Sir Gawain and the Green Knight PDF

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Essay on Medieval literature based on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ...

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1. Analyse the importance of symbolism as a literary device in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

When we think of the 14th century, we generally do not imagine anything positive or significant. It was a time where towns and villages across Europe were ravaged by the bubonic plague, England and France fought bitterly in the Hundred Years War and literature, education and creativity seemed to be of little relevance. ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ is an exception to its circumstances. From its avant-garde insight of the human psyche, to its universal and un-aging themes, it still captivates readers seven hundred years after its publication. Although perhaps the most interesting aspect of this multi-faceted poem is the richness of literary symbols that permeate the text in its entirety. As a modern reader, it is hard to fathom how subtle creativity could executed so beautifully during a time where we consider people to be uneducated and naïve, but such is the case in this poem. The poet, whose name has been lost over time, employs many memorable symbols that remain in the readers mind long after reading the poem. From the iconic pentangle symbol, interrupted in its perfection by the girdle, to the role of the holidays, games and the seasons and finally to the many possible interpretations of the colour green in the poem, it is evident that ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s abundance of layered symbolism is why it remains just as relevant today, as it was seven hundred years ago. ‘The pentangle is understood to represent the perfection of the connected virtues’ (Beauregard, p. 146). This symbol of truth, born by the great and valiant knights of King Arthur’s round table, is possibly the most distinctive image of the entire poem. Outside the context of the text, the pentangle shape represents an infinite interweaving knot. It has no beginning and no end and remains unbroken as all the lines intersect one another. This

symbol was adopted by the knights of Camelot to represent their unbroken bravery and their unquestionable loyalty. Gawain bore this symbol on his shield ‘Hit callen, Oural as I here, Þe endeles knot. ForÞy hit ocordeʒ to Þis knyʒ t and to his cler armeʒ ; For ay faithful in fyue syÞeʒ ’. (629) To carry this symbol was a great honour bestowed upon a knight, and undoubtedly the expectation that came with this honour weighed heavily on Gawain when he decided to step up to behead the green knight. It can therefore be said that the burden of living up to the honour of the pentangle was the catalyst that set in to motion the action of the poem. Without the weighty symbol of the pentangle that the poet employs, the action may not have unfolded the way we know it to. In extension to the pentangle, the poet adds another layer to its symbolism with the addition of the green girdle. Its role changes as the narrative unfolds throughout the poem. When it is first introduced by the hosts’ wife, it is said to keep to wearer from any harm. ‘who-so knew Þe costs Þat knit as Þperinne, He wolde hit prayse at more prys, parauenture; For quat gome so is gorde with Þis grene lace, While he hit hade hemely halched aboute’ Þer is no haÞel vnder heuen tohewe hym Þat myʒ t’ (1848) But as Gawain makes his way to the green chapel, he finds that this is not the case. It is revealed that the Green Knight is really the Lord of the castle, who sent his wife to tempt Gawain. Once a symbol of protection and comfort, the girdle has now been transformed into a reminder of Gawain’s weakness. The girdle, it would seem, usurps the pentangle itself in becoming the most powerful symbol in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. ‘Rather than a thing that magically dissolves a situation of expected death, the girdle is that thing in the poem that brings Gawain into the greatest danger, which provokes the possibility of death. Accepting the girdle does not allow Gawain to allude physical correction; indeed, it is the single act which makes it most apparent that he must be corrected’ (Hanna, 5). In other words, the symbol of the girdle is unique in that is moves from a positive to negative connotations as the action unfolds. It accurately describes the shift in

Gawain’s character from courageous knight, to a fallen man, tempted and tricked by the lords’ wife. With this, a reader can infer that the changing girdle symbol accurately embodies the development of Gawain’s character as the poem progresses, thus making in an invaluable literary device. The green knight himself can be considered a symbol as well as a character within the poem. During the middle ages, the colour green had many different connotations. When we first meet the green knight, the poet goes into great detail when describing his thoroughly green attire. He mentions that the knight carries a sprig of holly ‘Bot in his on honed he hade a holyn bobbe’. The addition of the holly to the green knights’ attire is significant. The green knight character could be seen as a symbol for nature, with the holly representing his immortality in sharp contrast to the fragility of nature around him. As we know, the story takes place over a calendar year, where we see the coming and going of the seasons. The greenness of the knight may represent the cycles of growth and decay that will take place over the course of the poem. Both the cycles of nature, and the transitions within the human nature of this poem. ‘The action of the poem moves from culture to nature, from court to forest, and conversely from the outer, courtly Gawain to the impulsive inner man’ (Woods, 209). This possible explanation for the green colouring of the knight gives the reader a powerful symbol of the link between the human and the natural world found in this poem. Another possible interpretation of the relevance of green in the poem is that it represents the supernatural and more specifically, the devil. Considering the knight is immortal, it is no surprise that the poet may have used this unusual colouring to represent evil forces at work. During the time of the publication of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the colour green was often regarded as the colour of Satan. This can be seen in the painting "Saint Wolfgang and the Devil" by Michael Pacher, completed around the time of the poems publication. Given the later knowledge we acquire that the green knight was sent by Morgan le Faye to tempt the

knights in the same way that the serpent was sent to tempt Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, it is easy to assume that the poet wanted the green knights colouring to represent forces of evil at work in the poem. If this theory surrounding the knights’ colour is correct, then it offers the reader a very powerful symbol regarding the intensions and morality of the green knight. The role of games are a powerful and constant interwoven symbol throughout the poem. It is in the nature of the knights of King Arthur’s round table to crave the excitement a jovial game can bring. We see this desire in King Arthur at the beginning of the poem when he longs for a truly exciting story to be told ‘he wolde neur ete Vpon such a dere day er hym deuised were Of sum auenturus Ϸ yng an vncouϷ e tale, Of sum mayn meruayle Ϸ at he myʒ t trawe’. We also see it with the green knight encouraging the bravest knights of Camelot to challenge him. The Lord also uses this them when he proposes his hunting game to Sir Gawain ‘a fowarde we make, Quat-se-euer I wynne in Þe wod hit worÞeʒ to youreʒ , And quat chek so ʒe acheue change me Þerforne’ (1106). We even see a game of words between Gawain and the lady as they both exchange flirtations when the host goes out to hunt. This is an interesting symbol employed by the poet because it sets the whimsical tone that permeates the entire text. The green knight teases the pride of King Arthur’s knights, and subsequently Sir Gawain’s arrogance to the point where finally, he wins the game. There is no harm done to Sir Gawain in the end of the story but, just like any losing party, his pride is wounded and confidence knocked. This is why the motif of games is so important within the text, as it allows us to foresee the playful action that follows in the poem. Symbols give meaning and depth to poetry which go beyond what is actually being described. Plots, action and characters that occur in a story are important on the surface level of a text. Symbolism, on the other hand, goes below that initial level of writing to give deeper layers into the plot, action and characters. With the pentangle, girdle, seasons and colours, Sir

Gawain and the Green Knight offers us much more than a testament of 14th century medieval chivalry. It shows us that what is important to us in literature to us now, seven hundred years later was just as important to the medieval writer who composed this poem. Undoubtedly, what makes Sir Gawain and the Green Knight live on with such longevity is the careful and precise control over language which is way ahead of its time, allowing the poem to remain a classic part of English literature for over seven hundred years. It shows us that what is important to us in literature to us now, seven hundred years later was just as important to the medieval writer who composed this poem. Undoubtedly, what makes Sir Gawain and the Green Knight live on with such longevity is the careful and precise control over language which is way ahead of its time, allowing the poem to remain a classic part of English literature for over seven hundred years.

Bibliography Beauregard, David N., Moral Theology in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: The Pentangle, The Green Knight, and the Perfection of Virtue, Haggerty Museum of Art (2006)

Richards, Christine, Sir Gawain’s Pentangle: Interdisciplinary in English and Mathematics, Changing English, vol. 5, no2 (1998)

Hanna, Ralph, Unlocking What’s Unlocked: Gawain’s Green Girdle, Viactor 14 (1983

Woods, William F., Nature and the Inner Man in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Chaucer Review (2002)...