Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

What happens on New Years Day?

Gawain dons his armor, including the girdle, then sets off with Gringolet to seek the Green Knight. A guide accompanies him out of the estate grounds.

WHat does the Green Knight do when he arrives at King Arthur's Court?

He challenges the group's leader or any other brave representative to a game.

What happens when Gawain gets to the crevice in the rock?

He hears the whirring of a grindstone, confirming his suspicion that this strange cavern is in fact the Green Chapel.

What does Gawain do on Xmas Day?

He prays to find a place to hear Mass, then looks up to see a castle shimmering in the distance.

What does Gawain do in autumn on All Saint's Day?

He puts on his best armor, mounts his horse, Gringolet, and starts off toward North Wales, traveling through the wilderness of northwest Britain.

What special day of the year is it when the Green Knight appears unexpectedly at King Arthur's Court?

New Years Eve

What say does Gawain prepare to leave Camelot to find the Green Knight?

On the Day of All Saints

What happens on the morning of the first day to Gawain in his bedchambers?

On the morning of the first day, the lord's wife sneaks into Gawain's chambers and attempts to seduce him. Gawain puts her off, but before she leaves she steals one kiss from him.

What genre is this?

Romance, Arthurian legend

Who steps forward to take the challenge?

Stunned, Arthur hesitates to respond, but when the Green Knight mocks Arthur's silence, the king steps forward to take the challenge.

What does the Green Knight do when Gawain presents his neck?

The Green Knight proceeds to fake two blows. On the third fake, the Green Knight nicks Gawain's neck, barely drawing blood. Angered, Gawain shouts that their contract has been met, but the Green Knight merely laughs.

What does the Green Knight reveal to Gawain after he nicks his neck?

The Green Knight reveals his name, Bertilak, and explains that he is the lord of the castle where Gawain recently stayed.

What is the game the Green Knight proposes to the court?

The Green Knight says that he will allow whomever accepts the challenge to strike him with his own axe, on the condition that the challenger find him in exactly one year to receive a blow in return.

What is so special about the lady's girdle?

The green silk girdle she wears around her waist is no ordinary piece of cloth, the lady claims, but possesses the magical ability to protect the person who wears it from death.

Describe what happens when Gawain goes to the castle in the distance...?

The lord of the castle welcomes Gawain warmly, introducing him to his lady and to the old woman who sits beside her. For sport, the host (whose name is later revealed to be Bertilak) strikes a deal with Gawain:

What happens the second day, what does the Lord capture, and what does Gawain give in exchange?

The second day, the lord hunts a wild boar. The lady again enters Gawain's chambers, and this time she kisses Gawain twice. That evening Gawain gives the host the two kisses in exchange for the boar's head.

What happens the third day?

The third day, the lord hunts a fox, and the lady kisses Gawain three times. She also asks him for a love token, such as a ring or a glove. Gawain refuses to give her anything and refuses to take anything from her, until the lady mentions her girdle.

Does Gawain accept the girdle?

Intrigued, Gawain accepts the cloth.

What does the pentangle symbolize? (The symbol on his shield)

A symbol of truth, the star has five points that link and lock with each other. The pentangle symbolizes the virtues to which Gawain aspires: to be faultless in his five senses; never to fail in his five fingers; to be faithful to the five wounds that Christ received on the cross; to be strengthened by the five joys that the Virgin Mary had in Jesus (the Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, and Assumption); and to possess brotherly love, courtesy, piety, and chastity. The side of the shield facing Gawain contains an image of the Virgin Mary to make sure that Gawain never loses heart.

What happens when Arthur accepts the challenge?

As soon as Arthur grips the Green Knight's axe, Sir Gawain leaps up and asks to take the challenge himself. He takes hold of the axe and, in one deadly blow, cuts off the knight's head.

What does Bertilak say about their deal after he laughs?

Because Gawain did not honestly exchange all of his winnings on the third day, Bertilak drew blood on his third blow. Nevertheless, Gawain has proven himself a worthy knight, without equal in all the land.

What does the guide say to him?

When they reach the border of the forest, the guide promises not to tell anyone if Gawain decides to give up the quest. Gawain refuses, determined to meet his fate head-on.

What happens after Sir Gawain cuts off the Green Knights head?

o the amazement of the court, the now-headless Green Knight picks up his severed head. Before riding away, the head reiterates the terms of the pact, reminding the young Gawain to seek him in a year and a day at the Green Chapel. After the Green Knight leaves, the company goes back to its festival, but Gawain is uneasy.

What does Gawain give to the on the third day to the host and why is it significant?

when it comes time to exchange his winnings with the host, Gawain gives the three kisses but does not mention the lady's green girdle. The host gives Gawain the fox skin he won that day, and they all go to bed happy. Its important because Gawain didn't follow what he said he was going to with the host by not giving him the girdle.

What are some themes from this poem?

-The code of chivalry, in particular, shapes the values and actions of Sir Gawain and other characters in the poem. -The ideals of Christian morality and knightly chivalry are brought together in Gawain's symbolic shield. -the five virtues of knights: friendship, generosity, chastity, courtesy, and piety.

What type of work is this?

Alliterative poem

What happens during Gawain's journey through northwest Britain to find the Green Knight?

Gawain encounters all sorts of beasts, suffers from hunger and cold, and grows more desperate as the days pass

What does the girdle symbolize?

THE GIRDLE-The meaning of the host's wife's girdle changes over the course of the narrative. It is made out of green silk and embroidered with gold thread, colors that link it to the Green Knight. She claims it possesses the power to keep its wearer from harm, but we find out in Part 4 that the girdle has no magical properties. After the Green Knight reveals his identity as the host, Gawain curses the girdle as representing cowardice and an excessive love of mortal life. He wears it from then on as a badge of his sinfulness. To show their support, Arthur and his followers wear green silk baldrics that look just like Gawain's girdle.

What does Bertilak bring back the first day and what does Gawain give him in exchange?

That evening, when the host gives Gawain the venison he has captured, Gawain kisses him, since he has won one kiss from the lady.

Where does foreshadowing appear in this poem?

The Green Knight's reiteration of Gawain's promise as he leaves Camelot foreshadows Gawain's eventual encounter with the knight. The description of the changing seasons at the beginning of Part 2 foreshadows Gawain's emotional development in the following parts. The strange, hallucinatory appearance of Bertilak's castle foreshadows the untrustworthy nature of its inhabitants. The lady's offer of a green girdle foreshadows Gawain's ability to cheat death.

What type of narrator is this poem?

Third person omniscient

Describe the end of the story...?

When Gawain questions Bertilak further, Bertilak explains that the old woman at the castle is really Morgan le Faye, Gawain's aunt and King Arthur's half sister. She sent the Green Knight on his original errand and used her magic to change Bertilak's appearance. Relieved to be alive but extremely guilty about his sinful failure to tell the whole truth, Gawain wears the girdle on his arm as a reminder of his own failure. He returns to Arthur's court, where all the knights join Gawain, wearing girdles on their arms to show their support.

What happens when Gawain calls out in the Green Chapel?

the Green Knight emerges to greet him. Intent on fulfilling the terms of the contract, Gawain presents his neck to the Green Knight.

What his deal that Bertilak strikes with Gawain?

the host will go out hunting with his men every day, and when he returns in the evening, he will exchange his winnings for anything Gawain has managed to acquire by staying behind at the castle. Gawain happily agrees to the pact, and goes to bed.