Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Transcription

1 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The poem survives in a single manuscript. The manuscript is known as Cotton Nero A.x. As for the manuscript of Beowulf, it entered into the collection of Sir Robert Bruce Cotton ( ) and was shelved under the bust of Roman Emperor Nero shelf A, position 10. Now held in the British Library. It was copied in a hand of about In the same manuscript are found three other works: Pearl, Cleanness, and Patience. They are often considered to be written by the same author. SGGK fols. 91r 124v The poems are written in the dialect of the north-west midlands. 1

2 BL MS Cotton Nero A.x Folio 91 r : The beginning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, lines Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as an oral epic Like Beowulf, SGGK almost certainly began as an oral history carried from village-to-village by a bard or singing storyteller. Like the Iliad and Beowulf, therefore, SGGK is marked by meter, rhyme, and (as with Beowulf) alliteration. All these poetic devices were intended to help in the oral retelling of the story. We don t know who was the author of the version we have, but on the evidence of his poetry he had an intimate knowledge of aristocratic life, etiquette, hunting, feasting, dress and armour, and the terms of courtly conversation. 2

3 Poetic form and devices The 2,530 lines and 101 stanzas that make up Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are written in what linguists call the "Alliterative Revival" style typical of the 14th century. Instead of focusing on a metrical syllabic count and rhyme, the alliterative form of this period usually relied on the agreement of a pair of stressed syllables at the beginning of the line and another pair at the end. Each line always includes a pause, called a caesura, at some point after the first two stresses, dividing it into two half-lines. The poet broke the alliterative lines into variable-length groups and ended these nominal stanzas with a rhyming section of five lines known as the bob and wheel. Poetic form and devices Bob: one line of two or three syllables Wheel: four three-stress lines. rhyming ababa 3

4 Romance Genre Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a romance. The form is French in origin, evidence of the dominant influence of France on the culture of Medieval England. They were fantastic stories about the marvelous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight errant, often of super-human ability, who often goes on a quest: Set in a remote place and time Incorporates the marvelous Hero is superior in degree to other men and to his environment May involve conventional testing plot Tester is unrealistic and remote Test is extreme Chivalry Honor is the foundational and guiding principle Three basic areas 1. Relation to countrymen and fellow Christians mercy, courage, valor, fairness, protection of the weak and poor, servant-hood to lord warrior chivalry - chief duty is to his lord 2. Relation to God being faithful to the church, being the champion of good against evil, being generous and obeying God above all 3. Relation to women idea that the knight is to serve a lady general gentleness and graciousness to all women Courtly love (System of attitudes, myths and etiquette that governed the real and idealized behavior of knights and their ladies) 4

5 Chivalric Codes Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions. Thou shalt defend the Church. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them. Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast born. Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy. Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy. Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God. Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word. Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone. Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil. SGGK Departures from Romance Calendar/cyclic time and some real places Hero is one of us, not superior to us/environment Tester is split: malicious magic Morgan and likeable, realistic Bercilak Gawain fails the test because he is human/sinful Mixture of romance and realism leaves the reader wondering what rules govern this world. Allitterative revival style Now much of the poem s success is precisely due to the tension between the sophisticated and formal on the one hand and the primitive rhythmic impulse on the other, and their resolution. F. Berry. Sir Gawain and the Grene Knight, in B. Ford (ed.), The Pelican Guide to English Literature, vol. 1, Penguin, 1966, p

6 SGGK plot The Story of SGGK is very ancient and there are analogies in both early Celtic and French documents. It is divided in 4 sections (Fitt) Fitt one Vv. 1-19: As Geoffrey of Monmouth s Historia Regum Britannia, the poem begins with the end of Troy and the foundation of Britain by Brutus. FITT 1 Vv : 6

7 FITT 1 Vv : Camelot, on New Year's Day. King Arthur's court is feasting and exchanging gifts. Everything in the celebration of Christmas and New Year is ordered and formal: chapel service, gift-giving and games, the seating arrangements in order of reputation (vv , ), the ceremonious service of the meal ( ). Vv A large Green Knight armed with an axe enters the hall and proposes a game. He asks for someone in the court to strike him once with his axe, on condition that the Green Knight will return the blow one year and one day later. The challenge is to the society as a whole ( ), but traditionally is the king who responds. With the courteous intervention of Gawain, claiming the adventure as his own by traditional right as the first to ask it (vv ), the real hero of the romance emerges. He says that since he would be of no great loss, he will play the game. Sir Gawain is faced by an improbable agreement of a kind common enough in romance, to exchange blows with his opponent, without defending himself (vv ). Sir Gawain severs the giant's head in one stroke, expecting him to die. The Green Knight, however, picks up his own head, reminds Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel on next New tear s Day to receive a similar blow or be accounted a coward (vv ), and finally rides away. Fitt two Vv : Fitt 2 begins with a brief summary of the New Year s feast in Fitt 1, implying that the Christmas game proposed in the midst of drinking and merry-making may be an ill omen for the future: for though men may be light-hearted when they have drunk strong drink, a year passes very quickly, and never brings back like circumstances; the beginning is very seldom like the end. (vv ). The poet describes in elaborate language the change of seasons, from Christmas to the cold season of Lent with its ritual fasting, to a green young spring and summer, then into harvest time, and finally back to winter. In late autumn, on the Day of All Saints, Sir Gawain asks Arthur s permission to leave (vv ). Ceremonial arming of Sir Gawain (vv ). 7

8 Vv In the poem, Gawain s shield is very clearly described as a golden pentangle on a field of red. The pentangle, the poem goes on to tell us, represents Gawain s Five Fifths. The pentangle is also called the endless knot. 8

9 1 Gawain was said to possess five qualities one for each of the pentangle s points wherein he far excelled all other knights. The first of these Five Fifths was his faultlessness in his five senses. 2 The next (second) of these Five Fifths was his faultlessness in his five fingers. 9

10 3 The next (third) of these Five Fifths was the strength Gawain drew from his devotion to the five wounds of Christ. The wounds in the hands. The wounds in the feet. The wound in the side of Christ 4 The next (fourth) of these Five Fifths was the strength Gawain drew from his devotion to the five joys of Mary. The five joys of Mary are also known as The Five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. They are: the Annunciation the Nativity the Resurrection the Ascension the Assumption 10

11 5 The last of these Five Fifths was Gawain s wellknown practice of the five social graces. The five social graces which Gawain exemplifies above all others are: free-giving (generosity) brotherly love chastity pure manners (courtesie) piety Vv

12 Vv Vv : All Hallow s day arrives, and Gawain sets off for his adventure, while the people are secretly angry that Arthur is allowing his nephew to go on a journey that they believe he will never return from. Gawain s journey takes him from Camelot, somewhere in the South, through the Arthurian kingdom of Logres, into north Wales, where the geography of romance becomes that of reality as he approaches the region in which the poet and his audience probaly lived. 12

13 Vv Vv

14 While sir Gawain prays for shelter and crosses himself, a refuge appears as if in answer to his prayer. Gawain thanks Jesus and St Julian, patron saint of travellers (vv ). In front of him there is a castle of the late 14 th century, surrounded by heavy defensive walls, with turrets and battlements, but made for luxurious living ( ). Sir Gawain calls aloud and the porter of the castle welcomes him: it is as though he has arrived at another Camelot, a world of ordered ceremony. He is stripped of his armour, dressed in soft garments, and set down to feast before a blazing fire (vv ). At evensong on Christmas Eve Sir Gawain meets the lord and the ladies of the castle, one young and beautiful, the other old and ugly yet honoured by all about her. After the introductions, the lords and ladies play games and celebrate late into the night, when Gawain retires for bed. Christmas morning and the two days following it pass in a similar manner, but Gawain begins to feel the weight of his quest pressing on him. With only three days remaining before his engagement with the Green Knight (vv ). Gawain refuses his host s offer of a longer stay, explaining that he must search for the Green Chapel or else be judged a failure. The host responds gleefully, telling Gawain he can send him to the Green Chapel easily it is only two miles away. Gladdened, Gawain thanks the host and accepts the invitation to stay the three days until New Year s Day (vv ). Then the host proposes a sort of game: during the day, he wants Gawain to stay at court and linger in bed and around the castle, spending time with the two ladies. Meanwhile, the host will go out hunting with his men. At the end of each of the three days, the two men will exchange whatever they have won. Happy to play along, Gawain accepts. The men kiss each other, repeating their vows, and then go off to bed. (vv ) 14

15 FITT 3 Fitt three Early in the morning, the host and his guests get out of bed and prepare to leave with their hunting dogs as dawn breaks. They attend Mass, they ride through the woods, chasing after the deer. In the fields, they slay the deer dozens at a time with their deadly arrows. The hounds hunt down the wounded animals, and the hunters follow to kill them off with their knives. (vv ). Back at the castle, Gawain lingers in bed until daybreak. While still half asleep, he hears the door open quietly. Peeking out of his bed s canopy, he sees the host s wife walking slowly toward his bed. Gawain lies back down, pretending to be asleep. The lady climbs inside the bed curtains and sits beside Gawain. Confused but curious, Gawain stretches and pretends to wake up. Upon seeing the lady in his bed, he feigns surprise and makes the sign of the cross. The host s wife smiles and greets him. (vv ). FITT 3 She jokes that she has captured him, and she threatens to tie him to the bed, laughing at her own game. Gawain surrenders to her, then asks her leave to get up and put on his clothes. She refuses, saying that instead she will hold him captive. She tells Gawain that she has heard many stories about him and wants to spend time in delightful conversation (vv ). Even if she claims innocence, we know that she is pinning a naked Gawain to the bed, holding him in her arms. The lady is playing a game with Gawain, putting him in a precarious situation by testing two knightly virtues: his courtesy and chastity. If Gawain refuses to give in to the lady sexually, he will break his knightly responsibility to be courteous; if he accepts, he will break his chastity. 15

16 FITT 3 When the lady gets up to leave, she accuses her captive knight of not being the real Gawain. Gawain asks her to explain what she means. She responds that the real Gawain would never let a lady leave his chamber without taking a kiss. Gawain allows one kiss, and then the lady leaves. He dresses immediately and goes to hear Mass, then spends the afternoon with the ladies. (vv ). Meanwhile, the lord has been hunting deer with his men all day. As evening comes on, the hunters begin to flay the animals, separating the meat and skin from the carcasses. The poet describes the dismembering of the deer in detail. (vv ). The host meets Gawain and gives him what he won during the hunt that day. Gawain in return gives him the kiss he won from the lady. The host asks where Gawain won such a prize, and Gawain points out that they agreed to exchange winnings, not to tell where or how they were acquired. Happy, the men feast and retire to bed, agreeing before they part to play the game again the next day. (vv ). FITT 3 The next two days follow a similar pattern. On the second day, the lord hunts a wild boar, risking his life as he wrestles it to the ground and stabs it with his sword. At the castle, the lady continues to challenge Gawain s reputation, pressuring him into allowing her two kisses. That night, the host brings home the boar s head on a stick and exchanges it with Gawain for the two kisses. (vv ). On the third day the host hunts a fox, and Gawain, awakened by the lady from horrible nightmares about the Green Knight, receives three kisses from the lady during the course of their conversation. Then lady offers him a ring, as a love token, which he refuses. She then offers him her green girdle, which she claims has magical properties: it possesses the ability to keep the man who wears it safe from death. Tempted by the possibility of protecting his life, Gawain accepts the girdle, and promises the lady not to tell her husband about it. (vv ). 16

17 FITT 3 That afternoon, Gawain goes to confession. At the end of the day, the lord gives him the fox skin, and Gawain gives the three kisses to his host but fails to mention the lady s gift. After the exchange, the host and his courtiers hold a farewell party for Gawain, who later retires to his chamber, prepared to leave the next day to seek out the Green Chapel. Whether he sleeps or not, the poet cannot say. (vv ). The Lady of Shalott, by J. William Waterhouse ( ). Though in the end Gawain does not have sex with the host s wife, and though he does not view lying about the magical girdle to save his life to be as big a crime as adultery, the omission nevertheless breaks his vow with the host. The fact that Gawain goes to confess his sins immediately after taking the girdle indicates that he knows he has broken his vow. FITT 4 Fitt four Before the sun comes up, on New Year s Day, Gawain rises and prepares to depart, putting on his armor and ordering servants to saddle his horse. He does not forget to tie the lady s girdle around his waist. (vv ). As Gawain prepares to ride off, he silently blesses the castle, asking Christ to keep it safe from harm and wishing joy on the host and the host s wife. (vv ). Accompanied by a guide, Gawain crosses the drawbridge and rides back out into the wilderness. There, the guide turns to Gawain and proposes a solution to his problem: if Gawain leaves now without facing the knight, the guide promises not to tell anyone. Gawain thanks the guide for his concern, but he refuses to be a coward. The guide wishes Gawain well and leaves because he is afraid to go any farther into the woods. (vv ). 17

18 FITT 4 Gawain heads onward into the strange forest. He sees no sign of buildings and searches without success for a chapel in the wilderness. Finally he notices a strange mound. He spots a kind of cave realizes it must be the Green Chapel. (vv ). Gawain calls out to the lord of the place, stating that he has come to fulfill his agreement. The Green Knight emerges from around a rock, carrying a Danish axe. He welcomes Gawain warmly and compliments him on his punctuality, then tells him he will repay him for his own beheading a year ago. Gawain tries to act unafraid as he bares his neck for the deadly blow (vv ). The Green Knight lifts the axe high and drops it. When the Green Knight sees Gawain flinch he stops his blade, mocking Gawain and questioning his reputation. Gawain tells him he will not flinch again, and the Green Knight lifts the axe a second time. Gawain doesn t flinch as the axe comes down, and the Green Knight holds the blade again, this time congratulating Gawain s courage. He then threatens Gawain, saying that the next blow will strike him. (vv ). FITT 4 The knight lifts his axe one last time. He brings it down hard, but causes Gawain only a slight cut on his neck. Gawain draws his sword, and challenges the Green Knight to a fight. The Green Knight refuses to fight. He points out that he has spared Gawain. He feinted the first two times, in accordance with their contract on the first two days, when Gawain gave him the gifts he had received from the lady. The third blow was punishment for Gawain s behavior on the third day, when he failed to tell the truth about the green girdle. (vv ). The Green Knight then reveals himself to be the lord of the castle: it was he who encouraged his wife to seduce Gawain. He congratulates Gawain on his bravery, calling him the worthiest of Arthur s knights and excusing his transgression on the third day. (vv ). Gawain responds by untying the girdle and cursing it. The Green Knight laughs and absolves Gawain, now that he has adequately confessed his sin. He gives Gawain the girdle to keep and asks him to come back to the castle, but Gawain refuses. (vv ). 18

19 FITT 4 Vv FITT 4 Vv

20 FITT 4 Vv FITT 3 On his journey back to Arthur s castle, Gawain s wound heals, but he continues to wear the green girdle on his right shoulder. When he enters the court, he meets a gleeful reception and tells the story of his encounter with Bertilak. He explains that he intends to wear the green girdle forever as a sign of his failure and sin. Arthur and the court try to comfort Gawain, and they decide that they will all wear belts of green silk as a sign of respect and unity. The poet concludes by reaffirming the truth of his story, which happened in the days of King Arthur. (vv ). MS Cotton Nero A.x; Folio 130 r : Gawain s return to Arthur s court. 20

21 Bibliography: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Text and Facing Translation. Edited with an Introduction, prose translation and notes by W R J Barron. Manchester University Press, SparkNotes Editors. SparkNote on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC Web. 16 Dec