Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Online versions (several translation available on this site)

Notes from Orem library presentation

composed 1380-1400, unknown author, middle English

Medieval Romance

• Imaginary Settings (fantasy)
  • safe to explore social, political, economic problems
• Passive Heroism
  • waits for adventure to find him
  • french “aventure” means “chance, fate”
  • relinquish control to larger forces that determine whether he is the hero destined to achieve this adventure and its consequences
  • suffer rather than struggle, embrace submission
  • middle english “trawthe” means “integrity”
  • quest for identity
• Threats from the Other
• ("other" is different, outside social boundaries, not necessarily evil)
  • green knight (challenge to society)
  • seeking the green chapel
  • exchange of winnings game (test moral values and ethical standards)
  • meeting with the green knight
  • Morgan le Fay (fairy power, challenging Arthur)

Gawain acknowledges his failure of honesty
Green knight forgives him
girdle is symbol of Gawain's failure (to Gawain)
other's see it as symbol of his success

Most of stanza uses alliteration and half-line structure (like Beowulf)
End of stanza has shorter lines with rhymes