Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The Green Knight In Camelot, the castle was in the midst of Christmas celebration, when a lone knight rode into King Arthur's court. The knight wore clothing that was green. His skin, beard and hair were also green in colour. Even the mane and tail of his horse were green. In the one hand the Green Knight carry a cluster of holly, while in his other hand he carried a great wicked axe. The Green Knight challenged the famous knights of the Round Table in a game of beheading. The Green Knight wanted one of the knights to use his axe on his own neck; in return the other knight must allow him to cut off the other's head, one day and a year from now. The Green Knight offered his axe as a prize. No one thought such game was possible without someone being killed. No brave warrior accepted this challenge until the Green Knight had accused Arthur's knights of cowardice. Arthur felt so shamed that none in his knights in court that would have accept the challenge. Arthur would have offered to accept the challenge, until his nephew, Sir Gawain , decided to step forward to accept the Green Knight's challenge.

Gawain agreed to the Green Knight's term, that he would face the blow one-year from now. With this pact sealed, Gawain swung the axe at the Green Knight's neck. Instead of the body collapsing to the floor, the knight bent over and picked up his head. The Green Knight told the hero to find him at the Green Chapel by the time of Christmas, so Gawain could receive the return blow. The Games of the Hunt and Seduction Ten months later, Gawain set out for the Green Chapel. The ladies and damsels grieved for him, since they believed Gawain was going to his death. His journey north brought him to encounters against wild men and enemy knights. Gawain fought off wolves, ogres and dragons in his travel. The winter winds and snow swirled around him as he treads his way through woods or hills. Finally on Christmas Eve, Gawain came upon a castle, where Lord Bertilak de Hautdesert and his beautiful wife greeted the travel-weary hero. Bertilak offered the hero lodging, since the Green Chapel was not too far away. Bertilak told his guest that he would be going on a hunting trip, his wife would entertain the guest during the day.

Bertilak told Gawain that they should exchange gifts each day the host returned from hunting. Bertilak would give the hero the gift from his hunt, while Gawain would give to his host anything that the hero would win in his castle. Early the next morning, when Bertilak went out to hunt, the lord's wife kept Gawain's company. Bertilak chased and hunted deers in the forest. The beautiful wife flirted with Gawain and set about seducing the hero into sleeping with her. Gawain cleverly and politely turned aside her advances without offending his hostess. Gawain, however, did accept a kiss from his hostess. In the evening when Bertilak return from the hunt, with all the games he had killed. As they agreed from the previous night, Bertilak gave his kills to Gawain as part of their bargain. Gawain, who had only received a kiss from his host's wife, so Gawain kissed Bertilak upon the lips. Bertilak said it was a fair exchange. The next day, Bertilak set out again with his huntsmen. This time, Bertilak faced a more dangerous beast in the hunt, the wild boar.

The boar had injured some hounds. The arrows used by the bowmen proved to ineffective against he boar's hide. Bertilak chased the wild boar all day. Finally cornering the boar at the river. The boar charged at Bertilak. Both Bertilak and the boar fell in the water. Bertilak killed the boar with his sword. At the castle, the host's wife continued her attempts to seduce Gawain. Gawain had more difficulties diverting the beautiful lady. The lady tested Gawain' restraint to the limits, because she was one of the fairest in the land. Again he accepted another kiss, before she departed from his bedchamber. When Bertilak returned to the castle, offering his today's game to Gawain. In return, Gawain kissed his host. The next day, Bertilak hunt the wily fox that managed to elude the hunters with cunning, before Bertilak managed to kill the fox. Meanwhile, at Gawain's bed, the game of seduction continued between the lady and the hero. Finally, the hostess gave up all hopes to seduce Gawain.

The lady asked for Gawain's gloves as his token of love to her, while she would give him her ring. The hero refused to accept the ring. Gawain even refused her silk, green girdle, until the knight learned that her belt could protect from harm. The lady claimed that her girdle was a talisman. Realising the enormity of accepting the challenge from the Green Knight, he could not see how he could escape death from being beheaded. Gawain accepted her gift, and hid the girdle in his clothes. Gawain received another kiss from the fair lady. When Bertilak returned with the dead fox, he gave the fox to Gawain. Gawain gave his host another kiss, but did not give the girdle to Bertilak. At the Green Chapel On New Year Day, Gawain armed himself for the coming encounter with the Green Knight. Bertilak ordered one of his servants to guide Gawain to the Green Chapel. Outside of the chapel, the hero met the Green Knight. As they had agreed on Christmas Day, last year, Gawain would receive a blow in return from the Green Knight's axe.

When Gawain saw the axe descending towards his neck, he flinched causing the Green Knight to turn aside the blow. The Green Knight berated Gawain, because he did not flinch, when Gawain severed his head from his body. Gawain vowed that he would not flinch again. The second time the Green Knight brought the axe down on Gawain's neck, he deliberately missed to see if Gawain was true to his promise of not flinching. Gawain became angry at the delay and told him finish this business. The third time the Green Knight delivered the blow, the Green Knight again deliberately missed the hero's neck, only drawing a little blood from a small nick. Gawain immediately leaped to his feet, holding his shield in one arm and in his hand he drew his sword. Gawain told the Green Knight he had his chance to strike blow; he offered combat if refusing to play the Green Knight's game. The Green Knight assured Gawain that the game was truly over. The Green Knight revealed that he was Lord Bertilak de Hautdesert. The old lady who was attended of Bertilak's wife was actually Morgan le Fay , Arthur's half-sister.

It was Morgan who instigated the game, transforming him into the Green Knight. She had hoped that the Green Knight's challenge to a beheading game would frighten Queen Guinevere to death, since Morgan hated the queen. Bertilak knew about his wife's game to trap Gawain into committing a mortal sin through adultery. The first two blows were feinted, because of the first two days they had fairly exchanged gifts. Gawain's chivalric manners toward his wife were beyond reproach. On the third day, however, Gawain had failed to give his wife's girdle to him. Since they had agreement on their first night, to exchange gifts each day of whatever they may win. This was only Gawain's only fault, which was why the hero received a nick from Bertilak's axe. Gawain had failed not because he had succumbed to his wife's advance, but because he took the gift from his wife, hoping that the girdle could save his life. Gawain felt shame for taking the girdle, confessing that he was coward for taking a talisman (girdle). Gawain realised that he had tarnished his reputation.

Gawain threw the girdle at Bertilak's feet. Bertilak comforted the hero that, since he had admitted guilt for his misdemeanour, Gawain had proved that he was still one of the finest knights in the world. Bertilak offered the green girdle as a token of their friendship and as a remembrance of their encounter. Bertilak again offered hospitality at his castle to Gawain, but Gawain refused. Gawain decided to return to his uncle. Gawain left Bertilak, and headed towards Camelot. There was great rejoicing at Camelot, when they found that Gawain had survived his ordeal. Arthur and Guinevere asked the knight of his adventure. Gawain faithfully told them of his shame at Bertilak's castle and the Green Chapel. Gawain told them that he was not worthy of their attention. Gawain now worn the green girdle as a badge to marked his cowardice, his shame and his broken promise to his host. The king and his companion at the Round Table thought differently on his splendid exploit. Arthur asked the other knights to wear a similar badge.

SparkNotes: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Analysis of Major Characters Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ← Themes, Motifs & Symbols Sir Gawain Though Gawain and Guinevere share the high table at the New Year’s celebration in Arthur’s court, he describes himself as the least of Arthur’s knights in terms of both physical prowess and mental ability. His modest claim to inferiority and his high status at court—he is Arthur’s nephew and one of Camelot’s most famous knights—testify to both his humility and his ambition. Gawain seeks to improve his inner self throughout the poem. After Gawain arrives at Bertilak’s castle in Part 2, it is evident that his reputation is quite widespread. To Gawain, his public reputation is as important as his own opinion of himself, and he therefore insists on wearing the green girdle as a sign of shame at the story’s end. He believes that sins should be as visible as virtues. Even though the Green Knight essentially tricks Gawain by not telling him about his supernatural abilities before asking Gawain to agree to his terms, Gawain refuses to back out of their deal. He stands by his commitments absolutely, even when it means jeopardizing his own life.

The poem frequently reiterates Gawain’s deep fears and anxieties, but Gawain’s desire to maintain his personal integrity at all costs enables him to conquer his fears in his quest for the Green Knight. Gawain is a paragon of virtue in Parts 1 and 2 of the poem. But in Part 3 he conceals from his host the magical green girdle that the host’s wife gives him, revealing that, despite his bravery, Gawain values his own life more than his honesty. Ultimately, however, Gawain confesses his sin to the knight and begs to be pardoned; thereafter, he voluntarily wears the girdle as a symbol of his sin. Because Gawain repents of his sin in such an honorable manner, his one indiscretion in the poem actually ends up being an example of his basic goodness. Gawain is not a static character. In his encounter with the Green Knight, he recognizes the problematic nature of courtly ideals. When he returns to Arthur’s court at Camelot, the other lords and ladies still look to him like lighthearted children, but Gawain is weighed down by a new somberness.

Though he survives his quest, Gawain emerges at the end of the poem as a humbled man who realizes his own faults and has to live with the fact that he will never live up to his own high standards. The Green Knight (also known as Bertilak de Hautdesert and the Host) The Green Knight is a mysterious, supernatural creature. He rides into Arthur’s court on New Year’s Eve almost as if summoned by the king’s request to hear a marvelous story. His supernatural characteristics, such as his ability to survive decapitation and his green complexion, immediately mark him as a foreboding figure. The Green Knight contrasts with Arthur’s court in many ways. The knight symbolizes the wildness, fertility, and death that characterize a primeval world, whereas the court symbolizes an enclave of civilization within the wilderness. But, like the court, the Green Knight strongly advocates the values of the law and justice. And though his long hair suggests an untamed, natural state, his hair is cut into the shape of a courtly garment, suggesting that part of his function is to establish a relationship between wilderness and civilization, past and present.

At Gawain’s scheduled beheading, the Green Knight reveals that he is also the host with whom Gawain stayed after his journeys through the wilderness, and that he is known as Bertilak de Hautdesert. As the host, we know Bertilak to be a courteous, jovial man who enjoys hunting for sport and playing games. A well-respected and middle-aged lord, the host contrasts with the beardless Arthur. In fact, his beard is “beaver-hued,” a feature which associates the host with the Green Knight. Other clues exist in the text to connect the host with the Green Knight. For instance, both the Green Knight and the host value the power of verbal contracts. Each makes a covenant with Gawain, and the two agreements overlap at the end of the poem. More Help Character Analysis Green Knight One of the most misunderstood characters from the Arthurian Legends is the Green Knight, especially in comparison with Sir Gawain. At first glance, the Green Knight seems to be very overpowering in his challenging of the knights of King Arthur�s court.

He even indicates that everyone in the court is weak, and he cannot believe that this is the famous Arthur�s house: �What, is this Arthur�s house,� said that horseman then. (Norton, 309) The Green Knight knows that he will not die from a strike of an axe, and so he is offering to play this game to mock the knights of the Round Table. But, as it turns out later, the Green Knight is more noble and fair than it seems and is also very kind. He will not kill his challenger but gives him a more fair test, a test of character. The Green Knight, or Bercilak de Hautdesert as he introduces himself, is not such a bad guy and is actually a very good host. He gladly takes Sir Gawain into his home and offers him everything, a nice bath, food, clothing, and ironically, even his wife.

He also offers to the Sir Gawain a very good deal, to share everything they both get in a day: Said the good host, 'agree now to this: Whatever I win in the woods I will give you at eve, And all you have earned you must offer to me; Swear now, sweet friend, to swap as I say, Whether hands, in the end, be empty or better.' (Norton, 1105-1109) And, while Sir Gawain just sits at home, sleeps late and enjoys his day with a beautiful lady, Bercilak de Hautdesert goes out to hunt for game. In reality the Green Knight wants to give Sir Gawain an opportunity to show his inner self. The Green Knight tests Sir Gawain by sending his own wife to seduce him, to check first of all, if he�ll bite the bait, and second, if he will be honest about it. The Green Knight realizes that it is not completely fair for him to challenge a mortal person, Sir Gawain, and so he wants to give Sir Gawain another chance to stay alive.

He tests Sir Gawain by sending his wife to try to seduce him and to check if Sir Gawain will be honest about it. This test is simply the test of honesty, but the real challenge is that Sir Gawain doesn�t know that it�s a test. And Sir Gawain does well twice when tested, but the third time, he fears more for his life than for guarding his honesty and lies to the Green Knight. The Green Knight takes into consideration that Sir Gawain has passed two out of three tests, and when the time comes for the blow of the axe, he pays Gawain back for his honesty by not striking but only nicks his neck for the one time that he has lied. The Green Knight may be associated with another similar character, known as Sir Gromer Somer. Both have a history of being weird and misunderstood. In �The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell,� Gromer has a strange request for Arthur, and if it is not fulfilled, he will kill him. But, in reality, Sir Gromer Somer has a right to be enraged with Arthur and maybe even to kill him because Arthur has taken his land away and given it to Gawain.

However, Sir Gromer acts calmly and doesn�t rush to kill Arthur. He even offers Arthur a way out and to be spared from his anger by finding an answer to this question: �what do women most desire?� And when Arthur does find the right answer for him, the Sir Gromer Somer keeps his word and doesn�t kill him. The Green Knight may seem strange and maybe cruel for striking up an unfair challenge, which he knows he cannot lose. But the reason he does it is out of respect for Arthur's sister, who is angry with Guinevere, and who wants this gruesome beheading to scare Guinevere to death. Green Knight is not flawless; he is just like everyone else and does what he thinks should be done. It�s true he likes to play games with people's minds, but the bottom line is he treats people justly and honorably.

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Sir Gawain & the Green Knight Projects Option 1: Characterization Have students examine the descriptions of characters and situations in the first 29 stanzas of the poem.

What is the historical background for the poem? What physical descriptions are provided for the characters and their surroundings? How do the characters behave? How is King Arthur described? How is Gawain described? Does the poet appear to endorse Arthur�s behavior and the behavior of his court? How is the Green Knight described? (see section following) Illustrate as many of the above questions as possible on a piece or pieces of white paper, while including the accurate scene information for this section. Option 2: Why Is the Green Knight Green? Consider how the Green Knight is described. The symbolism of the Green Knight's clothing is an example of balance in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Green Knight is described as being dressed in green, the color of the land, with embroidery of gold, the color of the sun. In the Middle Ages, people would understand the color symbolism and its ties to the duality of nature. Green can symbolize nature's positive aspects like renewal, protection, fertility, the coming of spring, birth, and regeneration, or its negative aspects like the wild, uncontrolled forces of nature, which can dominate or even destroy man. The duality of the Green Knight is also evident in the items he holds in each hand.

The holly bob, an evergreen, is a symbol of peace. The poet devotes only 2 lines the holly bob. The glowing green axe in his other hand, which the poet devotes 14 lines to, demonstrates physical domination, violence and fighting. How many lines in stanzas 7 through 10 (lines 130 through 231), are devoted to describing the Green Knight's physical size, physical appearance, hair, clothing, saddle, horse, horse's mane, clothing he is NOT wearing, and what he's holding in his hands? Why do you think the poet chose to have the Green Knight hold the two different items in his hands in stanza 10? What does each one represent? Why do you think the poet spends so much time describing the Green Knight? Why is so little time devoted to describing King Arthur and his Knights? Ask students to consider in stanzas 7 through 10 (lines 130 through 231) the description of various destructive and regenerative forces in nature and society. Does the Green Knight present some semblance of symmetry? Find a creative, neat way to display your answers. Option 3: A Hero's Journey?

The next part of Gawain's tale follows the knight as he fulfills his promise to appear at the Green Chapel within a "twelvemonth and a day." Leaving Bertilak's home, Gawain travels to the Chapel, where he once again encounters the Green Knight. Kneeling, Gawain exposes his neck to the axe blow. The Green Knight swings the axe three times. At the first, Gawain flinches; the second is a trial to see if Gawain would flinch again. The third blow draws blood, but is carefully administered to avoid any real harm. Gawain discovers, then, that the tests of the hunt and the beheading game were of the same manner, created to test the honor and integrity of Arthur's knights. The Green Knight is revealed to be Bertilak, Gawain's earlier host, who had been enchanted by Morgan le Fay in order to administer the test of Arthur's court. Ask students to consider the reactions of the various participants to the outcome of Gawain's quest. How does Gawain himself evaluate his performance? How does this compare to the reactions of Bertilak and of Arthur and his court?

In their consideration of these questions, ask students to recall Gawain's shield and the five points of chivalry (a) free-giving (or generosity) (b) friendliness (or brotherhood) (c) chastity (or purity) (d) chivalry (or courtesy) (e) piety (or compassion) Which of these does Gawain adhere to and which of these does Gawain fail? What does the girdle symbolize for Gawain both before and after he completes his test? Find a creative, neat way to display your answers.

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��R��u���K>V�.E L+M2�#'�f��i ~�V� �vl�{u8��z� �H� �*� ��:�( W� ☕ ~��J��T�e\O*�tHG��HY��}KN��P�*ݾ˦��� TѼ�9/#��A7�qZ� �$*c?���qU��n��w�N��%��O��i�4 =3��N���)cbJ u�V�4����(Tn��� 7��_?���m-ٛ�{U����B�w� ����� �������� ����� ����� Gawain is best known for his adventure with the Green Knight.

In this famous tale, Gawain is a devout but humanly imperfect Christian who wins a test of arms, resists temptation by a lord's wife, but succumbs to an offer of invulnerability. The poem has 2,500 alliterative lines that are broken up into irregular stanzas by short rhyming passages. The story is basically this: Gawain and other knights are in attendance at Arthur's court on New Year's Day. Arthur, as is his custom, refuses to eat until he has seen some marvel. A mysterious man appears and issues a challenge: One man may strike him one blow with an axe. If he survives, he will expect the knight who struck the blow to afford him the same chance in a year's time. Gawain takes up the challenge and beheads the man. The man grabs his head, laughs, and tells Gawain to fulfill his part of the bargain. The Green Knight leaves the axe as a memento and a sharp reminder of Gawain's promise: He must go to the Green Chapel in a year and a receive a blow just like the one he gave the Green Knight. Not to be thought cowardly or vulnerable, Gawain agrees.

����� �� Fast forward to the following December: �� ����� Gawain reaches a splendid castle (as if by chance) at Christmas; he is entertained for a few days by the castle lord, his ravishing wife, and a mysterious black-shrouded older woman. The host tells Gawain that the Green Chapel is just around the corner and further invites him to stay the last three days of the year in the castle. Ever gracious, Gawain accepts. The castle lord proposes a game: He and Gawain will each share with the other what they have gained at the end of a day. For the lord, this is game that he has hunted and killed; for Gawain, it is kisses that he has received from the lord's lady, who has tried to seduce him while her lord is away. She also gives him a talisman-laden green girdle, which he does not give up The next day, the first of the new year, Gawain and a guide from the castle set out for the Green Chapel. The guide tries to dissuade Gawain from fulfilling his part of the bargain by boasting of the Green Knight's fearsome deeds, but Gawain will not be swayed.

At the Green Chapel, the Green Knight appears and swings the axe three times: The first two are feints, and the third nicks Gawain slightly. The Green Knight then explains that he was Sir Bertilak, the lord of the castle where Gawain had stayed, and that he had deliberately set his wife to tempt Gawain and that the third knick was for the green girdle, which Gawain had not revealed. The Green Knight further reveals that the black-shrouded older woman at the castle was Morgan Le Fay , whose idea the whole challenge was. She, it seems, was trying to stir up trouble. ����� �������� ����� �� Gawain returns to Arthur's court, the knights rejoice to see him alive, and they all wear green girdles in his honor. This poem is largely regarded as the finest of its kind. Preserved in the same manuscript with the Green Knight tale were three other poems: Patience, Purity, and Pearl.

The author of these four tales is frequently referred to as the "Pearl Poet." We have seen the restrained love and earthly deeds of knights in early English works, followed by the flowering of romance in French and German works; we have seen one of Arthur's greatest knights, Gawain, have one of Camelot's greatest adventures. The path is made clear for Sir Thomas Malory . �� SparkNotes: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Context Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ← Table of Contents Plot Overview The alliterative poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, likely written in the mid to late fourteenth century, survives in a late-fourteenth-century manuscript with three other poems—Pearl, Purity, and Patience—by the same author. Very little is known about the author of these poems, but most scholars believe him to have been a university-trained clerk or the official of a provincial estate (this SparkNote refers to him as the “Pearl-poet” or the “Gawain-poet”). Though it cannot be said with certainty that one person wrote all four poems, some shared characteristics point toward common authorship and also suggest that the Gawain-poet may have written another poem, called St.

Erkenwald, that exists in a separate manuscript. All the poems except Sir Gawain and the Green Knight deal with overtly Christian subject matter, and it remains unclear why Sir Gawain, an Arthurian romance, was included in an otherwise religious manuscript. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in a dialect of Middle English that links it with Britain’s Northwest Midlands, probably the county of Cheshire or Lancashire. The English provinces of the late fourteenth century, although they did not have London’s economic, political, and artistic centrality, were not necessarily less culturally active than London, where Geoffrey Chaucer and William Langland were writing at the time. In fact, the works of the Gawain-poet belong to a type of literature traditionally known as the Alliterative Revival, usually associated with northern England. Contrary to what the name of the movement suggests, the alliterative meter of Old English had not actually disappeared and therefore did not need reviving. Nevertheless, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight exists as a testament that the style continued well into the fourteenth century, if not in London, then in the provinces.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s adapted Old English meter tends to connect the two halves of each poetic line through alliteration, or repetition of consonants. The poem also uses rhyme to structure its stanzas, and each group of long alliterative lines concludes with a word or phrase containing two syllables and a quatrain—known together as the “bob and wheel.” The phrase “bob and wheel” derives from a technique used when spinning cloth—the bobs and wheels in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight help to spin the plot and narrative together in intricate ways. They provide commentaries on what has just happened, create or fulfill moments of suspense, and serve as transitions to the next scene or idea. Told in four “fitts,” or parts, the poem weaves together at least three separate narrative strings commonly found in medieval folklore and romance. The first plot, the beheading game, appears in ancient folklore and may derive from pagan myths related to the agricultural cycles of planting and harvesting crops. The second and third plots concern the exchange of winnings and the hero’s temptation; both of these plots derive from medieval romances and dramatize tests of the hero’s honesty, loyalty, and chastity.

As the story unfolds, we discover that the three apparently separate plotlines intersect in surprising ways. A larger story that frames the narrative is that of Morgan le Faye’s traditional hatred for Arthur and his court, called Camelot. Morgan, Arthur’s half sister and a powerful sorceress, usually appears in legend as an enemy of the Round Table. Indeed, medieval readers knew of Morgan’s role in the destined fall of Camelot, the perfect world depicted in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The poem’s second frame is a historical one. The poem begins and ends with references to the myth of Britain’s lineage from the ancient city of Troy, by way of Britain’s Trojan founder, Brutus. These references root the Arthurian romance in the tradition of epic literature, older and more elevated than the tradition of courtly literature, and link fourteenth-century England to Rome, which was also founded by a Trojan (Aeneas). Thus, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight presents us with a version of translatio imperii—a Latin phrase referring to the transfer of culture from one civilization (classical antiquity, in this case) to another (medieval England).

The Gawain-poet at times adopts an ironic tone, but he also displays a deep investment in elevating his country’s legends, history, and literary forms—especially Arthurian romance—by relating them directly to classical antiquity. More Help Throughout Arthurian legends, Sir Gawain is portrayed as one of the most gentle, gallant and honorable knights of the Round Ta In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and ï¿½The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell, Sir Gawain is portrayed as being one of the most gentle, courteous and honorable Knights of King Arthurï¿½s Round Table. Although Sir Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur and considered to be one of his favorite knights, Gawain displays a most humble attitude. Gawain continuously proves his loyalty to his lord, never taking advantage of his royal kinship status. He displays true knightly courage by remaining loyal to the king even in the face of death. With few exceptions, Gawain displays honesty and courtesy to all people, and remains true to his word. Sir Gawainï¿½s characteristics epitomize all the values expected of a true knight.

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, we meet the very young and inexperienced knight, Sir Gawain. His age and experience, however, do not diminish his sense of loyalty to King Arthur. Gawainï¿½s test of character begins when a strange and intimidating knight appears at Camelot during a Christmas feast and challenges the court of King Arthur to a beheading game. While the other knights allow King Arthur to accept the challenge himself, Sir Gawain courageously steps forward to take the kingï¿½s place. He humbly accepts the challenge saying: While so bold men about upon benches sit, That no host under heaven is hardier of will, Nor better brothers-in-arms where battle is joined; I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest; And the loss of my life would be least of any (Norton 351-354) Even realizing that accepting the challenge would mean certain death, Gawain does not back down. Courage, humility and loyalty are exemplified in Gawainï¿½s actions here.

While at the Castle of Lord Bercilak, otherwise known as the Green Knight, Gawain is nothing less than a gentleman to the lady of the house. Although Lady Bercilak is relentless in her attempts to seduce Gawain, he continues to treat her with respect, courtesy and kindness. When Lady Bercilak tries to tempt Gawain using flattery and saying to him, ï¿½No other on this earth [but you] should have me for wifeï¿½(Norton 1275), his reply is as humble, respectful and courteous as we would expect from him: ï¿½You are bound to a better man, ... / Yet I prize the praise you have preffered me here, / And soberly your servant, my soveriegn I hold youï¿½(Norton 1276 ï¿½ 1278).

His demeanor never changes, as the author suggests: Thus she tested his temper and tried many a time, Whatever her true intent, to entice him to sin, But so fair was his defense that no fault appeared, Nor evil on either hand, but only bliss (Norton 1549-1552) Sir Gawainï¿½s honorable actions are what save his life in the story of the Green Knight. The fact that he regards honesty to be important is emphasized by his vow to wear Lady Bercilakï¿½s garter as a shameful reminder of the test he felt he had failed: he did not hold true to his word by giving this gift back to Lord Bercilak, as agreed. ï¿½This is the sign of sore loss that I have suffered there / For the cowardice and coveting that I came to there; / This is the badge of false faith that I was found in there, / And I must bear it on my body till I breathe my lastï¿½ (Norton 2507-2510), says Gawain. Sir Gawainï¿½s loyalty, honor and courtesy are also displayed throughout the story of Dame Ragnell.

Once again, Gawain is faced with a tough decision: marry an old and hideously ugly hag, or let King Arthur die at the hands of Sir Gromer Somer. He unhesitatingly agrees to marry the hag, saying: ï¿½I shalle wed her and wed her again, / Thoughe she were a fend, / Thoughe she were as foulle as Belsabubï¿½ (Burlesque 343 ï¿½ 345). Loyalty to his lord is placed above any of his own wants or needs. His dealings with the old hag in the story never suggest even the slightest bit of rudeness. Even King Arthurï¿½s behavior towards the hag cannot compare to Gawainï¿½s conduct. For instance, when Arthur first meets the hag, he rudely says to her, ï¿½Whate mean you, lady, telle me tighte, / For of thy wordes I have great dispiteï¿½ (Burlesque 270 ï¿½ 272). We never see Gawain exhibit this type of behavior in the story.

His courtesy doesnï¿½t even falter on his wedding night when the old hag asks him, ï¿½Shewe me your courtesy in bed.ï¿½ As revoltingly ugly as she is, Gawain does not deny Dame Ragnell her just due as his wife: ï¿½I wolle do more / Then for to kisse, and God before!ï¿½(Burlesque 638-639). The code of chivalry requires that all knights exhibit courtesy, loyalty and honor. Gawain displays these virtues throughout the stories of the Knights of the Round Table. In fact, his virtues far surpass even those of the king himself, at times. It is no wonder that the author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight refers to him as ï¿½the most noble knight.ï¿½ Sir Gawain sets a good example for all humanity, knight or not.

Question: In Arthurian legend, who encounters and beheads the Greene Knight?
Answer: Sir Gawain