Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

1. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

2. Alliterative Revival Second half of the 14th Century Literary phenomenon Uses alliteration as the principle structuring device to unify the lines Tend to focus on celebrating acts of chivalry and the knightly virtues

3. Alliterative Revival cont… Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is considered a masterpiece of the Alliterative Revival Affirms the positive values of chivalry A lot of the alliteration is missed when translated from its original Middle English to modern English

4. The Gawain Poet Poet is unknown and often referred to as the Gawain poet The Gawain poet uses language similar to Chaucer, but quite possibly more difficult Poem was written more for recitation than silent reading

5. Sir Gawain~the figure The earliest of Arthurian heroes Often described as a knight who is the model of secular virtue Oftentimes Gawain is portrayed as having features of the sun: His strength increases in the morning, peaks at noon and then declines Sees the chivalric code less as a form of pageantry and more as a code of ethics

6. Green Knight Has regenerative powers that humans do not possess Represents a spirit of vegetation Origins of the “green man” are unknown but have moved throughout literary history