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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:

Source, Structure and Themes:

Source: British Library MS. Cotton Nero A.x (unique), here it is the !ast o" "our

a!!iterati#e $oems ritten in %est Mid!ands dia!ect (&ear!, &acience 'onah,C!eanesse '*a!!s o" Luci"er + Adam *!ood Abraham and Sarah Lot + his "ami!ydestruction o" Sodom and -omorrah Nebuchadnear/s $ro"anation o" the#esse!s + $unishment Be!shaar/s "east + doom 0anie! on Nebuchadnear/scon#ersion conc!udin1 $eroration, and Sir -aain and the -reen 2ni1ht). A!!"our $oems em$hasie mora! issues, ex$ressin1 s$iritua! #a!ues in court!y andchi#a!ric terms, es$ecia!!y those unique to its !oca! dia!ect. 3Sir -aain3 a!sodras u$on a %e!sh4Ce!tic narrati#e tradition o" romances about -aain as thebest o" Arthur/s 5ni1hts, a tradition o!der than that o" Lance!ot, ho as a *rench3im$ort3 into the Arthurian tradition and su$$!anted -aain as the "a#ored 5ni1ht.-aain ta!es ty$ica!!y in#o!#e cha!!en1es to the Arthurian court by out!andish

ma!es "rom the i!ds o" northest 6n1!and, or "abu!ous!y u1!y "ema!es "rom thesame re1ion. 7n se#era! o" these ta!es, -aain under1oes a 3bed test3 ith thehost/s i"e and4or dau1hter, and in some he a!so must $!ay a 3beheadin1 1ame3ith his host. The &ear!8&oet/s ada$tation o" this ta!e ty$e, !i5e Chaucer/s, hasmuch to teach us about Medie#a! $oets/ creati#ity and ima1ination. %hereasChaucer diminished and radica!!y resha$ed -aain9s ro!e to ser#e the charactero" the ta!e/s te!!er, the %i"e o" Bath, the &ear!8&oet thorou1h!y enhanced thede#e!o$ment o" e#ery one o" the characters and 1a#e the resu!tin1 ta!e a "orma!sha$e, both in its indi#idua! stanas and in its o#era!! structure, that ma5es itstand on its on as one o" the outstandin1 or5s o" Midd!e 6n1!ish !iterature.

-enre and &!ot:

%hi!e 1enerica!!y identi"iab!e as an Arthurian romance o" the 3-aain3 1rou$, itshares characteristics ith the Breton !ais ("aerie #s. court con"!ict, stanaicstructure, narrator9s re"erence to audience and characters su11esti#e o" !i#e$er"ormance, em$hasis on 3mixed3 dramatic tone). 7t a!so resemb!es thedramatic structure o" a mora! "ab!e hose outcome is intended to carry a didactic!esson. The $!ot s$!its natura!!y into "our $arts, not quite coincident ith the "yts orstana 1rou$s into hich it is di#ided. *irst, the -reen 2ni1ht !ays don his Neear9s cha!!en1e to Arthur9s court and -aain acce$ts it. Second, a year !ater,-aain 1oes to see5 the -reen 2ni1ht. Third, -aain "inds e!come re"u1e in acast!e set in a i!derness, and acce$ts the hos$ita!ity o" his host and host9s i"e,ho test his chastity and !oya!ty. *ourth, -aain "aces the -ree5 2ni1ht9s dead!ycha!!en1e, recei#es a sur$risin1 re#e!ation, and returns to court ith his ta!e.

;#era!! Structure:

? !ines arran1ed in stanas o" #aryin1 !en1ths. 7n a!! modern editions, thestanas are di#ided into "our $arts o" 3"yts,3 corres$ondin1 to !ines @, @, @@

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Codes o" Chi#a!ric, Christian, and Court!y a!ues 88 in romance, the code o"5ni1ht!y beha#ior tends to be the most $ri#i!e1ed set o" ru!es, sometimes risin1abo#e erotic 3court!y3 !o#e, and e#en abo#e Christian conduct, in its im$ortanceas a 1uide o" beha#ior and a measure o" character. -aain/s identityincor$orates a!! three #a!ue systems as he is "irst 1uided by chi#a!ric standards in

anserin1 the -reen 2ni1ht/s cha!!en1e, then dressed in Christian #a!ues, mostnotab!y in his shie!d, and "ina!!y cast as the ex$ert in !o#e by the Gost/s Lady.Abidin1 by the court/s standards o" chi#a!ry (see abo#e, the 31o!d3 or!d/s test)can sha5e any character/s inte1rity, but $uttin1 on that shie!d adds an enormousburden to the $rota1onist/s duties as a Christian 5ni1ht. *or a c!assica!com$arison, consider the 7!iad/s Achi!!es, hose shie!d bears u$on it the entireor!d and a!! the si1ni"icant com$onents o" human socia! !i"e in a ne#er8endin1circu!ar $attern.

Cha!!en1in1 Ma!e4*ema!e and Anima!4Guman Binary ;$$ositions E hen thehost9s i"e 3ca$tures3 -aain three mornin1s in a ro, she re#erses the 1ender

dynamics scri$ted "or both o" them in Arthurian romance. %hen -aain $uts onher 31irde!3 (@D

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$oint o" the ne year. 7" e 5ee$ in mind that the Christian ca!endar traced thebe1innin1 o" the year to the esurrection on 6aster Sunday, this ta!e9s Christian3exterior3 (bui!t o" the symbo!s on -aain9s shie!d and the routine obser#ance o"ritua!) may actua!!y contain a more $ro"ound Christian 3interior3 in hich -aainbecomes a 5ind o" Christ. 7" so, ho does this square ith the moti#atin1

$resence o" 3Mor1ne the 1oddes3 (