Reading Quiz: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
After his trials at the Green Chapel, what does the lady's girdle signify to Gawain?
"that the frailty of his flesh is man's biggest fault"; "cowardice and covetousness"
What is the true identity of the Green Knight?
Bertilak de Hautdesert
What time and place comprise the setting of this poem?
Christmas at Camelot
The opening of the poem emphasizes King Arthur's nobility by claiming that he is the "most regal of rulers in the royal line" (line 25). What other noble, nation-founding rulers does the poet mention in order to establish a context for his Arthurian tale?
Romulus, Ticius, Langobard, and Felix Brutus
What Christmas game does the Green Knight propose?
a beheading game
What literary device or technique does the poet use to heighten our sense of the lady of the castle's beauty?
a juxtaposition when the youthful lady is paired with an old crone, who makes the lady seem more beautiful by comparison
What golden device appears on the outside of Sir Gawain's shield?
a pentangle
With what armor, devices, and weaponry is the Green Knight equipped when he makes his surprising appearance at Arthur's court?
a sprig of holly and a great green axe
Which game does the lord of the castle hunt over three successive days?
does, boar, fox
After the Christmas feasts, the lord of the castle tells Sir Gawain that the Green Knight's chapel is just two miles away (line 1078). He urges Sir Gawain to stay on at his castle until New Year's morning, when he will send Sir Gawain with a guide to the green chapel so that Sir Gawain may fulfill his promise to the Green Knight honorably. The lord then proposes a game to fill the three days before Sir Gawain must ride out. By the terms of this game Sir Gawain and the lord of the castle will
exchange whatever they gain in the course of the day in the evening.
Consider the four lines below: Before they part the pair repeat their pact again. That lord was well aware of how to host a game. (lines 1123-1126)Which of the following terms best describes the meter of these lines?
iambic trimeter
At what time of the year does Sir Gawain finally pursue the Green Knight's command to seek him out?
in autumn, at Michaelmas
What relation is Sir Gawain to King Arthur?
nephew
What is the symbolic significance of the sprig of holly the Green Knight carries in his hand?
peace
What magical property does the lady of the castle's green silk girdle possess for the person wearing it?
safety from blows
How many swings of the axe does Sir Gawain endure at the Green Chapel, and why?
three, because twice Sir Gawain was truthful to his host, and once he was not
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is written in alliterative verse, with three stresses per line. Locate the alliterative stresses found in line 161: "In all vestments he revealed himself veritably verdant!" Choose the answer with the correct stresses below.
vestments, veritably, verdant
What happens when Sir Gawain takes up the Green Knight's challenge to Arthur's court?
Sir Gawain chops off the Green Knight's head at one blow
Sir Gawain travels through the country, seeking the Green Knight amidst perils including wolves, bulls, bears, boars, and giants, until at last it is Christmas Eve. Suddenly, an astonishingly beautiful castle appears before him. What act immediately precedes the appearance of the castle and seems to summon it forth?
Sir Gawain prays to Pater Noster, an Ave Saint, three times to summon the castle ; Sir Gawain prays to God and the Virgin Mary to find a place where he can hear Mass
The golden device on Sir Gawain's shield is richly symbolic of his character and reputation. Sir Gawain is described as "devoid of vices" and "good as the purest gold" (lines 634 and 633) using imagery and allusions to "five sets of five" (line 656) that illustrate aspects of his character. Which of these answers is NOT correct?
Sir Gawain's five fingers never felt fear