“Sir Gawain & The Loathly Lady”

“Sir Gawain & The Loathly Lady” Retold by Selina Hastings

Exposition • Exposition: the first paragraph of this story (may be longer in other stories) introducing: • Characters – King Arthur, Black Knight, court, knights (hounds, horses) • Place/setting – Castle of Carlisle and a forest (Inglewood) • Time/setting – Christmas (winter), morning, medieval times • Mood – dark, depressing, mysterious, sinister (black armor, dark foliage, shadows, black horse) • Note the simile: “as black as midnight” (a comparison using like or as) the horse is as black as midnight creates a visual image.

Plot • Initial incident: the BK (Black Knight) challenges KA (King Arthur) to a dual/fight “I challenge you to a fight. Your crown shall be mine.” • Conflict: Black Knight vs King Arthur = person vs person (external conflict); the classic power struggle • Rising action: BK gives KA a chance by giving him a riddle to solve before the dual which is to tell him “What is it that women most desire?” • Rising action: KA asks every female he meets but they all give him different answers (adds suspense).

Plot (continued) • Rising action: LL (Loathly Lady) answers the riddle and KA becomes confident he can defeat the BK, LL requests to be married to a knight in return, and KA meets BK in the forest to try to answer the riddle. • Climax: KA answers the riddle and saves his own life as well as his kingdom from evil (the BK), which ends the conflict between the BK and KA . • Secondary conflict: Can KA keep his word (promise) to the LL to find her a knight for a husband? (internal) Can he be honourable in the face of ugliness?

Plot (continued) • More rising action: as KA struggles with what to do, Sir Gawain (SG), a young, courageous and honourable knight, offers to marry the LL because of his deep sense of loyalty to his king. • The LL accepts young SG’s marriage proposal. There is a “dismal” wedding and a dance. • The time comes for the wedding night: “What did the code of chivalry demand?” SG asks himself, showing he’s kindhearted and considerate of the LL’s feelings.

PLOT (Continued) • Action through dialogue: 1) SG wants her to be beautiful at night, but she rebukes him as it would cause her to suffer from how others would look upon her (he is being selfish). 2) SG wants her to be beautiful by day, but she argues she would not want to be an ugly wife at night (he is still being selfish and insensitive). What is he to do? 3) SG finally wants her to have her own way and the spell is broken. Conflict is resolved in that KA no longer has to worry. He did the right thing by keeping his promise and allowing SG to marry the LL.

Plot (continued) • Denouement: SG and the LL sleep late after their wedding night indicating all is well. King Arthur’s court truly enjoy more wedding celebrations knowing that SG will live happily with LL after all. • Happy ending (wedding)

Character • Sir Gawain is actually the protagonist because he is the character for whom we feel the greatest sympathy. He also changes from being selfish to unselfish when he marries LL. • Characteristics: SGloves King Arthur. He is loyal, courageous (he would defend KA to the death), honest and sincere. • Sir Gawain shows his courage when it says “his spirit never faltered” in offering to marry the LL. • Sir Gawain shows he is gallant and chivalrous (courteously attentive to women) when he asks for her hand in marriage on bended knee. He is a round character with many qualities.

Theme • Both King Arthur and Sir Gawain learn that maintaining one’s honour and adhering to the code of chivalry are more important than judging others by their appearances. • Theme statement (generalized to all people): When people maintain a strong sense of values that include loyalty, honour, respect and kindness, appearances will not matter and their good deeds will be rewarded.

Figurative Language • Personification: sword has human-like qualities such as a name (Excalibur) and abilities (magical powers to protect KA from harm) (p.177 top). • Simile: KA sits “as though turned to stone” hardened, paralyzed with fear (p. 177 same paragraph as above). • Alliteration (repetition of beginning sounds): “goose girl”, “careful to conceal”, “pretty as peacocks”(also a simile), “heart heavy” (p. 177).

Figurative Language Continued • “truly loathly lady” – both alliteration (l’s) and end rhyme (ly, ly, dy) (p. 178 top). • Metaphor (comparison): The LL has a “nose was a pig’s snout” and “yellowing rows of horse’s teeth” showing a comparison to animals (pigs and horses). • Simile: “fingers…twisted as the roots of an old oak”. • Alliteration: “face so full …frightful features….the forest” and “limping, lurching Loathly Lady” (p. 180).

Imagery • Visualimagery: pictures we see in our minds created by description. Images includes the similes and metaphors describing the LL in her ugliness and beauty: “She had long golden hair hanging to her waist, her figure was slender as a fairy’s, her pale skin as perfect as a piece of polished ivory” (p. 180 bottom). • Auditoryimagery: silence = the absence of sound (builds suspense) “no bird song, no rustle of movement on the forest floor, not even the chink and creak of harness” (p. 178 bottom).

Imagery (continued) • Olfactoryimagery (smell): “The chamber had been decorated with fresh leaves; sweet-smelling rushes were strewn on the floor” (p. 180 ¾ from bottom) • Kinestheticimagery (touch): “the great carved bed, hung with velvet, was covered with soft furs” (same paragraph as above). • Imagery enhances the readers’ experience.

Foreshadowing • Foreshadowing hints at future events: “said the hag in a surprisingly sweet voice” (p. 178 top) foreshadows that she’s a good person caught in a bad spell. • Before SG sees the beautiful version of the LL, he hears his “wife’s sweet voice” (p. 180 bottom), foreshadowing the change in her appearance.

symbolism • Symbolism (use of imagery to create another layer of meaning): The Loathly Lady is “a woman in a scarlet dress” (p. 177 bottom). • Red can symbolize power, love, anger, blood and/or death. What does it mean here?

“Sir Gawain & The Loathly Lady”