Idealism and Reality within “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”
The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an Arthurian Legend about Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, who ventures on a quest to satisfy an agreement he made with the Green Knight after his appearance at Camelot. The agreement of Sir Gawain has him traveling beyond the realm of Camelot and into the lands of Lord and Lady Bertilak, who live in a castle near the Green Chapel. Sir Gawain is treated to rest and relaxation at the castle in preparation for his meeting with the Green Knight. During his time at the castle, Gawain is subjected to a series of tests unbeknownst to him to test his mettle and devotion to the five knightly virtues. Sir Gawain is the youngest and least experienced of Arthur’s knights. His youth, inexperience, and lack of discipline cause him to fault in his dedication to the knightly virtues he aspires to. The poem of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and its film adaptation “The Green Knight” tell the story of Sir Gawain’s quest to find and understand the true meaning of knightly virtues through the honoring of his agreement to the Green Knight’s game but describe Sir Gawain’s successes and failures of these virtue recognitions or tests in different ways.
THEME
In the poem, Sir Gawain is presented with tests of his virtues as a knight. Sir Gawain is welcomed wholeheartedly into Lord Bertilak’s castle; this is a test of generosity. The Thirty-fifth stanza illustrates this as Gawain first attempts to find shelter. “‘Good sir’, quoth Gawain, ‘will you go with my message / to the high lord of this house for harbor to pray?’ / ‘Yes, by Peter!’ quoth the porter, ‘and I promise indeed / that you will, sir, be welcome while you wish to stay here.’” (Tolkien, lines 811–814). Gawain accepts Lord Bertilak’s kindness and enjoys the splendor of his castle. Sir Gawain is offered all the amenities of the castle. He dines with Lord and Lady Bertilak and sleeps in one of their guestrooms. He is tended to by many of their servants during his stay at their castle.
The next test Sir Gawain encounters is the test of friendship. Lord and Lady Bertilak offer Gawain the opportunity to feast with them; he dines and drinks with them as an honored guest. “A fair feast he called it frankly and often, / graciously, when all the good men together there pressed him: / ‘Now pray, this penance deign to take; / ‘twill improve another day!’ / The man much mirth did make, / for wine to his head made way” (Tolkien, lines 894–900). Sir Gawain shows his appreciation and thanks during all his encounters, demonstrating his upholding of the knightly virtues. During Gawain’s stay at the castle, every morning, Lady Bertilak enters his room and attempts to seduce him. This is a test of chastity. The forty-ninth stanza illustrates this attempt: “To my body will you welcome be / of delight to take your fill; / for need constraineth me / to serve you, and I will.’” (Tolkien, lines 1237–1240). For three days, Lady Bertilak attempts to seduce Gawain, and during each attempt, Gawain rebuffs her advances in the most respectful ways possible. As a result, Lady Bertilak settles on kisses. Unbeknownst to Gawain, this too was a test devised by Lord and Lady Bertilak to test Gawain’s virtue of chastity.
During Gawain’s stay, Lord Bertilak offers a covenant. In this covenant, he tells Sir Gawain that whatever he catches on his hunts, he will gladly exchange with Sir Gawain for whatever Gawain was given that day. Sir Gawain agrees to these terms and adheres to the knightly virtue of courtesy. Stanza forty-five lays out the terms of the agreement between the two: “‘One thing more,’ said the master, ‘we’ll make an agreement: / whatever I win in the wood at once shall be yours, / and whatever gain you may get you shall / give in exchange. / Shall we swap thus, sweet man — come, say what you think! — / whether one’s luck be light, or one’s lot be better?’” (Tolkien, lines 1105–1109). Another knightly virtue Sir Gawain must adhere to is that of piety. Sir Gawain displays his devotion to God through his daily attendance of Mass.
In Ben Davis’ article from MVOrganizing.org, he discusses the symbol of the pentangle and how it relates to knightly virtues: “The pentangle represents the five virtues of knights: friendship, generosity, chastity, courtesy, and piety. Gawain’s adherence to these virtues is tested throughout the poem, but the poem examines more than Gawain’s personal virtue; it asks whether heavenly virtue can operate in a fallen world.”
In the film, Sir Gawain has not yet developed the discipline to uphold these knightly virtues. The initial appearance of Reynard, the fox, is shown as Gawain traverses the woods in search of the Green Chapel. Later Reynard appears to Gawain, seeking shelter from the storm, and Gawain attempts to scare him away. However, after the fox shows his insistence, he is welcomed in by Gawain. This interaction is a test of friendship. Throughout Gawain’s journey, he ventures out alone with only his horse Gringolet to keep him company. It is only after the theft of his belongings by wilderness thieves that Reynard appears to Gawain in an attempt at friendship. While initially, Gawain fails this virtue, he does eventually welcome the fox into his company. During his traversal through the woods, Gawain comes across a scavenger who claims to be looking for his brothers: “In saying that I do have two brothers out here somewhere” (The Green Knight 42:45–50). The Scavenger is scavenging whatever goods he can from a battlefield where dead soldiers lie. Upon seeing Gawain, the Scavenger inquires of Gawain’s business and offers to advise him to follow a path which may lead to the Green Chapel: “There’s a stream yonder. It runs North-like.” (The Green Knight 43:55–44:00). At first, Gawain is very dismissive of the Scavenger. Gawain frequently states that he is merely a traveler, passing through. The Scavenger, however, can see by Gawain’s possessions that he is a knight. Gawain denies this, effectively lying to the boy. The boy then asks for a reward for his advice, and Gawain again shows an unwillingness to be generous with the boy and simply offers his thanks. Upon further request, Gawain offers a meager reward for his services. The boy mutters under his breath that the payment is simply not enough: “Are my directions not worth anything to you?” (The Green Knight 44:30–35). The Scavenger can see the items Gawain carries with him. The failing of this virtue results in Gawain being robbed and left for dead, ironically by the very boy and his band of thieves who offered Gawain directions.
Sir Gawain is offered a green sash like the one given to him by his mother before venturing off to meet his appointment with the Green Knight. The offeror is none other than the Lady of the mansion estate. During the encounter, the Lady attempts to seduce Gawain with the pretext that he must take the belt from her to keep it. Gawain fails the test of chastity miserably through the implied sexual impropriety of the encounter. The Lady berates him: “You are no knight” (The Green Knight 1:33:50–55). In both shame and perhaps guilt, Sir Gawain immediately leaves the mansion and departs to meet the Green Knight. Upon leaving the estate, he comes across the Lord of the castle and fails the test of courtesy to his agreement with the Lord by not giving him the belt he took from the Lady during their encounter: “I don’t want your games or your gifts, or your kindness” (The Green Knight 1:35:03–05). The last virtue examined in the film is the virtue of piety. Gawain fails to attend Mass frequently. In the film, there is only one instance where he is shown to attend Mass at all, and it is during Christmas, where he is expected to attend.
SYMBOLISM
The story of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” makes heavy use of green when describing various elements of characters and settings. In this story, the color is considered a strong symbol of nature and the cycle of life. It gives the viewer a strong visual description of characteristics and their associated symbolism.
Throughout the poem, green is a frequent symbol. In the beginning, when the Green Knight first approaches the knights during their festivities, he is clothed in green, and his horse and even his own skin is green: “All of green were they made, both garments and man: / a coat tight and close that clung to his sides” (Tolkien, lines 151–152). He carries with him a bough of holly and an axe, both described with green characteristics. The sash Sir Gawain keeps for himself is also green: “Fashioned it was of green silk, and with gold finished, / though only braided round about, / embroidered by hand; / and this she would give to Gawain, and gladly besought him, / of no worth though it were, to be willing to take it” (Tolkien, lines 1832–1835). A historical context suggests that, in this instance, green represents fertility and bounty. A mythological view suggests that the Green Knight is, in fact, a facsimile of the Green Man, a pagan entity representing life and the cycle of rebirth.
In Jo Livingstone’s article for the New Yorker, entitled “The Remarkable Persistence of the Green Man,” she discusses the prominence of the figure within medieval European churches from the eleventh to sixteenth centuries: “Leaves and stems twist around the features, usually originating from the mouth. He can leer, he can grin. Sometimes he looks as if he is screaming in pain. He usually looks down from a ceiling.”
Within the film, green can be viewed as a symbol of nature. The cycle of death and rebirth is also a potent symbol. Throughout the film, moss is everywhere, as though to present the idea that the cycles of nature are ever-present. During Lady Bertilak’s exposition on the inevitable decay and entropy of all things, the constant reference of all things returning to their “green” state is a certainty. The Green Knight’s appearance also shows that of nature. His face is that of bark or his head can be viewed as being “tree-like” in appearance. Surrounding his armor and even his facial hair are vines and perhaps leaves, again illustrating the symbolism of nature and the green color of renewal and rebirth.
As Gawain traverses through various forests, the dark green of the moss, encroaching on any surface it can, is everywhere. The green grass which grows on the forest floor also gives the viewer an image of nature being ever-present. The trees of the forest have endlessly encroaching moss covering their bases, creating a view of all trees interconnected with this green motif. Even the characters Gawain encounters seem to have a strong understanding of nature at work. The Scavenger explains to Gawain that despite the soldiers not being buried in a traditional burial, that nature will pull the corpses into the earth and take care of them. Lady Bertilak goes into detail, explaining the inevitable return of all things to nature.
IMAGERY
In both the poem and film adaptation of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” the reader or viewer is given a plethora of visual and tactile imagery. Particularly with the description of the settings and environment. The levels of description of the imagery allow for an immersion into the world of King Arthur and his court.
The text of the poem provides a description of warm halls and roaring fires. The rooms are bright and very heavily decorated. Tapestries cover the walls, and color is everywhere in the idealized version of King Arthur’s court. The description of the people and their exchanging of gifts and stories provides a warm and friendly environment, all in contrast with the seasonal weather of cold and snow. As Sir Gawain ventures out to find the Green Chapel, his encounter with Lord Bertilak’s estate describes a strong contrasting of the cold outside and the warmth of Bertilak’s halls: “Many chalk-white chimneys he chanced to espy / upon the roofs of towers all radiant white; / so many a painted pinnacle was peppered about” (Tolkien, lines 798–800). Within Bertilak’s halls, the contrast is made apparent: “Then he greeted graciously those good men all, / and many were proud to approach him, that prince to honor. / All hasped in his harness to hall they brought him, / where a fair blaze in the fireplace fiercely was burning” (Tolkien, lines 829–832).
The cold stone walls of a medieval castle, like the ones Sir Gawain viewed on his journey. The rough textures of the walls, seemingly perpetually cold to the touch.
In contrast, the film provides a view of a cold and drafty castle and buildings. The walls are made of gray stone, and the lack of decoration creates a cold, dark, and grimy environment. Fog surrounds everything, adding to the cold feeling of the environment. The Mass attendants are shown attempting to bundle themselves from the freezing fog and cold, and they huddle together to illustrate the biting nature of the cold weather. During Gawain’s journey, the imagery of death in the form of skeletal remains and the corpses of fallen soldiers litter the landscape as he ventures out to find the Green Chapel. Moss encroaches every exposed surface, requiring constant upkeep to keep the surfaces clean.
After Gawain is robbed, he wanders the forest until he comes across the cottage of Winifred, a ghost who was murdered. Throughout the scene, fog is everywhere. Its dense, thick clouds fill the entire scene and obscure the surroundings. The fog continues from Camelot, through the forest, and everywhere Gawain ventures. In this way, the fog takes on a supernatural state, as though it is stalking Gawain. It is possible to think of the fog as a stifling, choking presence. Gawain continues his journey, trying to escape its grasp until he reaches the gates of Lord and Lady Bertilak and collapses.
Sir Gawain’s journey in both the poem and film adaptation shows the viewer Sir Gawain’s tests of his knightly virtue and his success or failure of the virtues as he ventures to finish the agreement with the Green Knight. The poem of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and its film adaptation “The Green Knight” illustrate Sir Gawain in very different lights. The poem gives a view of Sir Gawain in a very idealized light, able to carry out his knightly virtues with little difficulty. The film shows us a version of Sir Gawain, who is much more flawed, and given a more realistic human nature, one that fails to measure up to the ideals of knighthood. At the end of both poem and film, Sir Gawain emerges from his ordeal with a better understanding of the virtues of knighthood placed upon him.
Ralph Ineson gives an overview of the poem and how it directly relates to the film.
Works Cited:
The Green Knight. Directed by David Lowery, performances by Dev Patel, Anais Rizzo, Joe Anderson, Alicia Vikander, Noelle Brown, 2021
Tolkien, J.R.R. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. edited by Christopher Tolkien, Mariner Books, 2021.
