Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight English II Pre-AP

I. Timeline a little context Bayeux Tapestry 1077 1154—An English King (Henry II) back on the throne 1066—William the Norman invades and conquers England Medieval Period 1154-1485 Viking/Anglo-Saxon Rule 410-1066 Norman Rule 1066-1154 1347—Black Death kills 50% of the population 410—Romans retreat from England 991—Battle of Maldon

II. Medieval Literature & Poetic Form • Alliterative Revival • Bob-and-Wheel: a two- or three-syllable “bob” followed by a quatrain (the “wheel”) • Bob is the bridge between long series of alliterative lines and the wheel • Bob’s stress is on the last syllable • Wheel usually contains three stressed syllables per line • Rhyme scheme (beginning with bob) is ABABA

III. The Manuscript

III. The Manuscript • Exists only in one 14th-century manuscript • Manuscript containing Gawain also contains three other poems, including Pearl • Manuscript’s name = Cotton Nero A.x. (Hmmm… does this sound familiar?) • Author = the “Pearl Poet;” clearly familiar with life of the nobiility

III. Romance • Romance: An adventure tale that recounts the heroic deeds of knights and celebrates their chivalric way of life. They convey medieval values of loyalty and Christian faith • Common Characteristics: • Opens with a feast • Involves a challenge • Tells adventures of a young, nearly perfect hero • Involves supernatural elements • Teaches the hero a moral lesson • Includes women as temptation • Shows cyclical qualities of nature

IV. Epics Vs. Romances

V. Code of Chivalry • Chivalry: the code that guides the behavior of knights in romance literature. It requires a knight to… • Swear allegiance to his lord • Fight to uphold Christianity • Seek to redress all wrongs • Honor truth by word and deed • Be faithful to one lady • Act with bravery, courtesy, and modesty

VI. Courtly Love • Courtly love: comes from “rules” the were developed to regulate the behavior of lovers • Love songs and poems tell of a man’s unrequited love for a woman • Lovelorn hero feels inferior to the woman and flatters her in song and verse • Man does everything he can to refine himself to become worthy of her love • Man desires to serve the woman and be rewarded with love • To love her is exquisite pain, yet it gives him great joy (a paradox!) • The woman can A) advance the affair and reward him, OR B) reject and spurn him.

VII. Plot Structure • Interweaving narratives • Beheading game • Quest • Seduction tale • Beheading Game – common in oral poetry • Outsider comes to court and challenges. • Hero accepts challenge. • Hero gives outsider a blow, cutting off his head. • Hero journey to the court of the outsider. • Outsider tests the hero . • Hero accepts the return blow and returns to court.

VIII. What do I Look For? • Archetypes • Use of the bob-and-wheel • Traits of Romances (and contrasts to what might happen in an epic) • Structure – great deal of structural unity • Use of parallels and balance • Use of contrast and antithesis

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight