I can't believe the Green Knight was this person all along o. o

Everyone's reaction (Gawain's too) when it was revealed that the Green Knight was the host all along.

Gawain rambling on to his fate...

Led Zeppelin: Ramble On

     

Sir Gawain the Chivalrous Pimp

Throughout the whole exchange between Gawain and the host's wife I couldn't help but think how much of a pimp Gawain was. The wife constantly wished how much she picked Gawain over her own husband and how she's heard many stories of him and how he would never allow a woman to leave his chamber without lusting for a kiss. I SEE YOU GAWAIN!

Just a Scratch

Gawain when he realized that he would only leave with a scratch in the end and received the girdle for being such a good sport.

What to give... A Girdle!

Throughout most of section three, I was suspicious of why Sir Gawain was staying so long at the castle. Obviously it had to have a huge impact on the story, whatever the reason was. It wasn’t until part three section 28 that I realized the importance of this part of the story. At first section three was annoyingly long and repetitive, until the lady wanted to give Sir Gawain a gift. At first she wanted to give him a ring “made of reddish gold, with a sparkling stone…” (section 28, lines 1817, 1818.) Gawain did not want the gift so the lady tried to give him another, “[her] girdle -- a much humbler gift.” (section 28, line 1829.) After looking up what a girdle was it made sense. A girdle is not the same thing as a corset, it is more like a belt and was worn by both men and women. For men it was a symbol of power and strength and for women it was a symbol of protection. Now adding on the fact that the girdle is green, the gift makes sense. Somehow the lady and the castle are related to the Green Knight, we learn later that the lord is the Green Knight. The green girdle seems to have been given to protect Sir Gawain from the ax because he passed the test given by the lady and the Green Knight at the castle.

Gawain the Good Guy

Gawain is faced with a woman who is throwing herself at him, but he remains "gracious--and also on his guard" (443). Clearly, Gawain is a good guy as he consistently toes the line between gracious and cautious. As the Green Knight confesses his plan, Gawain says on page 472:

"But it's no great wonder whenever a woman outwits 

A man and leads him away to mourning or to madness,

For Adam himself was led astray by a woman" (2414-2416). 

He lists other men who were misled by women, but why are women to blame in this case if the Green Knight literally just admitted that it was his own plan? I might be missing something, but it seems like Gawain is unfairly blaming the ladies for executing a plan that was conceived by a man. 

Guh guh guh guh goodbye!

Yuh dead!......wait.....what?

Off with his head!

Meeting a fangirl for the holidays

Sorry, Ma'am, but I'm not Gawain to sleep with you.

Dear diary, can I vent to you? Of course I can. You're a notebook I place emotional value in because you give me a medium to release stress, you aren't capable of judgement. Sorry, diary, but those are facts. Anyway, it's nothing too serious. It's just something that happened during my last quest. I do love quests, it's why I became a knight after all. Even better, it was basically a three day vacation.

While the knights and men of the kingdom went out on my hunt, I got to spend three days doing whatever I wanted. And what did I want? Peace and quiet. I surely didn't want to be propositioned for anonymous sex, I can tell you that much. It seems like everywhere I go women are just throwing themselves at me. Hello, does an oath of chastity mean anything these days? I guess that's what I get after volunteering to be in all those knight of the month calendars, but how could I pass up being Mr. December? There's no better Christmas present than these good looks, it's the gift that keeps on giving for Christ's sake! Shit. I'll have to confess that one.

So there I am on Monday morning. It's almost noon, who cares? I was sitting in bed not doing a damn thing when this woman walks in. She's gorgeous; tall, strawberry hair, most of her teeth and with breasts of the purest... rich like... uh... they were pretty cool. She was also the wife of one of the dear huntsmen. Great guy. She comes over and, without any small talk about the weather, immediately professes her lust for me and her desire to take me to the stables, sheath excalibur, other blatant sexual innuendos. What torture. Not only is she married to Robert, one of my high school rugby teammates, but she lusts for me. LUSTS.

You know me, diary, I'm not a lust guy. I'm love or nothing. Either way, she was determined. I was the great Gawain, after all; a man who's looks, courtship and virtue were known far and wide. I wish I was known for my interpretive dance, but sex appeal is good enough, I guess. It took me hours, but I was finally able to convince her that I was not worth the blemish on her marital vows. She had to have something, though, and before she got up, started to kiss me. I'm not proud of this, but I kissed her back, because what was I gonna do, not?

After that I get on with my very important and rudely interrupted plan to sit on my ass all day until dinner. Then, at night, the men get back, they throw me a feast, yadda, yadda, yadda. At least I was able to put off Bob's wife, right? Wrong. Each of the next two mornings she comes back into my room begging me yet again. Lady, if you're that pent up, just fantasize while reading 50 Shades or something, sheesh.

Luckily for me, I'm a master not only in swordplay, but wordplay. I'm not going to lie to you, diary, it wasn't easy. The third morning she went all out: a jeweled hairnet, her finest and most revealing gown, she was reading me like a book. Nonetheless, I was able to keep her at bay once again, though this time she demanded a three kisses and a gift. A gift? What do I look like, a Disney store? When I told her I had no gift that would match her value of grace, she was unbothered. First she tried to give me her ring. I declined partly because I'm not a huge ring guy and partly because I think Bob bought it for her. She wouldn't let me leave without anything, so she gave me her girdle. Weird gift, right? Well it gets even weirder. She says that it grants the power of immortality to the wearer. Now, I'm not usually one to trust the words of a scorned lover, but I'm also kinda in desperate need of some immortality, so I took it and went on my merry way, hunts haul by my side the very next morning. Worst comes to worst I can re-gift it, I guess.

Well, that's all I have, diary, thanks for listening. It's not like you really had a choice, what with being an inanimate organization of tree byproducts, but I appreciate it nonetheless. Gee, I really hope archeology isn't invented because I sure wouldn't want any sick future-perverts getting their hands on you and besmirching my good name.

Winter Weather Wonderland

In Part IV of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, landscape plays an important role when Gawain travels with his companion to the Green Chapel. The passage I’m interested in starts in stanza 4 at line 2077. We know we’re in winter thanks to phrases like “wintry season” (2085) and “snow all before the eyes” (2088). Winter usually signifies things like rest or death, which already feels ominous. Specific words and phrases within the passage about the landscape and the weather push this feeling even further.

The weather contributes to a sense of mystery: “Mist swarmed over the moors, then merged with the mountains” (2080). The mist is covering areas of the land, concealing them and blurring the lines between moors and mountains. Nothing is clearly defined, much like the Green Knight, who is still a question mark to Gawain and anyone who doesn't know what is coming next. The alliteration of the “m” sound in this line is rhythmic and spell-bounding. It pulls the reader further into the story and further into whatever may be lurking in this landscape.

Of course, we later come to find that the Green Knight is not exactly who or what we imagine him to be, which makes the threatening and omnious feelings evoked by this landscape a bit ironic. However, since the landscape is so hazy and mysterious, the landscape still foreshadows in this moment that maybe, just maybe, things aren't what they seem.

Gawain the Deadman

When the Green Knight entered the castle and challenged Arthur, I knew it would be my opportunity to shine. You see, I’ve always had a unique place in the King’s court. Our blood relation ensures my place there, but I had always lived in the shadow of my uncle; unable to make a proper name for myself. I was a knight without identity. I’m not dashing like Lancelot or brutish like Kay. I am Gawain; the modest, the humble, the unremarkable.

While I don’t spend all my time worrying about what others think of me, you can understand why it can be bothersome to be labeled as a sidekick in your own adventures. Everyone talks about Culhwch and his quest to earn the heart of the giant’s daughter. They go on and on about Lancelot’s journey to rescue Guinevere from the clutches of Meleagant. But no one ever seems to remember that I was there too. Is it truly so selfish to dream of being the hero of your own story?

I knew that if I killed this mysterious aggressor, I would finally have my own tale to tell. They’d be talking about Gawain and the Green Knight for years to come. So I stood up, stared him down, and swung with all my might. And in a single blow, I decapitated him. For a moment, I felt a feeling of pride as the room cheered me on. But then, he rose to his feet with his head in his hand and said he’d be returning the blow in a year’s time.

I was going to be known alright. I’d be Gawain; the fool, the headless, the deadman. I’d have to hold up my end of the deal or they’d surely label me a coward, a fate far worse than death. Maybe I should’ve let someone else that the challenge instead. I’m sure Lancelot would look just as handsome split into two pieces.

But alas. A year from today, that Knight is going to knock my head from my shoulders for sure. What a shit way that’d be to end a story.

The Green Knight, Good or Bad?

The unique character, The Green Knight, is quite an instigator. He rides into Arthur's court, demands to fight someone who is brave enough to face him. Sir Gawain volunteered to fight, explaining that Arthur should not have to fight and the loss of Gawain's life was the least important. After reading this paragraph I could literally feel Gawain's insecurities comparing himself to the other knights, stating he is weakest in strength and intelligence and he knows that. The craziest scene takes place when The Green Knight is beheaded by Sir Gawain, but proceeds to pick up his head, mount his horse, continue talking to the court, and rides off to his green castle. To me, this Green Knight seems to be a scary character, illustrated as an immortal being and he could potentially be the cause of Sir Gawain's death. As the story comes to the end of the second act, Sir Gawain's character changes. To me he seems more brave and noble than he claimed to be since his lonesome journey faced many dangerous creatures and frigid weather that would cause any weak knight to retreat. It seems as though because the Green Knight challenged him to this game, it is bringing out the fearless side to Sir Gawain that he didn't know he had. To conclude, I have enjoyed reading the story as a poem format- it is easier to read and the few rhyming words are entertaining.