• What's the appeal of the Romance form? ASK. Modern parallels are Harry Pottery, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars.
• Beowulf was developed through telling and retelling of a mixture of legends and stories of real battles; The Divine Comedy is unique; but Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of many medieval romances. It's easy to see how Beowulf is related to its historical circumstances; though there are mythological monsters, it tells the truth about the history and values of its people. The Divine Comedy also tells an obvious truth -- that the people of the time were deeply imbued with Christianity. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is different, puzzling; I think it reflects the life that the aristocrats of the time wished to live.
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is sentimental fantasy. It is told as something which happened in the wonderful past. The historical King Arthur (maybe) lived in the sixth century. Geoffrey of Monmouth and Chrétien de Troyes (mid 12th century) wrote popular Arthurian stories. This tale dates from the second half of the 14th century.

Section 1 (p. 186):They are the inheritors of a glorious past.

Sections 2-6 :They live life as a game.

Sections 7-- (line 130):The Green Knight challenges their gamesomeness.

• He rides into the hall.
• He's a huge troll, but fashionable. (line 145)
• He brings life in one hand and death in the other (line 204)
.





• Arthur handles the challenge to his courtesy well; he responds to an insulting provocation with a cool invitation. (line 250)
• Gawain also exhibits the courtly ideal; the Green knight continues his challenge, strongly implying that they are all cowards, and Arthur is ready to take on the bargain, but Gawain intervenes, showing his courtesy & courage. (line 343)

Once the challenge has been accepted and the Green Knight's head speaks (after rolling around on the floor for a while), we find out what is at stake: honor (See "So come or be called a coward forever" -- line 456), and a relationship with the marvelous -- lines 471 - 476).

• The section on the passage of the seasons, (to line 535) builds the tension; the challenge isn't over, the hardest part is yet to come.
• The section on the pentangle (beginning on line 621) gives a spiritual picture of the courtly ideal.

  Five Wounds:
  (Spanish, 17th or 18th century)

  The Five Joys of Mary

On Christmas eve he prays to find a shelter in which to pray, and as if by a miracle, he sees Bertilak's castle (line 763)

He is courteously received, only to find that he is regarded as the epitome of courtesy (line 910 ff.).--Comment on the use of the word "manners" in the passage.

I can't see the relevance of a lot of the material in this poem. Quite a few of the extended descriptions make my eyes glaze over, and I don't understand why the crone (line 950 ff.), who turns out to be Morgan le fay, is given so much attention.

He partakes of a feast, and engages in some courteous flirtation with the lady of the castle.

The lord of the castle asks him how he happened to come to this place, and when Gawain explains who he is seeking the reassures him that the place he seeks is only two miles away (line 1078)

Reasoning that Gawain needs his rest, the lord of castle tells Gawain that he shall stay inside while he (the lord) is out hunting, and then adds the game of the exchange of gifts (line 1105). Gawain glady accepts the proposal.

"FITT iii": The hunting of the deer. The lady's first attempted seduction (line 1178). {Maybe the parallel is the flushing of the prey from cover.} Out of courtesy, Gawain cannot send her away, but out of courtesy to her host, he cannot accept her advances. --The definition of what is courteous gets complicated; see the lady's reasoning on line 1297)

Back to the hunt -- Beginning on line 1328 we see the dressing of the deer -- Everything is done exactly as it should be.

Beginning at line 1372 is the first exchange of winnings. Gawain refuses to reveal the source of the kiss {this is getting kinky}

At the evening social gathering and drinking session the agreement between the lord & Gawain is renewed.

line 1420 = first part of the hunting of the boar.

(line 1476 ff.) is the second attempted seduction; two kisses are exchanged. --The lady says that "a man like you has the means of his muscles" (line 1497)(maybe this makes the parallel to the hunting of the boar, who is strong and dangerous.

line 1560: end of the boar hunt.

(line 1640) Gawain gives two kisses.

a feast, and Gawain is embarrassed by the sweet glances of the lady.

Gawain wants to depart, but host says they will have plenty of time the next day to get to the Green Chapel, and so the game is extended for another day.

line 1690: beginning of fox hunt.

line 1733: The third day with the lady. She urges him to take a ring; he has nothing to give in return, and refuses. She offers him her green girdle as being more acceptable, because of lesser value; he refuses, but when she mentions that the girdle will protect him from harm (line 1850) he accepts, and agrees to her request to keep the gift a secret from her husband. {She has outfoxed him.}

end of fox hunt

"FITT iv": Departure for the Green Chapel (line 1998) -- Gawain's guide is sure that the Green Knight will kill Gawain & offers to keep his secret if Gawain runs away (line 2110)

GRIM GREENESS: The Green Chapel turns out to be a mere barrow with three holes in it (line 2180); Gawain thinks it looks accursed, and then he hears a grindstone being used, and takes this as the Green Knight's greeting to him. The Green Knight appears, with another axe, and vaults the stream

THE TEST (line 2247):

THE EXPLANATION (line 2338):

THE AFTERMATH (line 2429):