Sir Gawain & the Green Knight

1. Sir Gawain & the Green Knight Romance

2. Standards and Objectives • CLE 3005.8.1 Demonstrate knowledge of significant works of British literature from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present and make relevant comparisons. • CLE 3005.8.2 Understand the characteristics of various literary genres (e.g., poetry, novel, biography, short story, essay, drama). • CLE 3005.8.4 Analyze works of British literature for what they suggest about the historical period in which they were written. • CLE 3005.8.5 Know and use appropriate literary terms to derive meaning and comprehension from various literary genres.

3. Objectives • Know the characteristics of romance • Know and identify the following literary terms/devices: romance, hero, quest, alliteration, caesura, bob and wheel • Understand the ways in which “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” represents the era in which it was written • Be familiar with the characters and places from “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”

4. Romances are narratives set in a world where the ordinary laws of nature are suspended, and where idealized heroes fight the forces of evil. The basic narrative pattern of the romance is the quest, in which a hero undertakes a perilous journey in search of something of great value.

5. Characteristics of the Romance Hero • Is near-perfect hero • Is a human with limited moral and physical strength • Is bound by a code of chivalry that emphasizes loyalty to his lord and readiness to serve those in need • Should adhere to the philosophy of courtly love, an idealized view of relationships in which a knight performs brave deeds to win the approval of his lady

6. The Hero’s Quest The hero’s quest consists of three stages: 1. a dangerous journey 2. a central test or ordeal to determine if the hero has heroic qualities 3. a return to the place where the journey began

7. Other Elements of Romance • Romances often have - an evil enemy - supernatural elements - a theme of good versus evil - female figures who are often maidens in need of rescue, temptresses, mothers, or crones

8. A Romance’s Function • To entertain Romances are tales of adventure, intrigue, and mystery. • To teach a moral lesson Romances illustrate how heroes react to dangerous situations or moral dilemmas. They reveal what character traits are valued by society.

9. What is a Romance—Today? Romance has come to mean any story that presents a world that is happier, more exciting, or more heroic than the real world. Romances are stories set in a world of pure wish fulfillment. The ordinary laws of nature are suspended. Idealized and superhuman heroes fight and almost always conquer the forces of evil.

10. Traditional Romances • “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight • Le Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory • The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer

11. Modern Romances • The Chronicles of Narnia • The Lord of the Rings trilogy • The Indiana Jones trilogy • The Wizard of Oz

12. Bob and Wheel • In order to achieve variety in the otherwise somewhat monotonous alliterative verse, the innovative Gawain poet broke the poem into stanza-like sections using a technique now referred to as bob and wheel. • The “wheels” are groups of short, alternatively rhymed lines. The “bobs” are lines, or “tags,” which come before the wheels. The last word of the bob always rhymes with the second and fourth lines of the wheel.

13. Bob and Wheel Example • In joy the passed that day until darkness came in the land. a And now think well, Sir Gawain, b Lest you from terror stand a Betrayer of the bargain b That you have now in hand! a

14. What have you learned? • 1. One purpose of a romance is to a. persuade b. ridicule c. entertain • 2. A romance hero’s quest has _____ stages. a. three b. five c. seven • 3. A romance hero is a perfect human with unlimited moral and physical strength. a. true b. false