Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (post 3)

The first half of the third section of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins with Gawain still staying with the mysterious lord who has granted him shelter. The lord and Gawain have made a pact where they give each other whatever they have gained at the end of the day. The lord continues to go hunting, and every day he brings back massive piles of game for Gawain. In fact, the poet goes to extra pains to emphasize the effort the lord (who is never mentioned by name) goes to hunt. The poet writes, "So as the morning was lifting its lamp to the land/ his lordship and his huntsmen were high on horseback" (1137-1138). This use of personification shows how early the lord is going out to hunt. Even though deer are more active during the dawn hours than they are in the hot afternoon, the lord would have to get up especially early to go to mass, eat and prepare to ride out. The lord also seems suspicious because while he does this, Gawain essentially spends his days sleeping and eating at the castle.

While he is at the castle, and the lord is out hunting, the mistress of the castle, who is in true knights-in-shining armor spirit astoundingly beautiful, spends her time trying to tempt Gawain into having an affair with her. However Gawain is keeping aloofly noble, wittingly refusing her advances. However, one is struck by the number of times Gawain swears featly to people: King Arthur, the knight of the Green Chapel, the lord of the castle and his wife (who is not mentioned by name either). This makes it seem like Gawain will be tied in knots when the interests of those parties conflict. Gawain tells the lady, "But I'm proud of the price you would pay from your purse,/ and will swear to serve you as my sovereign forever./ Let Christ now know Gawain is your knight" (1277-1279). The consonance in this quote foreshadows what may be a major theme in the poem: money. Since it seems like the main conflict is humans fighting against nature, the "p"s in "price,""pay" and "purse" all have to do with money, and show how human greed for money causes them to disregard the enviornment.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (post 2)

The second section of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins as Gawain sets off from Camelot to seek the Knight of the Green Chapel. Before he leaves, he is presented with many gifts by the court of King Arthur. He is also given an "inspection" by the knights of Camelot, to see if he was fit enough to go on his quest. The poet writes:

First he was deemed flawless in his five senses;

and secondly his five fingers were never at fault;

and thirdly his faith was founded in the five wounds

...the fortitude he found in the five joys

...the fifth set of five which I have heard the knight followed" (640-643, 646, 651)

The repetition of the word "five," which is repeated several other times in this passage, ensures that the reader will notice the importance of the number five. It seems like the number will become important later in the book. The knight faces many perils on his journey to find the green knight, and he spends a while wandering around. On his way, people pity him, lamenting, "A pity, by Christ,/ if a lord so noble should lose his life./ To find his equal would be far from easy./ Cleverer to have acted with caution and care" (674-677). The consonance in this quote shows how well respected Gawain is by giving it a choppy, disjoined tone. This suggests that people are crying to see him ride to what they believe is certain death.

Gawain continues riding, and he eventually finds the castle of a lord who welcomes him and gives him a home for the Christmas celebrations. However, this knight seems rather fishy. His castle is so exquisite that the poet expends extra effort to gush over the luciousness of the castle. The poet writes, "They take him between them and talk as they walk/ to a hearth full of heat, and hurriedly ask/ for specially spiced cakes, which are speedily fetched" (977-979). The assonance gives this passage a very smooth flavor, like decadent chocolate and warm caramel. It gives the reader a very warm feeling, and makes it seem like Gawain is relaxing a bit too much for someone who is on a quest for his death. The main reason this lord seems fishy, though, is that he makes Gawain promise to give him anything he gains from fighting the Green Knight, and in return Gawain will get anything the lord hunts and kills. Gawain, of course, agrees, and it makes his innocence and willingness to trust even more obvious when compared with this shady character.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (post 1)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an epic poem. It was originally written sometime around 1400, and nothing is known about the author. Simon Armitage has translated it from its ancient form to more modern language. The first section (chapter?) of the poem introduces both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It is Christmastime at Camelot and all the knights, including Arthur's nephew Sir Gawain, are entertaining themselves with feasting and dancing. During one feast, a gigantic man, who is entirely green except for his red eyes, rides into Camelot and announces that he has a challenge. He offers his battle axe to anyone who will be willing to take one swing at him with it. In exchange, the man (who introduces himself the knight of the Green Chapel) will hunt down the challenger will take the same free swing in a year and a day. Sir Gawain takes up this challenge and beheads the giant. Of course, the giant doesn't go that easily. He promplty gets up, picks up his own severed head and rides off. Naturally, all the lords and ladies in the hall are absolutely dumbstruck.

Poetically, Armitage's translation is very fun to read. I caught myself reading it to the tune of "They're Coming to Take Me Away," sung by Napoleon XIV. There is also a lot of alliteration and consonance. The poet introduces the story, "I'll tell it as it's told in the town where it trips from the tongue" (31-32). It makes for quite and interesting read. Besides making it interesting, the alliteration helps to emphasize the parts that the poet wanted to emphasize, such as the knight of the Green Chapel's excessive greenness. The knight is described as being "entirely emerald green" (150). This emphasize's the knight's strangeness. It also helps to highlight what seems to be an already obvious theme in the poem: the struggle between humans and nature. This theme

is particularly resonant at the point in history we are now, when we will face in the near future and are facing many difficult choices between human developement and preserving the environment. Alliteration is also used to explain some of Gawain's qualities. The poet writes, "For I find it unfitting, as my fellow knights would,/ when a deed of such daring is dangled before us/...I am weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit;/ loss of my life would be grieved the least" (348-349, 354-355). This shows how much Gawain considers others: he knows that if no one takes the challenge, the reputation of the Round Table would be damaged, and he offers his life as a replacement for the life of Arthur.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Simon Armitage. New York: Norton, 2008.