Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Origins• Northern England• Arthurian legend

Subject

• Tells of a challenge to the pride and integrity of Arthur’s entire court, especially Sir Gawain, the most famous of all Arthur’s knights for piety and courtesy

• Gawain is made to acknowledge the limitations and imperfections of his knightly virtues

Medieval Romance 1. Opens at a feast

2. Involves a challenge

3. Tells of the adventures of a young hero

4. Involves supernatural elements

5. Teaches a moral lesson – Gawain is tested in two ways:

A. A frightful physical challengeB. A challenge of comfort

• He is tested in adversity and prosperity

6. Includes a woman as temptation

7. Shows the cyclical qualities of nature

Setting• Chaotic wilderness – symbolizes Gawain’s

courage • bleak winter (shows Gawain’s hopelessness in pursuing his task)

Symbols• Green Chapel – the entrance to the fairy world

(Celtic) This image is associated with hell

• Pentangle- the star represents truth – this is Gawain’s symbol

Creates irony as he has trouble telling the truth

• Green girdle – at first represents dishonesty and then later his repentance

Style

• Strophes: each strophe ends with a bob, a short line of one, two, or three syllables, followed by a wheel, or four rhymed lines

• Alliteration• Four beats per line