Knight are truly terrifying and allow us to feel the fear that Gawain is experiencing and the threat to his mortality.

Source : http://www.crsd.org/cms/lib5/PA01000188/Centricity/Domain/378/Gawain_Character_List.doc

Web site link: http://www.tezu.ernet.in/dcompsc/people/alumni_inputs/alumni_inputs.html

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