Question

Two of the strongest symbols referenced in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are the pentagle and the green girdle. Pick one and discuss its significance in the poem. What relevance might this symbol still hold in today’s world?

Answer 1

In the anonymous poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the character of Sir Gawain is portrayed as the imperfect hero. His flaws create interest and intrigue. Such qualities of imperfection cannot be found in the symbol of the pentangle, which he displays on his shield. This contrast between character and symbol is exposed a number of times throughout the poem allowing human qualities to emerge from Gawain’s knightly portrayal. The expectations the pentangle presents proves too much for Gawain as he falls victim to black magic, strays from God, is seduced by an adulterous woman, and ultimately breaks the chivalric code by lying to the Green Knight.
The pentangle, also called the “endless knot,” (630) is a five-pointed star enclosed in a circle, worn as an amulet to “avert evil from or bring fortune to the wearer” (Talisman, OED). Writer Eliphas Levi says that when the pentangle is pointing up it represents spiritual dominance over the material. Presented the other way, the physical world rules over the spiritual -often associated with dark magic (Pentagram, Wikipedia). This parallel foreshadows the trickery played on Sir Gawain by the Green Knight. The Green Knight challenges Gawain to a “Christmas game” (283) in an attempt to humble Gawain, tempting him with worldly pleasures and proving that even the greatest of knights are not perfect. Upon finding the Green Chapel, Gawain suggests that “Here might / The devil himself be seen / …at black midnight” (2186-8). Comparing the Green Knight to the devil proves accurate because at the end of the play, the Green Knight confesses that “the count of your kisses and your conduct too, / And the wooing of my wife—it was all my scheme!” (2360-1). Describing the midnight as “black” (2188) parallels the black magic present throughout the play.
In some religions the five points of the pentangle have come to represent the four elements plus the spirit (Pentagram, Wikipedia). Gawain forsakes God as his spiritual leader and is lead instead by his desire for personal power and invincibility in battle. The green belt he receives from the lady of the castle replaces the pentangle as his protection. “He wore it [the belt] not for its wealth… / nor pride… / But to keep himself safe” (2037-2040). It would seem this conclusion contradicts the symbolic meaning of the pentangle because Gawain turns from God and places his faith in material possessions instead. The pentangle, drawn without lifting the pen from the paper (Drake), where “each line is linked and locked with the next” (628) creates two intersecting, equilateral triangles. Neither triangle (nor character trait) can be taken individually from the other. The pentangle therefore signifies unity and infinity (Drake) where “each linked in other, that end there were none” (657). Gawain attempts to end his dependence on God but learns that he can not separate God and the material. Both must exist in harmony as the pentangle depicts, two opposing forces in constant tension but unable to sever because a circle binds them. When Gawain begins his search for the Green Chapel he calls on “Mary [to] be his guide,” (638) but when he becomes overwhelmed “he crosses himself, and cries / On Christ in his great need” (761-2). The reader is able to feel sympathy for Gawain because it is a very human experience to feel scared and many people seek spiritual guidance in times of desperation.
Human faults emerge from Gawain again when the lady of the castle tries to seduce him. The poem describes 3 hunts –a deer, a boar, and a fox. The hunter, the Green Knight, pursues these animals just as the lady of the castle hunts Sir Gawain (Drake). “She made trial of a man most faultless” (2362) to see if Sir Gawain is worthy of the pentangle. “She tested his temper and tried many a time / …“to entice him to sin” (1549-50). She “was at him with all her art / to turn his minds her way,” (1474-5) “com[ing] where none can spy; / While my husband is not nearby” (1532, 1534). Unannounced to Gawain, the lady’s adulterous actions are all apart of the Green Knight’s plan to find flaw in Gawain’s knightly character. Gawain “commands” himself to her, “to kiss when you please” (1501) and “lay on as you like” (1502) in his bed with him. The “gay lady” (1208) uses the language of chivalry to make her performance effective. She praises Gawain for his “honor,” “courtesy,” (1228) and “well-proven prowess” (1249) and rewards him with her “body is here at hand, / your each wish to fulfill” (1237-8). Gawain struggles to resist the lady’s passion a number of times throughout the play. He is able to abstain from sex with her but kisses her many times. This internal conflict is symbolic of the tension between the two triangles intersected in the pentangle. Will and temptation must be in balance to co-exist.
Gawain’s most human moment comes at the end of the poem when he breaks the chivalric code by hiding the belt from the Lord. When Gawain comes to battle the Green Knight he “Shoved before his shoulder the shield at his back” (2318), where the pentangle was displayed. Gawain “scorned to seem afraid” (1258) and pretends to use the pentangle as his protection as not to expose the green belt he wears beneath his clothing. The Green Knight already knows the treasure Gawain possesses though. Gawain “shrank back in shame” (2372) as the Green Knight confessed his scheme to trick Gawain. The Green Knight says “you lacked, sir, a little in loyalty” (2366) and warns Gawain that “accursed be a cowardly and covetous heart” (2374). Gawain admits that the Green Knight “taught me cowardice, care for my life, / And coveting … / To largesse and loyalty, … / Now am I faulty and false, that fearful was ever / Of disloyalty and lies, … / and greed” (2379-84).
At the beginning of the play, Sir Gawain is worthy of wearing the symbol, “a token of truth” (626), on his shield because he has proven himself to be “devoid of all villainy” (635). In the end, the Green Knight proves to Gawain that even the most chivalric knight has faults. The portrayal of Sir Gawain as an imperfect hero makes him an interesting character and allows the reader to see his human qualities emerge in a moralistic story. The tension between two sides of a character trait is represented through contrast with the perfection of the pentangle symbol. God and material possession, fidelity and seduction, and knight and human are all parallel to the two interconnecting triangles depicted in the pentangle. It is impossible to have one without the other. The interconnectedness of our senses, our bodies, our spirituality, our love and emotions, and our personality create a pentangle, binded by a circle: life. The pentangle perhaps places too high an expectation on perfection and does not allow room for human flaws. Such flaws lead to the downfall of Sir Gawain because he was unable to live up to the expectations of the symbol displayed on his shield.

Answer 2

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
A significant figure in the Arthurian mythos, Sir Gawain was famed amongst the Knights of the Round Table as a quick-tempered and lusty warrior whose martial prowess was only equalled by his sexual one. In the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, however, this reputation is given a thorough test...

This particular piece of poetry only has one extant manuscript, housed in the British Library and illustrated with scenes from the tale. It is a key part of the medieval development of Arthurian literature, as it details the background to the courtly existence at Camelot, and as such extends the range of the legend instead of merely rehashing a previous tale. It was written by an anonymous poet in a style peculiar to the Middle English of a Northern tradition, as it has been crafted with much emphasis on alliteration1. It is written in 'fits', and each verse has a 'bob-and-wheel' structure. This means that each stanza ends with one short line (the 'bob') and four slightly longer ones (the 'wheel').

The Plot
A Festive Challenge
It is the New Year celebrations at the court of Camelot, and the revelry is in full swing when a bizarre figure bursts into the feasting hall. It is a huge green knight, whose hair, skin, armour, mount and massive axe are all green in hue. He challenges the stunned knights to a contest of courage. Overwhelmed by the sight, the knights are reluctant to act, so Arthur steps forward, disgusted by the lack of bravery shown by his men. Before he can meet the Green Knight's challenge, however, Gawain volunteers, saving his King's dignity.

The Green Knight outlines his challenge: Gawain must behead the Green Knight with the axe, and then be prepared to have the same done to him at the Green Chapel in a year and a day's time. Bemused, Gawain carries out the first part of the contest, parting green head from green shoulders with a hefty swing of the giant axe. However, the Knight stands up, headless, and retrieves his sundered head from the floor. Placing it under his arm, he laughs and says he will see Gawain in a year and a day for a reciprocal blow.

The Quest
The time passes, until Gawain has to journey forth to the Green Chapel. Unwillingly, he dresses in his armour, bearing a red shield with a pentagram (or 'endeles knot') emblazoned in gold upon it, and mounts his horse Gringolet in readiness for his quest.

Gawain reluctantly leaves Camelot and journeys for weeks upon end, travelling the length and breadth of the country searching for the Green Chapel. He fights wolves, trolls, beasts and the English weather, before coming to the distant Castle Hautdesert. In need of a rest, he enters and is greeted by the Lord of the castle, Bercilak, his beautiful young wife and a fearsome matronly companion of hers.

The Christmas festivities are in full swing, and Bercilak insists that Gawain must stay and recuperate before going to the Green Chapel, the location of which Bercilak promises to divulge. Whilst Gawain recovers from his arduous journey, Bercilak goes hunting with his men, leaving his wife to look after Gawain.

The Hunts and Seductions
These hunts are organised over three days, and Bercilak organises a kind of wager with Gawain, that they must exchange anything they manage to catch either on the hunt or in the castle. Gawain agrees. On the first day of hunting, Bercilak leaves with his men. His wife tries to seduce Gawain, but he doesn't do anything more than kiss her. Upon Bercilak's return, he presents Gawain with a magnificent deer, and the knight kisses his host in return.

On the second day of hunting, Bercilak leaves as before. Once again, his wife tries to seduce Gawain, only much more overtly than her previous attempt. However, the steadfast knight again takes nothing more than two kisses, despite the lady's jibes about his lack of prowess. When the Lord of the castle returns, he gives Gawain a huge boar. Once again, Gawain presents Bercilak with the kisses gained from his wife.

Finally, the third day of hunting begins with Bercilak and his men leaving the castle. Gawain is approached by the Lady of the castle for a final time, but when he rejects her advances this time, she gives him a token along with three kisses. This token is a green girdle or belt that ostensibly has the power to protect its wearer from any injury. Bearing in mind his upcoming confrontation with the Green Knight, Gawain gratefully accepts this present.

When Bercilak returns, he has only managed to catch a fox. Still, he presents it to Gawain, who conceals his new girdle and only gives Bercilak the three kisses.

The Green Chapel
Gawain rides out on the allotted day to the Green Chapel, clad in his armour but wearing Bercilak's wife's belt under his tunic. He arrives at the snow-covered heath where the Chapel stands, and is greeted by the sight of the Green Knight waiting for him, axe in hand. Gawain accepts his fate and kneels before the Knight, awaiting the stroke of the axe. Twice the Green Knight swings and misses Gawain's outstretched neck, but on the third occasion gives him a glancing blow. The nick bleeds into the snow, and the Green Knight explains why this is so.

The Green Knight explains that he is actually Bercilak, trapped in an evil spell cast by Morgan le Fay, who was the crone that accompanied his wife, in order to test the courage of Arthur's court. The wife's seductions were planned, and the first two blows represented the two failed attempts and Gawain's honesty with his host. The third glancing blow was due to Gawain's betrayal of his host's trust, in keeping the girdle a secret and thus putting his faith in a secular, sexual item instead of having true faith in himself and God. Bercilak's affliction is lifted by Gawain's bravery in facing the Green Knight, but the warrior from Camelot leaves Hautdesert a chastened man. The fundamental tenets of his beliefs and faith have been cruelly exposed, and the Pride of Arthur's Court revealed as hubris...

Interesting Motifs and Concerns
Number Symbolism and the Pentagram
For hit is a figure þat haldez fyue poyntez,
And vche lyne vmbelappez and loukez in oþer,
And ayquere hit is endelez; and Englych hit callen
Oueral, as I here, þe endeles knot.

Trans: For it is a figure that has five points,
And each line overlaps and locks into another,
And as such it is endless; and in English it is called
Overall, as I do here, the endless knot.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has many instances of symmetrical usage of significant numbers, such as the three hunts and the three seductions, but it is the pentagram motif on Gawain's shield which is the most interesting usage of numbers in the poem.

The pentangle, far from being a representation of Wiccan symbolism in this instance, represents how Gawain is strengthened by five five-fold virtues. He has five clear senses, has never failed in the usage of his five fingers, his faith built upon the five wounds that Christ received on the cross, amplified by the 'five joys' which represent the significant events in the life of Jesus (The Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, and Assumption) and he demonstrates the five cardinal tenets of chivalry - truthfulness, fellowship, purity, courtesy and compassion.

The 'endless knot' also contrasts with the girdle, which is the emblem of Gawain's hubristic false faith, and is something that most definitely has 'ends'. It is also embroidered with lace and gold, and as such is 'unmanly' and represents cowardice.

Reality versus Fantasy
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is ostensibly set in the actual contemporary world of Medieval Britain, as Gawain's travels take him to the furthest corners of the land. The mundane world is presented in a very factual and unglamorous way - the weather on his journeys is atrocious, and the knights are too interested in their own well-being to meet the Knight's challenge, for instance. Gawain's garbing scene describes his and his steed's armour in more intimate and matter-of-fact detail than any other contemporary descriptions as well, which demonstrates the familiarity of the author with such concerns and his obvious enjoyment of the sheer descriptiveness of the verse.

However, introduced into this realm of the commonplace is a vein of fantasy typical of Arthurian myth. Gawain battles trolls and assorted beasts on his quest, and the whole conceit of the seemingly invulnerable Green Knight and Morgan le Fay's enchantments provides a suitably mysterious plot for the hapless Gawain to become ensnared by.

As with almost every depiction of Arthurian legend in literature, the action is firmly rooted in the contemporary world, as represented by the British landscape, but is given a timeless and mythic 'otherworldliness' by the introduction of magic and fantasy. The Arthurian world is at once both readily identifiable for the common man, yet utterly remote and esoteric.

Answer 3

At first glance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight seems to be a relatively simple story about the quest of a knight in Arthurian Camelot. Upon further examination, however, it becomes clear that interwoven within the simple plotline is an intricate relationship between men and women with an emphasis on the values of the time. Throughout this work, we are privy to a variety of literal and figurative dichotomies including those between men and women, court values and church values, girdle and pentacle, the Green Knight and Sir Gawain, Guinevere and Morgan de Fay, and the Virgin Mary and Lady Bertilak. During the medieval period, the court and the church were of utmost importance - codes of chivalry in the court were substantial factors in dictating the etiquette and specific behaviors of people - as demonstrated through its literature:
What seems to have happened in medieval literature is this: the pre-courtly love literature presented a fairly accurate portrait of women's role in society. Then, with the advent of courtly love some authors felt the need to conform the role of women in literature to that which was assigned to them by the philosophy of courtly love. (Malcor)
In a sense, the medieval work in question does not seem to draw exclusively from either the pre-courtly or courtly genres in its discussion of the role of women, rather we see a multitude of different women portrayed in clearly contrasting manners.

Most notably, Lady Bertalik becomes a major figure of this work, as well as a symbol of knightly virtues, or lack thereof. In the third part of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the story turns to Sir Gawain and Lady Bertalik; on three successive days, Lady Bertalik meets Sir Gawain in his bedchambers and attempts to seduce him. During the first two days, though tempting, Gawain manages to remain a model of both courtly and religious restraint and behavior; meanwhile, Lady Bertalik extends herself as the aforementioned "fairly accurate portrait of women's role in society." While some women of the time succeeded in being entirely pure, it was not uncommon for damsels to try and seduce men as they traveled about the lands.

The third morning, however, Gawain succumbs to his own fear of death and accepts the "lesser" of two gifts offered by Lady Bertalik on promises that the magical girdle will protect him from all harm. "[The girdle] was wrought of green silk, and gold, only braided by the fingers, and that she offered to the knight, and besought him though it were of little worth that he would take it," while in reality, Lady Bertalik is knowingly tricking the unsuspecting knight (Weston, Part III). In addition, Lady Bertalik's gift is a strong symbol of womanhood and parallels both facets of pre-courtly and courtly literature. Like Lady Bertalik, the girdle is similar to the depiction of pre-courtly realism - in which women maintained their outward appearance, but also had inner, wild sexual desires that were often unleashed - as it is meant to be tied, but then removed to allow for free movement and expression. In slight contrast, the girdle may also illustrate the more courtly and idealistic viewpoint due to its restrictive qualities, which in theory, forces the girdle-clad to appear as a woman. The idea of the girdle enforcing a female façade is lost, however, when Gawain, himself, dons the green article; thereby, excusing the idea that the girdle has any semblance of courtly qualities.

For purposes of this argument - that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight entertains two separate depictions of society through literature, the realistic and the philosophical - it is Guinevere who plays Lady Bertilak's opposite. Though she appears only briefly in this text, her role in courtly society is quite obvious. Seen at the opening feast given by her husband, King Arthur, Guinevere sits regally, but quietly beside her husband. While she expresses some momentary discontent - when Arthur first offers himself up to the Green Knight - it is almost entirely based upon her role as a woman and the wife of the king. In this particular piece of Arthurian literature, Guinevere is defined by specific binaries; she is only what the king is not and she behaves the way that Lady Bertalik does not. Given this role, Guinevere exemplifies the pre-courtly disposition of behavior and remains the passive and silent, but "perfect" queen.

As demonstrated through the actions and general social conduct of Lady Bertalik and Guinevere, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight displays a variety of women in several blatantly contrasting roles. While this does substantiate the suggestion that the behavior of women has been projected differently throughout medieval literature, the work does not visibly fall into either realm of pre-courtly or courtly writing. What this does seem to confirm, however, is the suspicion that this work may truly have been completed over the course of half a century; and possibly, by several different authors, each with different perceptions of the role of women in the medieval era.

Answer 4

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance tale describing an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table.


In the tale, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his beard and skin.



The Green Knight offers to allow anyone to strike him with his axe if the challenger will take a return blow in a year and a day.




Sir Gawain accepts, and beheads him in one blow, only to have the Green Knight stand up, pick up his head, and remind Gawain to meet him at the appointed time. The story of Gawain's struggle to meet the appointment and his adventures along the way demonstrate the spirit of chivalry and loyalty.



The poem survives in a single manuscript, the Cotton Nero A.x., that also includes three religious pieces, Pearl, Cleanness, and Patience. These works are thought to have been written by the same unknown author, dubbed the "Pearl Poet" or "Gawain poet." All four narrative poems are written in a North West Midland dialect of Middle English. The story thus emerges from the Welsh and English traditions of the dialect area, borrowing from earlier "beheading game" stories and highlighting the importance of honour and chivalry in the face of danger.


In addition to its complex plot and rich language, the poem's chief interest for literary critics is its sophisticated use of medieval symbolism. Everything from the Green Knight, to the beheading game, to the girdle given to Gawain as protection from the axe, is richly symbolic and steeped in Celtic, Germanic, and other folklore and cultural traditions. The Green Knight, for example, is interpreted by some as a representation of the Green Man of Celtic legend and by others as an allusion to Christ.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an important poem in the romance genre, which typically involves a hero who goes on a quest that tests his ability. The ambiguity of the poem's ending, however, makes it more complex than most. Christian readings of the poem argue for an apocalyptic interpretation, drawing parallels between Gawain and Lady Bertilak and the story of Adam and Eve. Feminist interpretations disagree at the most basic level, some arguing that women are in total control from beginning to end, while others argue that their control is only an illusion. Cultural critics have argued that the poem is best read as an expression of tensions between the Welsh and English present at the time in the poet's dialect region. The poem remains popular to this day, through translations from renowned authors like J. R. R. Tolkien and Simon Armitage, as well as through recent film and stage adaptations.


The Story

The story begins in Camelot on New Year's Day as King Arthur's court is feasting and exchanging gifts. A large Green Knight armed with an axe enters the hall and proposes a game. He asks for someone in the court to strike him once with his axe, on condition that the Green Knight will return the blow one year and one day later. Sir Gawain, the youngest of Arthur's knights and nephew to the king, accepts the challenge. He severs the giant's head in one stroke, expecting him to die. The Green Knight, however, picks up his own head, reminds Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel in a year and a day (New Year's Day the next year) and rides away.

As the date approaches Sir Gawain sets off to find the Green Chapel and complete his bargain with the Green Knight. His long journey leads him to a beautiful castle where he meets Bertilak de Hautdesert, the lord of the castle, and his beautiful wife; both are pleased to have such a renowned guest. Sir Gawain tells them of his New Year's appointment at the Green Chapel and says that he must continue his search as he only has a few days remaining. Bertilak laughs and explains that the Green Chapel is less than two miles away and proposes that Sir Gawain stay at the castle.

Before going hunting the next day, Bertilak proposes a bargain to Sir Gawain: he will give Sir Gawain whatever he catches, on condition that Sir Gawain give him whatever he might gain during the day. Sir Gawain accepts. After Bertilak leaves, the lady of the castle, Lady Bertilak, visits Gawain's bedroom to seduce him. Despite her best efforts, however, he yields nothing but a single kiss. When Bertilak returns and gives Gawain the deer he has killed, his guest responds by returning the lady's kiss to Bertilak, without divulging its source. The next day, the lady comes again, Sir Gawain dodges her advances, and there is a similar exchange of a hunted boar for two kisses. She comes once more on the third morning, and Sir Gawain accepts from her a green silk girdle, which the lady promises will keep him from all physical harm. They exchange three kisses. That evening, Bertilak returns with a fox, which he exchanges with Gawain for the three kisses. Sir Gawain keeps the girdle, however.

The next day, Gawain leaves for the Green Chapel with the girdle. He finds the Green Knight at the chapel sharpening an axe, and, as arranged, bends over to receive his blow. The Green Knight swings to behead Gawain, but holds back twice, only striking softly on the third swing, causing a small scar on his neck. The Green Knight then reveals himself to be the lord of the castle, Bertilak de Hautdesert, and explains that the entire game was arranged by Morgan le Fay, Arthur's sometime enemy. Sir Gawain is at first ashamed and upset, but the two men part on cordial terms and Gawain returns to Camelot, wearing the girdle in shame as a token of his failure to keep his promise with Bertilak. Arthur decrees that all his knights should henceforth wear a green sash in recognition of Sir Gawain's adventure.


Temptation and Testing
Knights of Gawain's time were tested in their ability to balance the male-oriented chivalric code with the female-oriented rules of courtly love. The heart of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the test of Gawain's adherence to the code of chivalry. The typical temptation fable of medieval literature presents a series of tribulations assembled as tests or "proofs" of moral virtue. The stories often describe several individuals' failures after which the main character is tested.



Success in the proofs will often bring immunity or good fortune. Sir Gawain's ability to pass the tests of his host are of utmost importance to his survival, though he does not know it. It is only by fortuity or “instinctive-courtesy” that Sir Gawain is able to pass his test.

In addition to the laws of chivalry, Gawain must respect another set of laws concerning courtly love. The knight’s code of honour requires him to do whatever a damsel asks. Sir Gawain must accept the girdle from the Lady, but he must also keep the promise he has made to his host that he will give whatever he gains that day. Gawain chooses to keep the girdle out of fear of death, thus breaking his promise to the host but honouring the lady. Upon learning that the Green Knight is actually his host, he realises that although he has completed his quest, he has failed to be virtuous. This test demonstrates the conflict between honour and knightly duties. In breaking his promise, Gawain believes he has lost his honour and failed in his duties.

Hunting and Seduction
Scholars have frequently noted the parallels between the three hunting scenes and the three seduction scenes in Gawain. They are generally agreed that the fox chase has significant parallels to the third seduction scene, in which Gawain accepts the girdle from Bertilak's wife. Gawain, like the fox, fears for his life and is looking for a way to avoid death from the Green Knight's axe. Like his counterpart, he resorts to trickery in order to save his skin. The fox uses tactics so unlike the first two animals, and so unexpectedly, that Bertilak has the hardest time hunting it. Similarly, Gawain finds the Lady's advances in the third seduction scene more unpredictable and challenging to resist than her previous attempts. She changes her evasive language, typical of courtly love relationships, to a more assertive style. Her dress, relatively modest in earlier scenes, is suddenly voluptuous and revealing.

The deer-hunting and boar-hunting scenes are less clearly connected, although scholars have attempted to link each animal to Gawain's reactions in the parallel seduction scene. Attempts to connect the deer hunt with the first seduction scene have unearthed a few parallels. Deer hunts of the time, like courtship, had to be done according to established rules. Women often favoured suitors who hunted well and skinned their animals, sometimes even watching while a deer was cleaned. The sequence describing the deer hunt is relatively unspecific and nonviolent, with an air of relaxation and exhilaration. The first seduction scene follows in a similar vein, with no overt physical advances and no apparent danger; the entire exchange is humorously portrayed.

The boar-hunting scene is, in contrast, laden with detail. Boars at the time were much more difficult to hunt than deer; approaching one with only a sword was akin to challenging a knight to single combat. In the hunting sequence, the boar flees but is cornered before a ravine. He turns to face Bertilak with his back to the ravine, prepared to fight. Bertilak dismounts and in the ensuing fight kills the boar. He removes its head and displays it on a pike. In the seduction scene, Bertilak's wife, like the boar, is more forward, insisting that Gawain has a romantic reputation and that he must not disappoint her. Gawain, however, is successful in parrying her attacks, saying that surely she knows more than he about love. Both the boar hunt and the seduction scene can be seen as depictions of a moral victory: both Gawain and Bertilak face struggles alone and emerge triumphant.

Nature and Chivalry
Some argue that nature represents a chaotic, lawless order which is in direct confrontation with the civilisation of Camelot throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The green horse and rider that first invade Arthur’s peaceful halls are iconic representations of nature's disturbance. Nature is presented throughout the poem as rough and indifferent, constantly threatening the order of men and courtly life. Nature invades and disrupts order in the major events of the narrative, both symbolically and through the inner nature of humanity. This element appears first with the disruption caused by the Green Knight, later when Gawain must fight off his natural lust for Bertilak’s wife, and again when Gawain breaks his vow to Bertilak by choosing to keep the green girdle, valuing survival over virtue. Represented by the sin-stained girdle, nature is an underlying force, forever within man and keeping him imperfect (in a chivalric sense). In this view, Gawain is part of a wider conflict between nature and chivalry, an examination of the ability of man's order to overcome the chaos of nature.

Games
The word gomen (game) is found 18 times in Gawain. Its similarity to the word gome (man), which appears 21 times, has led some scholars to see men and games as centrally linked. Games at this time were seen as tests of worthiness, as when the Green Knight challenges the court's right to its good name in a "Christmas game". The "game" of exchanging gifts was common in Germanic cultures. If a man received a gift, he was obliged to provide the giver with a better gift or risk losing his honour, almost like an exchange of blows in a fight (or in a "beheading game"). The poem revolves around two games: an exchange of beheading and an exchange of winnings. These appear at first to be unconnected. However, a victory in the first game will lead to a victory in the second. Elements of both games appear in other stories; however, the linkage of outcomes is unique to Gawain.

Times and Seasons
Times, dates, seasons, and cycles within Gawain are often noted by scholars because of their symbolic nature. The story starts on New Year's Day with a beheading and culminates on the next New Year's Day. Gawain leaves Camelot on All Saints Day and arrives at Bertilak's castle on Christmas Eve. Furthermore, the Green Knight tells Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel in "a year and a day"—a period of time seen often in medieval literature. Some scholars interpret the yearly cycles, each beginning and ending in winter, as the poet's attempt to convey the inevitable fall of all things good and noble in the world. Such a theme is strengthened by the image of Troy, a powerful nation once thought to be invincible which, according to the Aeneid, fell to the Greeks due to pride and ignorance. The Trojan connection shows itself in the presence of two virtually identical descriptions of Troy's destruction. The poem's first line reads: "Since Troy's assault and siege …" and the final stanzaic line (before the bob and wheel) is "After the siege and assault of Troy".

Symbolism
Significance of the color green
In the 15th century Saint Augustine and the Devil by Michael Pacher, the Devil is depicted as green. Poetic contemporaries such as Chaucer also drew connections between the colour green and the devil, leading scholars to draw similar connections in readings of the Green Knight. Given the varied and even contradictory interpretations of the colour green, its precise meaning in the poem remains ambiguous. In English folklore and literature, green was traditionally used to symbolise nature and its associated attributes: fertility and rebirth. Stories of the medieval period also used it to allude to love and the base desires of man. Because of its connection with faeries and spirits in early English folklore, green also signified witchcraft, devilry and evil. It can also represent decay and toxicity. When combined with gold, as with the Green Knight and the girdle, green was often seen as representing youth's passing. In Celtic mythology, green was associated with misfortune and death, and therefore avoided in clothing. The green girdle, originally worn for protection, became a symbol of shame and cowardice; it is finally adopted as a symbol of honour by the knights of Camelot, signifying a transformation from good to evil and back again; this displays both the spoiling and regenerative connotations of the colour green.

The Green Knight
Scholars have puzzled over the Green Knight's symbolism since the discovery of the poem. He could be a version of the Green Man, a mythological being connected with nature in medieval art, a Christian symbol, or the Devil himself. British medieval scholar J. R. R. Tolkien said the character was "as vivid and concrete as any image in literature" and the "most difficult character" to interpret in Sir Gawain. His major role in Arthurian literature is that of a judge and tester of knights, thus he is at once terrifying, friendly, and mysterious. He appears in only two other poems: The Greene Knight and King Arthur and King Cornwall. Scholars have attempted to connect him to other mythical characters, such as Jack in the Green of British tradition but no definitive connection has yet been established

Another famous Arthurian woman, The Lady of Shalott, with a medieval girdle around her waist. Critics often debate whether the girdle that Gawain receives from Bertilak's wife has sexual meaning. Proponents compare the girdle to elements of other stories in the culture, such as the Germanic epic poem Nibelungenlied. In this tale, Brunhilde sees her stolen girdle produced as evidence and becomes convinced that she has had intercourse with the wrong man. Feminist interpretations view the girdle (called a "love lace" at one point in the text) as a symbol of feminine power. They note the definition of "lace" at the time, which along with the "article of clothing", also meant "net", "noose", or "snare".



Critics who view the poem through a Christian lens see Gawain's trust in the girdle as a replacement for his trust in God to save him from the axe-wound. The image of the girdle as a "sexual symbol", however, should not be confused with modern notions of a girdle as "underwear". Its sexual meaning was deeper and less overt. A girdle in the days of the Pearl Poet was a belt worn around the waist, used for fastening clothes or for carrying a sword or purse.

Pentangle or Pentagram
A pentangle or pentagram is on Gawain's shield is seen by many critics as signifying Gawain's perfection and power over evil. The poem contains the only representation of such a symbol on Gawain's shield in the Gawain literature. What is more, the poet uses a total of 46 lines to describe the meaning of the pentangle. No other symbol in the poem receives as much attention or is described in such detail. The poem describes the pentangle as a symbol of faithfulness and an "endless knot". In line 625, it is described as "a sign by Solomon". Solomon, the third king of Israel, in 10th century B.C. was said to have the mark of the pentagram on his ring, which he received from the archangel Michael. The pentagram seal on this ring was said to give Solomon power over demons.







Gawain’s pentangle also symbolises the phenomenon of physically endless objects signifying a temporally endless quality.



Many poets use the symbol of the circle to show infinity or endlessness, but Gawain’s poet insisted on using something more complex.



In medieval number theory, the number five is considered a “circular number”, since it reproduces itself in its last digit when raised to its powers.



Furthermore, it replicates itself geometrically; that is, every pentangle has a smaller pentagon that allows a pentangle to be embedded in it and this process may be repeated forever with decreasing pentangles. Thus, by reproducing the number five, which in medieval number symbolism signified incorruptibility, Gawain's pentangle represents his eternal incorruptibility.

Numbers
The poet highlights number symbolism to add symmetry and meaning to the poem. For example, three kisses are exchanged between Gawain and Bertilak's wife; Gawain is tempted by her on three separate days; Bertilak goes hunting three times, and the Green Knight swings at Gawain three times with his axe. The number two also appears repeatedly, as in the two beheading scenes, two confession scenes, and two castles. The five points of the pentangle, the poet adds, represent Gawain's virtues, for he is "faithful five ways and five times each". The poet goes on to list the ways in which Gawain is virtuous: all five of his senses are without fault; his five fingers never fail him, and he always remembers the five wounds of Christ, as well as the five joys of the Virgin Mary. The fifth five is Gawain himself, who embodies the five moral virtues of the code of chivalry: "friendship, generosity, chastity, courtesy, and piety". All of these virtues reside, as the poet says, in the "Endless Knot" of the pentangle, which forever interlinks and is never broken. Thus, the poet makes Gawain the epitome of perfection in knighthood through number symbolism.

The number five is also found in the structure of the poem itself. Sir Gawain is 101 stanzas long, traditionally organised into four books of 21, 24, 34, and 22 stanzas. These divisions, however, have since been disputed; scholars have begun to believe that they are the work of the copyist and not of the poet. The original manuscript features a series of capital letters added after the fact by another scribe, and some scholars argue that these additions were an attempt to restore the original divisions. These letters divide the manuscript into nine parts. The first and last parts are 22 stanzas long. The second and second-to-last parts are only one stanza long, and the middle five parts are eleven stanzas long. The number eleven is associated with transgression in other medieval literature (being one more than ten, a number associated with the Ten Commandments). Thus, this set of five elevens (55 stanzas) creates the perfect mix of transgression and perfection, suggesting that Gawain is faultless in his faults.

Wounds
At the story's climax, Gawain is wounded superficially in the neck by the Green Knight's axe. During the medieval period, the body and the soul were believed to be so intimately connected that wounds were considered an outward sign of inward sin. The neck, specifically, was believed to correlate with the part of the soul related to will, connecting the reasoning part (the head) and the courageous part (the heart). Gawain's sin resulted from using his will to separate reasoning from courage. By accepting the girdle from the lady, he employs reason to do something less than courageous—evade death in a dishonest way. Gawain's wound is thus an outward sign of an internal wound. The Green Knight's series of tests shows Gawain the weakness that has been in him all along: the desire to use his will for personal gain, rather than submitting his will in humility to God. The Green Knight, by engaging with the greatest knight of Camelot, also reveals the moral weakness of pride in all of Camelot, and therefore all of humanity. However, the wounds of Christ, believed to offer healing to wounded souls and bodies, are mentioned throughout the poem in the hope that this sin of prideful "stiffneckedness" will be healed among fallen mortals.

Interpretations: Gawain as medieval Romance
Gawain represented the perfect knight, as a fighter, a lover, and a religious devotee. Many argue that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight should be viewed, above all, as a romance. Medieval romances typically recount the marvellous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight, often of super-human ability, who abides by chivalry's strict codes of honour and demeanour, embarks upon a quest and defeats monsters, thereby winning the favour of a lady. Thus, medieval romances focus not on love and sentiment (as the term "romance" implies today), but on adventure.

Gawain's function, as medieval scholar Alan Markman says, "is the function of the romance hero … to stand as the champion of the human race, and by submitting to strange and severe tests, to demonstrate human capabilities for good or bad action." Through Gawain's adventure, it becomes clear that he is merely human. The reader becomes attached to this human view in the midst of the poem’s romanticism, relating to Gawain’s humanity while respecting his knightly qualities. Gawain "shows us what moral conduct is. We shall probably not equal his behaviour, but we admire him for pointing out the way."

In viewing the poem as a chivalric romance, many scholars see it as intertwining chivalric and courtly love laws under the English Order of the Garter. The group's motto, 'honi soit qui mal y pense', or "Shamed be he who finds evil here," is written at the end of the poem. Some critics describe Gawain's peers wearing girdles of their own as evidence of the origin of the Order of the Garter. However, in the parallel poem, The Greene Knight, the lace is white, not green, and is considered the origin of the collar worn by the knights of the Bath, not the Order of the Garter. The motto on the poem was probably written by a copyist and not by the original author. Still, the connection made by the copyist to the Order is not extraordinary.

Christian Interpretations
Scholars have pointed out parallels between the girdle Bertilak's wife offers Gawain, and the fruit Eve offered to Adam in the Biblical Garden of Eden. The poem is in many ways deeply Christian, with frequent references to the fall of Adam and Eve and to Jesus Christ. Scholars have debated the depth of the Christian elements within the poem by looking at it in the context of the age in which it was written, coming up with varying views as to what represents a Christian element of the poem and what does not. For example, some critics compare Sir Gawain to the other three poems of the Gawain manuscript. Each has a heavily Christian theme, causing scholars to interpret Gawain similarly. Comparing it to the poem Cleanliness (also known as Purity), for example, they see it as a story of the apocalyptic fall of a civilisation, in Gawain's case, Camelot. In this interpretation, Sir Gawain is like Noah, separated from his society and warned by the Green Knight (who is seen as God's representative) of the coming doom of Camelot. Gawain, judged worthy through his test, is spared the doom of the rest of Camelot. King Arthur and his knights, however, misunderstand Gawain's experience and wear garters themselves. In Cleanliness the men who are saved are similarly helpless in warning their society of impending destruction.

One of the key points stressed in this interpretation is that salvation is an individual experience difficult to communicate to outsiders. In his depiction of Camelot, the poet reveals a concern for his society, whose inevitable fall will bring about the ultimate destruction intended by God. Gawain was written around the time of the Black Death and Peasants' Revolt, events which convinced many people that their world was coming to an apocalyptic end and this belief was reflected in literature and culture. However, other critics see weaknesses in this view, since the Green Knight is ultimately under the control of Morgan le Fay, usually viewed as a figure of evil in Camelot tales. This makes the knight's presence as a representative of God problematic.

While the character of the Green Knight is usually not viewed as a representation of Christ in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, critics do acknowledge a parallel. Lawrence Besserman, a specialist in medieval literature, explains that "the Green Knight is not a figurative representative of Christ. But the idea of Christ's divine/human nature provides a medieval conceptual framework that supports the poet's serious/comic account of the Green Knight's supernatural/human qualities and actions". This duality exemplifies the influence and importance of Christian teachings and views of Christ in the era of the Gawain Poet.

Furthermore, critics note the Christian reference to Christ's crown of thorns at the conclusion of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. After Gawain returns to Camelot and tells his story regarding the newly acquired green sash, the poem concludes with a brief prayer and a reference to "the thorn-crowned God". Besserman theorises that "with these final words the poet redirects our attention from the circular girdle-turned-sash (a double image of Gawain's "yntrawpe/renoun") to the circular Crown of Thorns (a double image of Christ's humiliation turned triumph)."

Throughout the poem, Gawain encounters numerous trials testing his devotion and faith in Christianity. When Gawain sets out on his journey to find the Green Chapel, he finds himself lost, and only after praying to the Virgin Mary does he find his way. As he continues his journey, Gawain once again faces anguish regarding his inevitable encounter with the Green Knight. Instead of praying to Mary, as before, Gawain places his faith in the girdle given to him by Bertilak’s wife. From the Christian perspective, this leads to disastrous and embarrassing consequences for Gawain as he is forced to re-evaluate his faith when the Green Knight points out his betrayal.


An analogy is also made between Gawain’s trial and the Biblical test that Adam encounters in the Garden of Eden. Adam succumbs to Eve just as Gawain surrenders to Bertilak’s wife by accepting the girdle.



Although Sir Gawain sins by putting his faith in the girdle and not confessing when he is caught, the Green Knight pardons him, thereby allowing him to become a better Christian by learning from his mistakes. Through the various games played and hardships endured, Gawain finds his place within the Christian world.

Answer 5

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