On Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

SGGK is written in long stanzas and short, metered and rhymed, couplets, called bob
and wheel, at the end of each verse. The alliteration, free from rhyme and rhythm, in
the long stanzas is obviously influenced by Old English, while the bob and wheel
signifies a Middle English influence.
Each blow, or, more precisely, the two feints and nic, that the !reen "night gives to
!awain parallel !awain#s stay in the castle and the agreement he had with his host. The
agreement, or the pledge of troth, was that !awain would return what he received that
day to the host at the end of the day and vice versa. !awain does this successfully for the
first two days, thus the two feints. The third day, !awain receives a green satchel from
the host#s wife and promises her that he will not tell the host$ therefore this second
promise interferes with his first and !awain receives a nic from the !reen "night. %ut
!awain is only human and therefore is not illed.
SGGK has been described as a &uest romance. 's typical of a medieval romance, it has
e(ternal dangers) the !reen "night and winter. *owever, the real dangers are internal, or
inside. +o at the beginning of SGGK, we are in the court of "ing 'rthur and everyone
feels safe, until the interruption of the !reen "night. !awain sets out a year later an
encounters dangers in the wilderness, but none so life,threatening as the ones inside the
castle.
-nside also represents !awain#s psychological and moral position. *e gives his troth to
his host and eeps it for two days. On the third day, fearing for his life, he accepts a green
sash and pledges his word to the host#s wife that contradicts his first pledge of troth.
.ater, !awain successfully completes the e(ternal &uest and learns that /ust saying you
will do you duty 0honor your troth1 will not suffice.
One mythical element that appears in SGGK is the two aspects of the earth mother. +he is
symbolized by the old woman, Morgan .e 2ay, meaning the tomb and death. +he is also
symbolized by a young woman as resurrection and the womb. 'nother mythical element
is the !reen "night himself. *e is green, symbolizing nature in all of it aspects) beauty,
destruction, mystery, etc.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Middle 'ge &uest romance that, most certainly,
meets the medieval criteria of teaching and delighting. This is a remarable wor because
of its vivid, detailed descriptions that combine beautiful images and amusing situations
with informative how,to,dos, as well as the typical medieval morals and lessons.
Throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight there are rich, full, detailed descriptions of
nature, feasts, and preparing the day#s catch for cooing. -n the illustrations of nature we
see much beauty and learn that that beauty can be &uite deadly)
3ow with serpents he wars, now with savage wolves,
3ow with wild men of the woods, that watched from the rocs,
%oth with bulls and with bears, and with boars besides,
'nd giants that came gibbering from the /agged steeps.
+ubse&uently, we learn that +ir !awain bore himself bravely and trusted in !od, and that
is why he made it through. 2rom !od we get the church and the feeling of safety in mass,
or community. 4hen !awain is by himself in the bitterness of nature in winter, he longs
for the communal safety and contentedness he new in "ing 'rthur#s court, and will
now in the castle.
-n the castle there are orgies of descriptive gaiety, good will, and general gluttony.
!awain feels, once again, warmth and safety in the company of people. *e then pledges
his troth with his host for the last three days he will spend at the castle) each agreeing to
award the other with their days# prizes. The reader is entertained with fierce and detailed
accounts of the host#s hunt, the dalliance between !awain and the host#s wife, the
e(change of the day#s earnings between !awain and the host, and almost too detailed
descriptions of the preparation of the illed animals and the three great feasts. 5omedy
plays an important roll in delighting the reader) from the host#s wife holding !awain
captive, naed in his bed, to the host bringing a decapitated boar#s head to !awain who is
convinced he will lose his own head on the morrow. These scenes of wit, charm, and
detail eep the reader#s attention while the story attempts to pass along its lesson.
Through the suspense at the end of the story, i.e. the two feints and the blow, !awain
learns a valuable lesson about being a medieval human and night. 6our troth should
never be given lightly, and one#s actions represent the true measure of someone#s worth,
not his words. Thus, through the wonderful descriptions of the events in this &uest
romance, we can be delightfully instructed.