SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT

By Kelsey Ferrell, Sophie Hogan, Katie Binger, Owen Powell

and Parker Dolton

BACKGROUND

By Sophie Hogan

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.

CHARACTERSBy Owen Powell

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

KING ARTHUR

The noble lord of Camelot

A knight of the round table

The uncle of Sir Gawain

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

SUMMARYKelsey Ferrell

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)

SYMBOLISMBy Parker Dolton

GREEN KNIGHT

2 interpretations of the Green Knight

1) Pre-Christian

2) Christian

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

THEMESBy Katie Binger

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.

COURAGE

Sir Gawain shows courage through

how he stays with what he was told to

do and not chicken out

Sir Gawain shows courage through

bravery