Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

1. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight February 19, 2013

2. Medieval Romance • Elements of a romance: • A near-perfect hero (usually involves a knight) • An evil enemy • A quest • A test of the hero • Supernatural elements • Good vs. evil • Female figures who are usually maidens (in need of rescue) or a temptress

3. Romance Genre • Simple, inevitable plot: a hero battles an evil enemy and wins • Hero undertakes a quest • 3 stages: • Dangerous journey • Central test or ordeal • Return to the point the journey began

4. Romance Hero • Usually a knight • Undergoes a process of self-discovery that enables him to come back into society as a better version of himself • Adheres to a strict code of knightly conduct which requires: • Absolute loyalty • Extreme generosity • Refusal to break oaths • Defense of the helpless • Courtly behavior

5. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight • Gawain is the chivalric hero whose honor is being tested • Romance with specific purpose of teaching a moral lesson • Hero is human and limited in moral and physical strength

6. The Pentangle • Symbol of truth forming an endless knot • Symbolizes 5 virtues Gawain aspires to: • Faultless in his five senses • Never to fail in his five fingers • To be faithful to the five wounds of Christ • Strengthened by the five joys Mary had in Jesus (Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, Assumption) • To possess chivalry, brotherly love, generosity, piety, and chastity