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.