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.