PLEASE HELP!!! Sir Gawian and the Green Knight?

Question

I need some information about this poem, and how it relates to Christian principles, history, and setting of the medievel ages. Perhaps the character and his obligations compared to the way of life during that time, or why this poem effected it's audiences. Thanks thanks thanks!

Answer 1

...i love the part were he's sliding around after he has his arms and legs cut off, and he says"come back and i'll bite your kneecaps off!"lol..that movie kills me..

Answer 2

Lawrence B. did an excelent  job explaining the story :)

i only wish to add one thing, the tale effected the audiences so well BECAUES of sir gawains apparent failures, it revealed him as a real man, not some made up hero, this allowed the audience to relate to him better, because he was a man just like them.

Answer 3

There are many interpreations of this poem. I was taught that it was about a clash between Christianity and Paganism. Sir Gawain, of course, represents Christianity,  while the Green Knight represents the old beliefs.

Gawaiun accepts the Green Knight's challenge, and is praised for his bravery. When he gets to the GK's palace, however, the GK's wife seduces him which is symbolic of the perils of temptation. By accepting the wife's favors, as well as the offer of use of the magical talisman, Gawain is showing that his own faith is not as deep as he's advertised, . The Green Knight's  expose of Gawain's weakness is proof that the old beliefs will continue, despite the seeming-victory of Christianity.

In the end, Gawain goes home humiliated, knowing that he has failed his god by hoping to win via the magical girdle rather than his own prowess in arms, and his faith in God. He must reexamine his own place in the world, and whether he really deserves to be in the company of his fellow knights.

It's a very telling drama, and a story of human weakness and human frailty.

Answer 4

Oh, come on.  s*x and headless bodies?  Thumping good read!

Answer 5

lawrence B nailed it

Answer 6

The above comments are good, you should also try posting this in the literature section, you might get more information that way. Also, try looking it up through google and wikipedia if you want more ideas on Gaiwan and its influence on Christianity.

Answer 7

Lawrence's answer is interesting.

However, the Arthurian corpus began in Wales long before the Welsh became Christian. According to Robert Graves, Gawain was a solar hero (he got stronger as daylight increased), and he was also Guinevere's champion. Since Guinevere is a goddess, he was the champion of the Goddess, a role he kept as the champion of the Virgin Mary in later literature.

The Green Knight is the Holly King, who had to be defeated by the Sun King (Gawain) every time Yule rolled around. The beheading game comes from the mythology of the Red Branch of UIster, in which the hero Cuchulainn entered a beheading game with a giant. Gawain is thought to be a direct descendant of Cuchulainn.

"The Mists of Avalon" is a very interesting take on the Arthurian legends. In any version Gawain is Arthur's nephew, and since this is a matrileneal society (all children belong to the mother and there are no illegitimate children), Gawain is next in line to inherit the throne. Marion Zimmer Bradley portrays Guinevere as a complete airhead with serious phobias, and Gawain is a simple minded brute who can be depended upon for his bravery. I don't like either characterization, but her creation of the general atmosphere of the time is absolutely superb. The film version is also very good.

There are many different ways to interpret the Arthurian legends. The corpus is the largest body of tales in the world, and every scholar has his or her own particular view of the meanings of the tales. The poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is amusing and you should read it (it's not very long).

Answer 8

The Gawain (note the spelling) poet was undoubtedly a Christian, writing this particular story (as well as three others, titled Patience, Purity and Pearl--all Christian stories) about the temptations that beset even the best of men. Gawain is an idealized knight who seeks perfection, discovers he's not perfect in the most humiliating way, and is forgiven his very small sin. As Bercilak (the Green Knight) says, "You are absolved of your sin and as stainless now/ As if you had never fallen in fault since first you were born." The girdle is Gawain's reminder of his error. The poem emphasizes forgiveness, a central tenet of New Testament Christianity. The poem no doubt deeply affected its audience  because of this; it's a parable of the Christian's journey toward God.

A good source is Trapp's Oxford Anthology of English Literature.