Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
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Sir Gawain

• Nephew to King Arthur
• One of the most famous knights of the Round Table
• Characterized by the romancers as the sage and
  courteous Gawain.
• Chaucer alludes in his Squires Tale, where the
  strange knight salueth all the court       
• Brothers were Agravain, Gaharet, and Gareth.
• Appears in nearly all of the major Arthurian
  stories, medieval and modern, and plays a central
  role in many

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The Text

• Thought to have been composed in the mid- to late
  fourteenth century.
• Anonymous author is today called alternately "The
  Pearl Poet," after the poem Pearl in the same
  manuscript, or "The Gawain Poet
• Contains three other poems Pearl, Cleanness,
  and Patience
• Written in long alliterative lines with the rhyme
  scheme of ababa, in 101 stanzas

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The Story

• The Code of Chivalry
• Laws of Courtly Love
• Gawain is a noble knight who is the epitome of
  chivalry he is loyal, honest and above all,
  courteous. Throughout the story, he is subjected
  to a number of tests of character, some known and
  some unknown the reader sees the struggles he
  faces internally.
• Summary

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Examples of The Code of Chivalry

• Thou shalt defend the Church.
• Thou shalt repect all weaknesses, and shalt
  constitute thyself the defender of them.
• Live to serve King and Country.
• Live to defend Crown and Country and all it holds
  dear.
• Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect
  and honor.
• Live for freedom, justice and all that is good.
• Never attack an unarmed foe.

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Examples from The Laws of Courtly Love

• Thou shalt avoid avarice like the deadly
  pestilence and shalt embrace its opposite.
• Thou shalt keep thyself chaste for the sake of
  her whom thou lovest.
• Boys do not love until they reach the age of
  maturity.
• When one lover dies, a widowhood of two years is
  required of the survivor.
• No one should be deprived of love without the
  very best of reasons.
• No one can love unless he is propelled by the
  persuasion of love.

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Summary

• Camelot, around Christmas 15 days of celebrating
• Dinner Green Knight storms in on a horse,
  carrying a battle-axe
• Challenges Arthurs men to a fight
• Who accepts the challenge?

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• Your turn what happens next?

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Your Discussion questions, comments, or notes