Sir Gawain and the Green Knight¡@
Complete Summary and Analysis
The poem begins with a lengthy description which establishes the setting firmly in Arthurian Britain. The writer traces the history of Britain from the Trojan War, the founding of Rome by Aeneas, and through to the eventual founding of Britain by the legendary Felix Brutus. Britain is a land of great wonders and strife, but King Arthur has established a court of utmost nobility and chivalry, peopled with the bravest knights and fairest ladies. The poet will now proceed to relate a particularly extraordinary episode from King Arthur's court, which begins at a lavish New Year's celebration in Camelot.
A rich description of the celebration follows, where the poet carefully conveys luxurious details of decoration and attire. There is the incomparably beautiful Queen Guinevere, Arthur himself, and seated in honor around them, various noble knights and relatives of Arthur, including Sir Gawain . We learn that Arthur does not like to begin his feasts until he has heard a great tale or witnessed a great marvel. Indeed, in the midst of the feasting, a wondrous stranger bursts into the hall. The stranger is most remarkable because he is entirely green, and the poet devotes nearly 100 lines to a meticulous description of his appearance.
Giant-like with an enormous green beard, the stranger nevertheless carries an air of handsome civility, wearing sumptuous green and gold clothes and armor. His horse is equally decked in ornate green, and the knight himself holds a branch of holly in one hand and a formidable battle-axe in the other. He demands, somewhat arrogantly, to speak to the ruler of the company, while the court stares on in stunned silence. When Arthur finally speaks, the stranger explains that he has come to this famously valiant court to play a Christmas game. Whoever agrees to play this game will be allowed to strike the Green Knight on the spot, in the middle of the court; in exchange, the Green Knight will strike a return blow upon the volunteer a year and a day hence. None of the court volunteers as the game seems to imply certain death for whomever plays; the stranger ridicules them all for Camelot's supposed bravery. Eventually Arthur agrees to play the game, but as he is about to wield the great battle-axe, Gawain speaks. In polite and self-effacing language, Gawain begs to take up the boon instead, so the life of the king can be spared in place of a knight as weak and lowly as he. The court agrees to let Gawain play, and after restating the terms of the agreement to each other, the stranger gives the battle-axe to Gawain, then exposes his neck for the blow. Gawain cleaves off the stranger's head in one blow, but the stranger does not die, despite the abundant bloodshed. In fact, the body of the Green Knight picks up the severed head, which then addresses Gawain. The stranger charges Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel next New Year's morning, so that he may receive his exchange blow.
After the stranger leaves, Arthur urges Guinevere to continue reveling, while he tells Gawain to hang up the stranger's battle-axe and forget about his new mission for the time being . The New Year's feast continues unaffected, but the poet ends the fitt by foreshadowing the dangerous adventures Gawain must face.
Fitt I Analysis
The conventions of the romance genre: Gawain appears to fit neatly into the genre of the medieval romance, a French poetic form which had great influence in England beginning in the middle of the twelfth century. The romance has several characteristics: a celebration of warrior society, a setting amidst the feudal nobility, close attention to details of pageantry, and most importantly an emphasis on the chivalric concept of courtly love. This last idea hinged on the relationship between the ideal hero the knight errant and the noble woman he loves. However, in the aristocratic society of chivalry, the most supreme kind of courtly love was for an unattainable woman, often the queen of a knight's lord. A knight's love for this lady would inspire him to braver deeds, just as, in the traditional Arthurian material, Sir Lancelot was driven to great accomplishments by his love for Queen Guinevere Thus, in a larger sense, the code of chivalry focused on the protection of the weak and fair elements of society by the loyal, self-sacrificing knight. But it also included a knight's fidelity to his court and king, and his respect for other warriors and the rules of combat.
It is important to consider Gawain in light of the conventions of the romance genre. All the characteristics of the romance are present, however, closer examination suggests a questioning of the values of chivalry and the typical romance. Does the poet really support these values, even when he writes in the style of the romance? Is there a not a greater irony to his description of conventional romance elements, or to the way the events unfold in the poem? Remember the poem was written sometime in the fourteenth century, at a time when the romance genre was already a dying form. Thus, the poet, while not exactly satirizing the romance, could certainly be expressing his doubts about the values and social institution of the chivalric court by playing within the bounds of the romance genre.
Fitt I and the Romance Genre: From the very beginning, Fitt I corresponds with expected conventions of the romance genre. Among these is the opening exposition which establishes the historical setting via a list of previous battles and legendary heroes. Many other romances and epics (another popular genre of the time) began this way, establishing a link with the legendary past and thereby legitimizing the unfolding content of the current narrative. When the poet focuses upon Arthur's court, this too is a romantic convention, for Arthur and his knights were already a popular topic of romances, serving as the ideal of chivalric loyalty and valor. Again, it is no surprise that the scene unfolds at a great New Year's feast, another romantic convention, for this provides the poet with a chance to display the chivalric society at its greatest and most vibrant. Notice how he describes Arthur and his knights in superlatives, as the most famous knights in Christendom and the handsomest of kings. Superlative mention is also made of Queen Guinevere, her beauty and nobility, with particular attention paid to the details of her dress and accoutrements. Finally, the poet emphasizes Arthur's wish for a great wonder or tale to entertain him at the feast, again an affirmation of the typical view of Camelot as a place of adventure and unparalleled bravery. In all these elements the historical opening, the Arthurian setting, the opulent feast, the superlative portrayal of Guinevere, the lavish attention to detail, and Arthur's desire for adventure in all of these, the poet acts clearly within the convention of the romance.
But perhaps it is not so simple, for as we have noted earlier, the poet seems to be questioning the values of the chivalric romance at the same time he uses the conventions. The historical opening hints at the darker side of British history, writing that war, misery and distress, have alternated with prosperity since the founding of Britain. Already, this is no glorifying portrayal of military values. Also, the superlative description of Camelot verges on the excessive. A poet this skilled in description would surely be able to exalt Arthur and his court in a less simplistic manner. But lines 36-40 are so unsophisticated in their utmost praise of Camelot that we cannot help but question the poet's genuine belief in its glory. Certainly this supposed "greatness" of Camelot is something we will want to consider at the end of the poem, when Gawain has returned to Arthur after his momentous adventure.
In similar ways, the poet's description of the lavishness and merriment at the New Year's feast suggests a certain decadence in Arthur's court. The description of Guinevere thus far is in keeping with romantic conventions of the exalted noble woman, but these portrayals of women will continue to evolve throughout the poem, calling into question the concept of courtly love. Meanwhile, in Line 86 the poet describes Arthur as restless, youthfully light-hearted and rather boyish ("so joly of his joyfnes, and sumquat childgered"). While this is certainly a young, attractive King Arthur, in the springtime of life, we get the sense that this Arthur is also somewhat immature, demanding great wonders as an entertainment before his feast, and not as events with serious outcomes and implications. Again, we should consider this at the end of the poem, when Arthur and the court react to the result of Gawain's quest.
For the meantime, Fitt I continues with more subtly ambiguous treatment of romantic conventions. Considerable detail is lavished on the stranger's physical appearance, down to the ornamental knots in the mane of his horse. When the stranger speaks, his half-mocking tone provides another chance to criticize the chivalric court. And surely, the initial silence of the court affirms his censure of Camelot's cowardice, despite its reputation of valor. Arthur responds nobly to the challenge, but the poet describes the wary king in not-so-flattering terms, at least in comparison to the magnificent and towering stranger. Gawain's speech, while deferential and self-effacing, is perhaps too deferential, perhaps hiding a criticism of the other cowardly court members as he begrudgingly accepts the challenge for his king? The repeated terms of agreement between the Green Knight and Gawain serve to reinforce the chivalric code of respect for the rules of combat. Yet for all their seriousness, Arthur at the end of the fitt lightly ignores the implications of Gawain's mission, urging for more revelry and suggesting again, the immature and decadent Camelot of this complicated romance. As the poem progresses and Gawain moves from Camelot to other settings, it will be important to view other romantic conventions as they appear and consider their commentary on the values of chivalry.
Links with Celtic mythology: Another way to view Gawain is to consider its relationship with Celtic mythology, something frequently present in Arthurian material. The Celts, the people who lived in the British Isles prior to the arrival of the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons, had a strong body of pagan belief, ritual practices, and stories surrounding those beliefs and practices. Many of the characters in these myths were gods and goddesses; many of their ritual practices and beliefs echoed motifs in their myths. As the Middle Ages progressed and Christianity grew more dominant, these motifs and characters were often preserved in the folklore and literature of the British Isles. Arthurian material is particularly notable for its ties to Celtic myth, for many of the characters and events in these stories resemble gods and motifs in the older myths. In Gawain, there is a constant sense of the Celtic, pagan cosmology underlying the events with the Green Knight and Gawain's quest. As the poem progresses, this becomes especially complicated when set against the obvious Christianity in the story: Christian belief and pagan ritual mingle in intricate ways in Gawain.
Fitt I and Celtic mythology: In Fitt I, this link with Celtic belief is most noticeable in two ways: in the Christmas/New Years setting of the scene and in the figure of the Green Knight. Celtic pagan belief considered the year to be an important cycle in both the human and natural worlds. The Celts designated a certain time of year as the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one. At this "limbo" time of year, strange, supernatural events were likely to happen and the human world was likely to come in contact with the Otherworld of mystical beings. At the same time, though, the year was made new and revelry often took place to celebrate the new year and release the excess of spiritual energy. Traditionally, this designated time of year took place around November 1 for the Celts, and was known as Samhain. However, with the influence of Christianity and more Continental beliefs, this limbo time was moved to the period between Christmas and New Year's day.
Gawain corresponds with this pattern, with the strange Green Knight bursting in upon King Arthur's court on New Year's day. In this way, he can be seen as an Otherworldly visitor to the human world, as a strange, unaccountable force of nature entering Camelot, the epitome of civilized society. The bizarre beheading game has been seen to represent the ritual slaying and renewal of the year. There are in fact direct parallels between the beheading game in Gawain and an eighth-century Irish myth, "Bricriu's Feast." In this tale, the Celtic hero Cuchulainn must behead an Otherworldly figure at a feast, with similar consequences the apparent immortality of the other figure and the challenge for an exchange stroke a year later. In both cases, the Beheading Game has a ritual, pagan significance, suggesting the regenerative quality of Nature and the turning of the year.
In Gawain, the Green Knight in fact designates the following New Year's day as the date for the exchange blow, thus emphasizing the significance of the year as a cycle of time. And renewal and regeneration are certainly implicit in the Green Knight's immortality, since the beheading has no effect on him. Another clue to his Otherworldly nature would be his green color. Green, as the dominant color in nature, here suggests the natural cycle of rebirth and renewal that is so essential to the concept of the year and, as well, to the character of the Green Knight.
Symbols in Fitt I: The Green Knight himself thus serves as an important symbol in the story. We have already established that he personifies the renewable, indestructible forces of nature, entering human society on New Year's Day. But his description merits a closer look, for the poet does not portray him solely as a figure of terror and foreignness. In fact, the Green Knight is a mixture of the familiar (the civil) and the foreign (the raw). He is opulently dressed and clearly noble, yet his green color and sheer size indicate he is not entirely of this world. Thus, the Green Knight functions as a liminal figure, mediating between the civilized world of chivalry and the unknown world of nature. As we will see later on, he not only signifies the ritual renewal of the natural cycle, but also calls into question the civilized structure of chivalric and Christian values which confront Gawain.
Several specific traits of the Green Knight should be noted in this light. First, he bears in one of his hands a branch of holly and in another a cruel battle-axe. This clearly symbolizes his dual function. On one level it indicates his civilized wish for peace, offset by his potential for destruction. On another level, it symbolizes his understanding of the rules of society, despite his innate link with the natural world.
We should also note the recurring colors of green and gold in the description of the Green Knight. Similar to the battle-axe and holly, the green obviously indicates his raw, natural character, yet the gold implies something different. Gold is, after all, often associated with wealth, royalty, and the ultimate level of society. In medieval times, it was seen as the desired end product of the meticulous process of alchemy, the final possible attainment for human beings. Thus, the gold here brings a note of civility and social greatness to the figure of the Green Knight, in addition to his Otherworldly nature. As the poem progresses, green and gold will continue to take on a greater significance, especially in relation to the character of Gawain himself.
The second part of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight opens with a lush, detailed description of Nature and the passing of the year. After the Christmas feast and the Green Knight's challenge, the winter passes into a fair, green springtime and then a rich, joyful summer. But eventually harvest season approaches, the leaves fall, "and so the year descends into yesterdays, / And winter returns again as the world requires" (Gardner ll. 530-1). At this point of the year, Gawain remembers his agreement with the Green Knight and so, at a Michaelmas feast, sadly bids farewell to Arthur's court. Although Gawain pretends not to be bothered by the upcoming Quest, all the lords and ladies are silently sorrowful that a knight as worthy as Gawain must go to his doom by receiving the exchange blow from the Green Knight.
The next few stanzas are dedicated to a meticulous description of Gawain as he dons his ornate armor the next morning. Both he and his horse Gringolet are richly attired: Gawain's helmet, for example, has a priceless veil embroidered with parrots and turtledoves, and above that he wears a diamond-studded crown. But most important of all is his shield, which bears the emblem of the Pentangle, the five-pointed star. The poet pays particular attention to the Pentangle, the emblem of truth, known everywhere as "the endless knot." It is particularly suitable for Gawain because the five points of the star represent the five different ways in which Gawain, like purified gold, embodies faultless virtue. These five ways are in themselves five groups of five: 1) he is perfect in the five senses; 2) his five fingers are unfailing; 3) his faith is fixed firmly on the five wounds which Christ received on the cross; 4) he draws his strength from the five joys Mary had through Jesus; and 5) he embodies, better than any other living man, the five virtues. These virtues are Franchise, Fellowship, Cleanness, Courtesy, and above all, Charity.
On the inside of his shield is an image of the Virgin Mary, to which Gawain would look as a source of courage.
Once armed with his shield, Gawain rides away from Camelot, the court mourning that such a young, faultless knight should sacrifice his life as a result of a silly Christmas game. Gawain rides for months through a rough, unfriendly, and godless land. Often alone, Gawain has no friends but his horse and talks to no one but God. And no one he encounters knows of the Green Knight or the Green Chapel. Gawain battles with beasts and giants in his travels and struggles through a harsh, cold country which would have killed a weaker or more faithless man. On Christmas Eve, after toiling through a daunting wood, Gawain beseeches the Lord and Mary to guide him to some haven where he may attend mass and properly pray on Christmas morning. Almost immediately, Gawain stumbles upon a moated fortress, a beautiful castle with strong defences and intricate architectural flourishes. Awed and grateful, Gawain asks the porter of the castle for entrance and is greeted by a great, joyful, and eager company. He is welcomed by the lord of the castle, a massive, civilized, capable-looking man who sees to it that Gawain receives the best of care. Gawain is dressed in luxurious robes, and -- looking as refreshed and radiant as the spring -- he is brought to a lavish table and fed the best of wines and food. Eventually, his company learns that he is none other than Sir Gawain of Arthur's court, and they are delighted to have such an honored personage in their presence, the embodiment of good breeding and chivalry himself.
After dinner, the company attends the Christmastide mass, where Gawain meets the lady of the castle. She is incomparably beautiful, even lovelier than Guinevere, and she is accompanied by an ancient noble lady, whose utter ugliness enhances her own beauty. Gawain is pleased to meet her, and their companionship deepens the next morning at the Christmas Day feast. They are seated next to each other, while the ancient lady is given the highest seat, and the lord the next highest. A third day passes in revelry, and on the day of St. John, the guests of the castle leave to go home. Gawain thanks the lord and declares himself his servant, but regrets that he must leave the next morning to continue his quest. The lord, however, reveals that the Green Chapel is but two miles away, so Gawain must stay for the remaining three days and relax in bed. Jubilant, Gawain again declares himself the servant of the lord, ready to do his bidding. The lord decides that the next day, Gawain will stay in bed until attending high mass and dinner with the lady of the castle; in the meantime, the lord himself will rise at dawn to go hunting. He suggests one more thing: whatever he wins in the forest tomorrow will be given to Gawain, and in exchange, whatever Gawain wins in the castle during the day he must give to the lord. Gawain agrees to this bargain, and the lord calls for more wine and revelry to celebrate their game.
Fitt II Analysis
Description of Nature: The first two stanzas of Fitt II are notable for their lovely description of Nature and the passing of the seasons. The poet portrays Nature as an ever-changing world which sustains the human world and yet is not affected it, always continuing forward in its yearly cycle. Thus, as much as Gawain would like to avoid the impending meeting with the Green Knight, the year moves forward inexorably and the seasons push along to winter again: "A year turns all too soon, and all things change: / The opening and the closing are seldom the same" (Gardner ll. 499-500). The overall picture enhances the superior power of Nature in its creative and destructive aspects through springtime back to winter and the insignificance of human actions and emotions in comparison to the natural world.
The next description of Nature emphasizes this disparity even more, as the despondent Gawain, a solitary human figure, traverses a great and desolate wasteland in search of the Green Chapel. On his journey he encounters all the malevolent, destructive aspects of Nature: vicious beasts, cold rain, wild forests, ragged moss, treacherous bogs. Again, Nature is an overpowering world that belittles the individual human. The one thing that saves Gawain from destruction is his faith in God, and in a larger sense, it is only this religion which can guide and rescue the human from the dangerous world around him. Faith in God enables mankind to negotiate and survive the forces of Nature, both those natural forces outside and within him.
Imposing Form and Deconstructing the Romance: In contrast to this wild, untamed world of Nature, the Gawain-poet also presents us with the seemingly ordered and carefully crafted world of human society. We have already glimpsed this world in Fitt I, as epitomized by Arthur's lavish court, but in Fitt II, the poet digresses into long, somewhat technical descriptions of Gawain's armor, the architecture of the mysterious castle, and luxurious court within it. These detailed passages, with their technical language and excessive description, create a sense of extreme artifice in the human world. The embroidered fabrics, the skillfully cooked fish, the intricately ornamented castle, the expertly crafted armor these all stand in direct contrast to the ever-changing, primal world of Nature. On a larger level, these human constructions (armor, architecture, cuisine, etc) impose form on the natural world. They are a means by which humans control their own sphere within the larger world and establish a sense of order. By listing the technical details of these human productions, the poet opposes society, order, craftsmanship, and artifice against unbridled nature, wildness, fertility, and destructiveness.
But the Gawain-poet is not so simplistic in his portrayals of these two opposing worlds. He does not praise the civility of the human world over the wildness of Nature. In fact, his representation of human society is subtly complicated: he seems to be implying that perhaps human society is not as wonderful and ordered as it strives to be. Just as in Fitt I, with the descriptions of Arthur's court, the poet verges on the excessive. Is he merely glorifying the appearance of the castle, the armor, the banquet-hall, or does he ask if this is perhaps too much, too lavish, too superficial? In all these descriptions there is such an emphasis on externalities and sensuality appearances, the texture of the fabrics, the taste of the food that there seems to be a distancing from the spiritual. Indeed, doesn't Gawain appear to be closer to God when he toils alone through the forest than when he revels at a royal feast?
In questioning these constructions and forms, the poet eventually questions the romance genre itself. As we pointed out in Fitt I, the conventions of the romance include such lavish descriptions of feasts, armor, and clothing. But by subtly undermining these descriptions, perhaps the poet is deconstructing the romance and its reason for creating such constructions. Ultimately, what is the purpose of the romance genre: is it merely another false construction, a product of human society that eventually separates us from our spiritual selves and the natural world? The romance, like the excessive feasts and armor of the poem, perhaps strive to impose form on nature but in a way that only serves to confuse and superficialize the human soul.
Chivalric Values: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is often noted for its complicated commentary on chivalric values, one of the most important conventions of the medieval romance and of medieval society. In Fitt II, we see Gawain as the idealistic knight, the very embodiment of chivalric values. The poet writes: "Like purified gold, Sir Gawain was known for his goodness, / All dross refined away, adorned with virtues/ ŠA man still undefiled, / And of all knights most gentle." (Gardner ll. 623-39) Here we have the metaphor of gold which appeared in Fitt I (see Symbols under Analysis for Fitt I); again, the allusion is to the medieval process of alchemy, in which gold was seen as the final, perfect product of a long, refining process the metallic symbol of divine transcendence. With such a metaphor, there is no question here that the poet intends to portray Gawain as the ultimate paragon of medieval virtue and chivalry. To emphasize this, he delves into a lengthy explanation of the pentangle on Gawain's shield, stressing how Gawain possesses, better than any other man, all the five points of Christian and chivalric perfection. (See Symbols below.)
Gawain is also notable because he believes so fully in these societal values. For him, there is no question as to whether or not he should set off on this quest, as unpleasant as it is. He volunteered to undertake the Green Knight's challenge from his sense of chivalric duty. He insists on keeping his side of the bargain, again, as part of his chivalric duty. The poet makes clear that Gawain is guided and protected entirely by his sense of morality, both Christian and chivalric, which is symbolized by the shield with Christian and chivalric symbols on it.
But is this enough protection for one as idealistic as young Gawain? As the poem progresses into Fitts III and IV, Gawain will be confronted with numerous challenges to his strong moral idealism. Thus far in Fitt II he has survived the natural perils of his journey largely as a result of his own Christian piety. But eventually he will encounter perils that come from other members of society and from within his own human nature. Will his unerring moral sense be enough to protect him from these more disguised forces? And are Christian and chivalric perfection enough to make a man whole? This ultimately is crux of the poem. Throughout, the writer questions the viability of societal values when pitted against human nature and societal imperfection.
Through his excessive descriptions of luxury and revelry, the poet has already implied the weaknesses and superficiality of human society. Gawain himself seems too perfect, too idealistic to survive unscathed in the less-than-perfect human world.
The Fall of Man and the Castle as Paradise: When describing this less-than-perfect human world, medieval writers frequently would allude to the Biblical story of the Fall of Man. According to the Bible, Man was intended by God to be a perfect creature, and the first man, Adam, originally lived in an untouched Paradise (the Garden of Eden), along with the first woman, Eve. They lived in a state of perfect, ignorant bliss, like children, and did not have to work to survive. But Eve was eventually tempted by Satan, became (sexually) curious, and convinced Adam to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. As punishment for their Original Sin, they were thrown from Paradise to earth, where mankind has since had to labor in order to survive. Hence, the Fall of Man, the ultimate metaphor for the loss of human innocence.
You may wonder what this Biblical story has to do with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The poem is certainly not an outright parallel, but there are many allusions and motifs. Gawain, like Adam and Eve in the beginning, exists as a purely faultless creature, even ignorant in his idealism. Perhaps he, too, will eventually lose his innocence and undergo a fall from the paradise of ignorant bliss. Paradise is perhaps also symbolized in the poem by the shining image of the castle, towering over the dark forest. Medieval literature and art was full of such images of Paradise; often it appeared as an oasis, a garden, or a castle amidst a threatening desert or wasteland. In Gawain, we clearly have this medieval convention, but perhaps this castle as welcoming and as luxurious as it first seems to Gawain is not the bastion of moral virtue and perfection that the original Eden was. This castle is a complicated symbol, for it appears to have all the trappings of a Paradise; it appears to Gawain immediately after he has prayed for salvation in the dark forest, and the descriptions of its architecture emphasize its strength and impregnability. But as we will see, there is much more to this castle and its inhabitants than simple appearances. And for Gawain, learning this lesson may be akin to falling from his original moral perfection.
Symbols in Fitt II: In the previous paragraphs, we have already explained the significance of the castle as a symbol: it seems to be the very symbol of salvation and Paradise for Gawain, harking back to a medieval convention of castles as Paradise. But perhaps it is not as morally pefect as the Biblical Paradise, and the excessive, technical descriptions of the castle's superficialities seem to imply this falseness.
One other symbol dominates Fitt II, and this may be the most important symbol in the poem: Gawain's two-sided shield. There are several things one can say about the shield. On one level it functions as both his form of physical protection and as his symbol of moral protection. Gawain as a character drives his strength from his belief in Christian and chivalric values, and the shield is the perfect representation of this, protecting him from physical dangers while serving as a reminder of his spiritual and moral beliefs. The Pentangle on the outside can be seen as a symbol of chivalric values; indeed the five virtues of Franchise, Fellowship, Cleanness, Courtesy, and Charity quickly summarize the chivalric code. The image of the Virgin Mary, on the other hand, obviously symbolizes Christian faith. Thus, Gawain displays his chivalric beliefs and behavior outwardly to the rest of society, but Christian faith -- as symbolized by the image of Mary on the inside of his shield Christian faith is his inner strength.
One further interpretation of the shield should be mentioned. Recall again the role that Celtic, pagan mythology plays in the poem. The Pentangle is often seen as a pagan, and not a Christian, symbol, so it is unusual that it should appear on Gawain's shield, with the image of Mary on the reverse side. The two-sided shield, with a pagan symbol on one side and a Christian symbol on the other, can thus represent the dual pagan-Christian nature of the story. Furthermore, the poet writes that the Pentangle is noteworthy because it is an "endless knot" it has no beginning and no end, and wherever you start, the beginning ultimately becomes the end. In this way, the Pentangle comes to resemble the yearly cycle which the poet described so beautifully at the start of Fitt II again, something endless with no beginning or end. Just as the circularity of the year testified to the superior, replenishing power of Nature, the endless Pentangle on Gawain's shield may also allude to the eternality of Nature and the need to balance this with a strong faith in religion.
Part Three of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight covers the three days before Gawain must leave the lord's castle to meet the Green Knight on New Year's Day. On the first day, as planned, the lord arises early to go hunting. The poet describes in detail the hunting party as it moves through the winter forest, hounds and blaring horns in hot pursuit of deer. Then, almost drastically, the scene switches to the interior of the castle, to Gawain's bedroom where he still lies beneath the covers as the morning breaks. The lovely lady of the castle silently enters his bedroom and sits on his bed, watching Gawain. The knight is already awake, but he pretends to sleep, wary of the situation and the lady's intentions. Eventually, he "wakes up" and acts surprised to find the lady there.
A careful dialogue follows between Gawain and the lady, where he delicately and diplomatically evades and parries her sexual advances. First, the lady threatens flirtatiously to keep him prisoner; then praising his greatness as a knight, she assures Gawain that their situation is secret and offers her body to him. Gawain replies that he is "certainly honored" (Gardner l. 1247), but declares himself wholly unworthy for a lady as good as her. The lady denies this and replies that if she were to choose any husband, she would choose Gawain himself. Gawain tells her that she has done better already, subtly reminding her of her own husband, and their pleasant conversation continues until mid-morning. As she is about to leave him, she asks for a kiss, and Gawain, as befits the chivalrous knight, grants her that. The rest of the day Gawain spends at mass and then in the company of the two ladies of the castle.
In the meantime, the lord's hunting party has slaughtered a great number of deer by sunset, and they then begin the meticulous process of cutting and dividing the bodies of the game. Once this is done, they return home and Gawain commends the lord for his fine hunting. As promised, the lord gives the game to Gawain and Gawain, in exchange, gives the lord a sweet kiss he received that day, but refuses to reveal who it was won from, claiming that it was not part of the agreement. The two men revel for the rest of the evening and agree to continue their contract, by exchanging their winnings of the next day.
The second day begins with the hunting party out before dawn, frantically on the trail of an ancient, huge, and vicious boar. Both men and hounds are injured in the dogged pursuit of this savage beast. Meanwhile, Gawain welcomes the lady as she enters his bedchamber, as dogged as ever in her pursuit of him. More flirtatious conversation ensues: she reprimands him for forgetting to kiss her, he states that he does not like to take things by force, she says that he would hardly need force. Then she praises his reputation in Courtly Love and asks to be taught; he wisely replies that she already knows more in the art of love. In the end, Gawain evades the lady's amorous intentions, with only two kisses being exchanged. Outside, the hunt of the boar continues viciously, and the savage swine is eventually cornered in a pool of water. The lord boldly wades in the water alone to confront the beast and wins the battle by thrusting his sword into the boar's heart. Another complicated process divides the body of the boar, and the triumphant hunting party returns to the castle. Again, Gawain and the lord are joyously reunited; just as the lord gives the boar to Gawain, the younger knight bestows two kisses on him. For the rest of the night, there is much merriment and singing of carols, while the lady continues to dote adoringly on Gawain. The lord convinces Gawain to stay a third day, with the same contract of exchanging winnings. He intones ominously: "For I've tested you twice, my friend, and found you faithful, / But it's always the third strike that counts" (Gardner ll. 1677-8).
The third day dawns with a description of its brilliant, wintry beauty, and the hunting dogs fall on the trail of a cunning fox, which constantly outwits and eludes the hunting party. Inside the castle, the lady enters Gawain's bedchamber while wearing a lovely and very revealing gown. She wakes him from his sorrowful slumber, as he dreads the impending day of doom at the Green Chapel. Relentless and charming as ever, she kisses him and asks if he is not promised to another lady elsewhere. Gawain denies this, and the lady begs him to leave her a token of remembrance. He has nothing to give her, but she in turn offers him a valuable ring of gold, which he kindly refuses. The lady then offers him a green silk tunic, which he at first refuses, but then she reveals that whoever wears the green girdle cannot be killed. Aware of his impending meeting with the Green Knight, Gawain accepts the girdle, which the lady begs to keep secret. After receiving a third kiss from her that morning, Gawain dresses, confesses his sins to a priest in preparation for his challenge the next day, and then spends the rest of the day in utter merriment. Meanwhile, after much dogged pursuit, the hunting party succeeds in stunning the wily fox, and the lord triumphantly captures the sly creature. That evening at the castle, Gawain gives the lord three kisses, who in turn gives him the lone product of the day's hard work, the "foul-smelling fox". But the party continues into the night and the lord assigns a servant to guide Gawain to the Green Chapel the next morning. Heavy-hearted, Gawain bids farewell to the people of the castle, all of whom are sad to see him go. That night, Gawain has trouble sleeping for fear of the next day's events.
Fitt III Analysis
In analyzing Fitt III of the poem, it is impossible not to ignore the careful structuring of the three days of events, each with their parallel scenes of drama, both outdoors and indoors. On all three days, the structure is very similar: the lord hunts outdoors, while indoors, Sir Gawain is being hunted by the lady. At the end of each day, these two separate and very different hunts are brought together by the exchange of winnings between Gawain and the lord. The poet clearly intends to parallel the lord's hunting of beasts with the lady's hunting of Gawain. The very masculine pursuit of animals is thus equated to the lady's very feminine sexual pursuit of this chivalric hero.
But much more remains to be said about this deliberate parallel of hunting episodes. In many ways, this parallel de-constructs the superficial constructions of society which the poet has, throughout the poem, subtly questioned. By equating the delicate, artfully crafted pursuit of the knight to the rough, primal pursuit of the beasts, the poet has effectively reduced to basics all that medieval society has built up as the ultimate in chivalric behavior. The lady for the most part pursues Gawain by using complex flirtations and societal conventions that recall his sense of duty to a noble lady; yet she is banking on a very basic human instinct lust. Their dialogue is complex, drawing upon many medieval attitudes to courtesy and humility. Yet what it all comes down to is something very primal, very (in a sense) uncivil and animalistic. Again, then, we get a sense of the falseness of societal constructions. As with the descriptions of luxurious clothes and architecture, the careful, diplomatic dialogue between Gawain and the lady is extremely complex. But ultimately, they are only used to mask the real nature of human lust another example of societal artifice imposing itself falsely upon nature.
Interestingly enough, though, Gawain uses this very sense of civility to fend off the dangers of lust. It is only through his diplomatic responses and references to social rules (her existing marriage to the lord, his refusal to use force, etc.) that he is able to extricate himself from a very complicated situation. Indeed, Gawain's conflict is a very complex one because in rejecting the lady's requests he runs the risk of offending a moral code which until this moment, had never posed a problem to him. Chivalric duty had always required service and deference to both one's lord and one's lady, but only now does Gawain's fervent belief in chivalry create a conundrum for him. On the one hand, he is tempted to give into the lady's advances by his own human nature and by her appeal to his sense of chivalry to a noble lady. On the other hand, he counters this with his sense of chivalry to a sworn lord and his strong Christian belief. As with the earlier trial in the dark forest, it is Gawain's sense of Christian righteousness which ultimately saves him. The poet writes: "But the danger might have been great / Had Mary not watched her knight!" (Gardner ll. 1769-70)
But Gawain does not entirely evade the lady's seductions. His acceptance of the green girdle may at the time seem small, but it has huge consequences by the end of the poem. Thus, it is something worth examining. By secretly accepting the girdle and refusing to give it away, Gawain violates the agreement he had with his lord thereby violating the chivalric code of honor that binds such contracts. It is not nearly as great a violation as adultery would have been, but it nevertheless shatters the code of chivalry which Gawain lives by. Thus, where the lady failed to seduce Gawain by appealing to his desire for sex, she succeeds by appealing to his desire to live. Both are basic animal instincts, and while Gawain can smother the one through his strong moral sense, he cannot ultimately ignore the other: the fear of death hangs too much on him. In this way, the idealistic Gawain finally allows himself to be guided by his own nature, and not by his sense of societal duty.
Gawain's fear of mortality is obviously linked to his impending meeting with the Green Knight, and this is where the poet so masterfully connects this story about Gawain in the castle with the larger framework of the first, more imposing story about Gawain and the Green Knight. Furthermore, the poet's careful cross-cutting between outdoors and indoors hunting scenes equates Gawain with the hunted beasts both are pursued, both are gripped by the fear of death. Hence while Gawain does not at the time connect the lady's advances with the Green Knight's return stroke, the magical, death-defying green girdle does it for him, causing him to break his ever-important code of chivalry because of his fear of death.
To push the hunting parallel further, the language used during the bedroom scenes often employs metaphors of fighting and fencing. For example, a polite Gawain at first says to the forward lady: "I surrender my arms at once and sue for kind treatment" (Gardner l.1035). Later, the poet writes: "But Sir Gawain remained, in his graceful way, en garde. / Š Even so, his mind would be drawn to the dark that he need not long await, / The stroke that must destroy him" (Gardner ll.1279-83) At the same time, Gawain, aware of the lady's advances and afraid of his impending doom, is equivalent to the deer that the lord is hunting right now both await their final stroke. The overall effect of these parallels is to equate the two scenes of the exposed, dangerous exterior forest and "sheltered," "safe" interior bedroom. Thus, the poet reduces the complicated, artificialized world of human society to the basic, primeval world of nature, and shows that the societal code is merely a pretense which sometimes cannot always hold up.
The Role of the Lady and Temptress and Healer: In Fitt III, the character of the lady until now a pleasant companion to Gawain takes a turn for the worse. She suddenly becomes a temptress, attempting to seduce Gawain into violating his sense of morality. In this way, the lady easily resembles archetypal female characters in earlier literature.
Medieval, Arthurian, and Celtic lore often had such female temptresses, all of whom existed to distract the knight errant from his moral task. The Lady in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight obviously fits this role, but we should also not forget the Biblical story of the Fall of Man which we discussed in our analysis of Fitt II. There we saw how the castle in the poem resembled popular medieval representations of Paradise, emerging miraculously from a dark wasteland. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, this "Paradise" is not all it seems to Gawain, for rather than bring him salvation, it now only provides him with further perils, in the guise of the predatory lady. Indeed, by appealing to Gawain's sexual desire, the lady becomes an Eve-figure in this false Paradise, tempting the hero to violate his moral agreement with his higher lord.
Another resemblance should be noted, and that is to the archetypal enchantress/healing women of Celtic myth. Folklore abounded with Otherworldly women who could cure wounded warriors and bring them back to health. The lady in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, strangely enough, offers Gawain a cure in the form of the green girdle. Its magical healing properties associate her with such archetypal female healers, yet it is this very girdle which lies at the root of Gawain's moral deception. Instead of curing him, it only taints him in a moral sense. Thus, the lady does not heal but instead wounds Gawain, and, just as with the false Paradise of the castle, nothing is as it seems.
Symbols: The most obvious symbol in Fitt III is the green girdle which Gawain secretly accepts from the lady. As discussed above, it is a deceptive object, for it claims to protect a man, but in this case has only caused Gawain to breach his moral code and (as we will see) ruin his sense of self. Although Gawain accepts it because of his fear of death, there are still all the trappings of romantic love: the lady unties it from her waist and wraps it around Gawain's. On the outside, it still appears as a love-token, thereby emphasizing the sense of deception when Gawain hides it from the lord. Also, of course, it is green, linking it immediately with the Green Knight whom Gawain must meet the next day. In a sense, it is a sort of a reverse-magic to that of the supernatural, indestructible knight or at least Gawain hopes so. Yet both the Green Knight and the green girdle seem to hark from a world of the magical, the otherworldly, the natural and fertile and indestructible. Again, there are pagan connotations with the obvious emphasis on fertility. We can even see the pagan, magical green girdle as representing everything that is not acceptable by chivalric and Christian standards: in keeping it, Gawain goes against his code of honesty, courage, and faith.
The final, dreaded episode of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the day of Gawain's exchange stroke opens ominously with a fierce winter storm that keeps Gawain up at night. Before dawn on New Year's Day, the knight is awake and getting dressed, garbing himself in rich, bejeweled clothes -- most importantly the green girdle which the lady had given him. With the servant accompanying him, Gawain mounts his horse Gringolet and leaves the castle, thinking fondly of the court and his host and hostess. Gawain and the servant travel through a somber, snow-covered landscape, and at the top of a hill, the servant stops and begs Gawain to reconsider his mission. He warns that the Green Knight is a horrible, cruel monster: huge, merciless, someone who kills for pure joy. The servant begs Gawain to run away; he would not tell anyone. But Gawain refuses to run, as that would prove himself a cowardly knight. Resigned, the servant leaves Gawain with the final directions to the Green Chapel, and the knight moves forward through a rough, ominous wood to an ancient cave. Gawain marvels at the deserted ugliness of the place, fearing that he might encounter the Devil himself in such a place.
Suddenly, Gawain hears the sound of a blade being sharpened on a grindstone, but the terrified knight resolves to continue and calls out for the Green Knight. He is answered and in due time, the Green Knight, huge and formidable as before, meets Gawain with a monstrous axe. He welcomes Gawain, praising him for maintaining his part of the agreement and asking him to remove his helmet, so the exchange stroke can be received. The horrified Gawain exposes his neck, but at the last moment, he flinches from the axe and the Green Knight stops to yell at the cowardly Gawain. Gawain promises not to move the next time, but the second attempt stops short as well, enraging Gawain. On the third stroke, the Green Knight splits the skin on Gawain's neck but that is all the injury done. An elated Gawain quickly leaps up to defend himself and remind the Green Knight that the agreement allowed for one stroke of the ax only.
The Green Knight explains his unusual behavior: he and the lord of the castle are one and the same man, and the two feinted ax strokes represent the first two days of the game, when Gawain faithfully gave everything he won that day to the King. But that third day, Gawain did conceal the sash from the King and as a result is punished by the slight scrape on his neck. The lord reveals that he arranged his wife's advances upon Gawain, but having seen the result, he is convinced that Gawain is the finest man alive, his one failure stemming understandably from his love of life. But Gawain is harsher on himself, cursing his cowardice and covetousness and rejecting the green sash which made him guilty. The Green Knight forgives Gawain, urges him to keep the sash as a token of their struggle, and invites him back to the castle to celebrate the New Year. Gawain declines, sends his wishes to the two noble ladies, and laments on four Biblical figures (Adam, Solomon, Samson, and David) who were all ruined by the wiles of a lovely woman. He agrees to keep the girdle to remind himself of the "fault and frailty of the foolish flesh" (Gardner l. 2425). To answer Gawain's question, the Green Knight reveals himself to be Bertilak de Hautdesert, servant to the sorceress Morgan le Fay. It was Morgan who engineered the entire game, sending Bertilak down to Camelot so that Guinevere would be shocked to death by the staged beheading. In fact, Morgan was the ancient noble lady at Hautdesert castle and is the scheming half-sister to Arthur, the kindg's traditional nemesis. Despite Bertilak's invitation, Gawain decides not to return to the castle for more merriment, and moves back to Camelot, traveling "through the wild woods of the world" with the green girdle on his shoulders. Once at the Arthur's court, Gawain is greeted with much cheering and joy from Arthur, Guinevere, and the others. He recounts his entire adventure, but is ashamed when he tells of his ultimate failing as a result of the green girdle. Nevertheless, Arthur and the courtiers, unaware of Gawain's shame, adopt the green baldric as a heraldic token in honor of Gawain. From there, the poet concludes in much the same way he opened the poem, praising Arthur, moving back through Brutus to the siege of Troy. The final two lines implore Jesus Christ for bliss.
Fitt IV Analysis
Description of the Natural World: Fitt IV is filled with some of the poet's most striking images of the desolate, wintry world of Nature. The first stanza alone describes a terrible storm on New Year's Eve, emphasizing Gawain's sense of dread as he fearfully anticipates the meeting with the Green Knight. This is a good example of pathetic fallacy, a literary device whereby the weather and the natural world echo the emotions of a character. Here, the night storm reflects Gawain's dread, but it also heightens the sense of an overpowering, superior force of Nature which mankind cannot possibly contend with. The effect is the same as the descriptions of Nature in Fitt II: the individual human is belittled when compared to the magnitude and power of the natural world. As Gawain and the servant approach the Green Chapel, there are more remarkable descriptions of Nature. Always, it is a cold, intimidating, barren world they are moving through; the bleak, dead surroundings heighten the bleakness of Gawain's task and seem to foreshadow his own doom.
The servant's frightened outburst at the end of the Green Chapel serves much the same purpose. Just as the poet described the terror of the natural world during the journey, the servant here describes the terror of the Green Knight. Here, too, is an overpowering, superior force that seems impossible to contend with. In this way, there is an implicit linking of Green Knight with Nature (see "The Green Knight Revealed" below). This, of course, has been the association all along since the poem's start, but here, nearing the suspenseful climax of the story, the extreme horror of the Green Knight and of Nature are magnified to dizzying proportions. It is the poet's clever way of building suspense, while also emphasizing the nobility and idealism of Gawain's character. For all his dread and all the warnings from other humans, Gawain will not abandon his chivalric duty to uphold the terms of the agreement. He remains courageous in the face of imminent death and a terrifying force of Nature.
The Futility of Human Constructions: Just as Fitt II had detailed descriptions of nature and armor, so too does Fitt IV. Stanzas 2 and 3 concentrate on Gawain's careful arming of himself on New Year's Day. It is very similar to previous descriptions of armor we have encountered before: in Fitt I with the Green Knight and in Fitt II with Gawain before setting off on his quest. But at this point in the story, the meticulously polished armor and clothing bear a particular irony for the reader and for Gawain. No matter how strong or how beautiful his armor is, it still will not save him from the impending blow of the Green Knight. Why, then, go through this ritualistic arming process, when it will ultimately prove futile?
The poet seems once more to be hinting at the futility of human constructions, with his ironic description of the elaborate, but ultimately useless armor. The poem thus far has been filled with such elaborate, technical descriptions of armor, castle architecture, the cutting of the hunted deer. All these are elements of medieval aristocratic life which are meant to enhance the sense of the noble and the refined in medieval society. But here finally, such an elaborate, ennobling social construction (the armor) is pitted against the finality of death, and it proves to be useless.
To go further, is the poet again implying the futility of human constructions like the romance genre and our moral code? The conventions of the romance have been mocked in a way: the grand armor is useless, the language of courtly love has been used not to ennoble but to deceive and seduce. And the greatest human construction of all the moral code which guides the faultless Gawain has crumbled under the natural, primal threat of death.
The Green Knight Revealed: The character of the Green Knight is key to understanding the theme of nature and human society in the poem. Recall again that in Fitt I he appeared as a liminal figure between the natural and the human worlds: with a civilized look to his armor and clothes, yet clearly Otherworldly. Here in Fitt IV, we realize that the Green Knight has been in the story all along, in the guise of Lord Bertilak, Gawain's host during the holidays. Certainly both we and Gawain are surprised, but what does this revelation say about the relationship between the natural and the human worlds?
Scholars such as Brian Stone have argued that the Green Knight is essentially a stand-in for the Devil, a trickster who changes identities, appears always invincible, and challenges humans to abandon their Christian and moral principles. Gawain, for example, is certainly tempted by the sensual luxuries of Bertilak's court and by the sexual advances of Bertilak's wife. Just as the Devil frequently makes bargains with hapless human beings in folktales and medieval stories, the Green Knight also makes bargains (two in fact) with Gawain. Gawain even comments that the Green Chapel seems like a place where one would meet Satan himself. And the description and name of the Green Chapel are in some ways a parody of the clean, welcoming, sanctuary of the Christian church, the House of God. Pacts with the Devil traditionally ended with the human giving up his soul, and one can even argue that by the end of the poem, Gawain does seem to have lost his soul or at least, the moral faith that guided his soul.
But it is possible to view the devilish role of the Green Knight as merely a medieval Christian overlay to a pagan figure, where the conflict between the human and the Otherworldly/natural has been transformed into a conflict between the Christian and the Satanic. Indeed, the Green Knight, in both his forms, seems to maintain an innate link with Nature. As Bertilak, he still carries a unique, instinctual natural-ness, as evidenced by his prowess and physicality during the hunts in Fitt III. With Bertilak ranging through the wild forests and Gawain in bed having a diplomatic, flirtatious conversation with Lady Bertilak, it seems there could be no greater polarity between the vigorous natural world and the guarded human world.
If the natural vs. the human is the real conflict, then Nature would seem to have won out in this story, for the human constructions (as we have seen above) have proven to be futile and Gawain ultimately lets himself be guided by his own natural impulse to survive. But what confuses everything at the end is the revelation that none of this has been, in a sense, genuine, and that all of it has been a carefully engineered construction, planned by Morgan le Fay. In a sense, it isn't at all Nature or the "all-natural" Green Knight that Gawain has been contending with, but merely the machinations of another human being, driven by human jealousies and emotions, and dependent on constructions and artifices just as elaborate as those we have already encountered in the other human characters. In this light, Gawain's challenge hasn't been natural in the least, but instead the very definition of artificial.
Morgan le Fay, Gawain's "Misogynistic" Speech, and the Fall of Man: With the revelation of Morgan le Fay's villainy, nothing is as it seems, and the Green Knight, instead of the dynamic embodiment of Nature, ends up as the puppet of a relatively minor character in the story. Again, many critics have objected to the final explanation in Fitt IV, that it seems forced, doesn't "ring true," and that the poet was merely giving into the conventions of the larger Arthurian genre. Whether or not this is true, and whether Morgan's character really does play a vital role in a complex story or is merely a tack-on, the mention of her does cause Gawain's outburst in the eighteenth stanza, where he mentions Biblical figures who have been deceived by women. This speech is often labeled "misogynistic" (woman-hating) and out-of-character for Gawain. It may even reveal the underlying misogyny of the poet himself.
But Gawain's speech, drawing upon Biblical parables, relies upon his fervent faith in Christian morality. Shattered by the realization that everything has been a false game, he seems to be angrily lashing out at the weakening vices of "cowardice and covetousness" and the predatory women that prey upon such vices. Bertilak himself helps to draw the parallel between Morgan and the dangerous Biblical women when he talks of how Morgan gained her skills in sorcery by seducing Merlin. Needless to say, the same trope of the temptress lies (as we have seen) in the figures of Eve and Lady Bertilak. Only now, with Bertilak's explanation, do the lady's seductive actions seem to bear a more planned, but somehow more sinister motive to the entire game. But the basic motif remains the same: the temptress, the Paradise which is no longer, and the Fall from innocence. Here, Gawain's Fall comes with the realization that his entire quest has been an artifice, a mere game, and as a result, his moral belief in the world around him is shattered.
Gawain's Disillusionment: The final episode, where Gawain returns to Arthur's court, only serves to drive home his sense of disillusionment. Already, Gawain's trust in things has been weakened by the realization that he has been played all along by Sir Bertilak, Lady Bertilak, and Morgan le Fay all of whom appeared, at first, to be respectable, noble characters. But when he arrives at Arthur's court, their inability to see his moral failure ruins his moral conviction even more. Why is it that the noblest court in all of Britain cannot understand his moral dilemma and celebrates his cowardice as courage? The poem even ends with Gawain in a moral quagmire, bearing his green girdle as a mark of shame, while the rest of Camelot continues to celebrate and raises the green girdle in blind admiration of Gawain. It is a complex ending, and certainly not the conventional sense of resolution that is found in most romances.
Yet, as we have realized by now, the poet does not aim to simply re-create the romance genre and its chivalric code, but also to question it. Gawain's final disillusionment has been foreshadowed all along by the poet in his excessive, overly technical descriptions of romance conventions. If previous in Fitt I, we got the sense that Camelot's lords and ladies were a bit shallow and too decadent in their revelries, then our suspicions are confirmed here, when Gawain returns to this glowing world at the end of the poem. Arthur's court is still reveling, and yet, they do not have the moral seriousness to realize Gawain's dilemma. Perhaps this world this supposed epitome of human civility and chivalry does not glow as brightly as it once did for the idealistic knight.
Ultimately, the poem implies the loss of the importance of chivalric values, for as Gawain has learned, they do not always bring peace to the individual soul.
Narrative Structure and the Mythic Journey: Finally, it is important to note the narrative structure of the poem, the way in which the events of the poem are patterned and what these have to do with the themes. If we look closely, we can notice that the fitts seem to alternate in terms of similarity of events. For example, the first fitt takes place within a royal court, the second fitt is a perilous journey outdoors which ends at another royal court, the third fitt alternates between the setting of the royal court and the perilous outdoors, and the final fitt is again a journey outdoors that ends at the same, original court of Arthur. Notice, for one, that the poem's setting alternates between the outdoors (the natural world) and the royal court (the human world). Gawain begins safely in the human world, and is fully confident in the rules of chivalry and morality which supposedly guide human society. But after taking his perilous journey into the natural world and encountering many challenges (both natural and society), he returns to the human world not with a reaffirmed confidence in its safety and righteousness, but instead with a nagging uncertainty about the moral code he once believed so strongly.
This is quite different from the conventional narrative structure of conflict and restoration a structure which goes back as far as the Celtic myths which lie at the roots of the poem. Pre-Christian Celtic myths often had motifs of exchanges between the human world and the Otherworld, with the time period of a year and a day commonly used. A mythic interpretation of the poem would have the Green Knight as an Otherworldly lord and Gawain's journey from Camelot into a terrifying, strange land as the hero's archetypical descent into the Otherworld or Underworld. (Some examples of the Otherworld journey include Aeneas' descent into Hades in the Aeneid or more closely related to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -- the Irish hero Cuchulainn's journey to the Otherworld in the Celtic myth "The Wasting Sickness of Cuchulainn.") In most cases, the hero undertakes the journey to right some previous wrong or restore balance to the natural order. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the poem's symmetry would suggest that the natural order has been restored, as the New Year dawns brightly on Arthur's court, but this masks the fact that within Gawain's individual soul, the moral order has been uprooted.
(Source: Gradesaver)
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