Answer the following questions completely.
Remember writing well is critical.
1. What is the Green Knight's challenge to King Arthur's court? A: the knight said that he doesn’t want to fight such puny knights, he wants to play a game, the game is that someone can hit him with his axe but in 1 year and 1 day he can come back and do the same thing.
2. What do you think the Green Knight symbolizes? Think critically.
A: I think that the knight knows that he is stronger and more powerful than the king and his army, I think that the knight wants to kill the king (King Author)
3. Why does Sir Gawain accept the challenge?
A: Gawain was the cousin of king Author, Gawain stopped king Author halfway through the swing and asked to do the challenge because he didn’t want to have the king killed.
4. Setting includes both time and place. When is this story set? How much time elapses?
A: the story is set around new years time, they were feasting for 15 days when the knight came in and made the challenge. There is exactly 1 year and 1 day that goes by.
5. What “game” does Sir Gawain play with the Lord of the Manor?
A: it is not a fight, it is a challenge, he was able to struck the knight in the head with the axe but in exactly 1 year and 1 day Gawain has to go to the green chapel and the green knight gets to do the same.
6. What mistake does Sir Gawain make and what price does he pay?
A: the mistake that Gawain makes is, he doesn’t tell the truth. On the third day he didn’t give all that he had won. So the green knight, which is also the king of the castle that he was at for three nights, struck him and drew blood.
7. Using the example of Sir Gawain, explain whether you think it is more important to achieve one's goals or to learn from one's mistakes.
A: honestly I think that I would want to learn from my mistakes because in the long run it makes you stronger.
8. In your opinion, has Sir Gawain failed to live up to the code of chivalry? (check the list) Give three details from the poem to support your answer.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
When autumn arrives, Sir Gawain departs on his journey to seek out the Green Knight. Around Christmastime, after spending several months in the woods, he discovers a castle. The lord of the castle welcomes him to stay through the holidays. For sport, the host and Sir Gawain strike a deal: the host and his men will go hunting for three days and each day they will bring back whatever they catch and give it to Sir Gawain in return for what Sir Gawain gains while staying in the castle. On the first day, the host and his men catch a doe and Sir Gawain receives a kiss from the lady of the host when tries to seduce him. On the second day, the host and his men catch a wild boar and Sir Gawain receives two kisses from the lady of the host. On the third day, the host and his men catch a fox and Sir Gawain receives not only three kisses, but also the lady’s green girdle. He does not mention that he received her girdle to the host –he only kisses him three times…
- 1649 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In her collection of sources and analogues, Elisabeth Brewer states, “To read the sources and analogues of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is not only to be aware of the poet’s skill in handling traditional episodes, but also to realize how much he added,” she continues, “the bringing together of many different elements and blending them into a new story, above all, the fusing of the beheading-temptation-exchange-of-winnings themes, illustrate the Gawain poet’s astonishing capacity for structuring his material” (3). The Gawain poet intertwines common elements in an elaborate way to emphasize the importance of the values outlined by the chivalric code. Brewer states, “The Gawain poet makes the story hang together and intensifies the meaning of everything that he uses. He makes more sense of the incidents: they have an inevitability, a credibility, they create an illusion of reality” (Brewer 4). Sir Gawain beings the poem as a modest knight who strives to uphold the five points of chivalry. In his test of temptation, Gawain is able to exercise sexual restraint and uphold the laws of courtly love, but he fails to resist the instict to save his own life and jeopoardizes his integrity in lying about the green girdle. Without each other, neither the temptation episode nor the beheading game would have such a strong impact on the story’s outcome or it’s readers. The framework at the beginning and end of the of the story combined with the structure used throughout the poem deepen and emphasize what it is to be Gawain, and what it is to be human (Brewer 4). Any possible sources and analogues of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight pale in comparison to the brillance of the original. Although influenced by former medieval works, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight remains an outstanding and unique piece of…
- 2416 Words
- 10 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The first thing that Sir Gawain does in the story that proves that he is indeed a true knight is that he takes the challenge of the beheading game that the Green Knight purposes. At first King Author took the challenge, but Sir Gawain volunteered to take the challenge so that his King, King Author is protected. The fact that Sir Gawain does…
- 526 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The first major test was to see if he could easily be tricked by the Green Knight’s wife. Gawain passed this test by not letting his wife seduce him. The Green Knight’s wife sneaks into Gawain’s room trying to seduce him. However, Gawain puts her off. Unfortunately, she steals a kiss from Gawain before she leaves. Gawain was left in shock. Until, she steals a kiss…
- 359 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a story about King Arthur’s nephew, Gawain. The story is about a mighty green knight who comes to the round table wanting to play a game. A brave knight will strike the green knight with an axe once after a year the green knight gets to return the strike to whomever strike him. However the Knight must find him and as we learn in the story his boast about how easy it will be to find him is a lie. After searching and combating deadly foes,…
- 1163 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
When The Green Knight lets Sir Gawain go without killing him, so sir Gawain over reacts by saying:…
- 660 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
To begin, Gawain upholds the law to be a courageous man in all circumstances. Near the end of the poem Gawain reaches the Green Knight’s castle to uphold his promise that they made a year and a day before. When Gawain arrives, he and the knight begin conversation and form an agreement to follow through with the terms. As the Green Knight describes what he shall do, Gawain says, “Never fear… I’ll stand still and allow you to work as you like and not oppose/ you here” (91-95). At this point within the poem, Gawain has done everything to follow the code of chivalry. True bravery and courage is not found in many men, but Gawain is able to conquer this obstacle and prove that he is brave. In this instance, Gawain is allowing the knight to do as he pleases, which is to cut off his head. This demonstrates that he is a fearless man awaiting his death. Additionally, he does not choose to resist the punishment and…
- 1149 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
5. What does Arthur challenge the Green Knight to? Why, do you think? Arthur first asked the Green…
- 1120 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
He first hears the Green Knight sharpening his ax, and when he meets the Green Knight, he lowers his head and prepares for the swing. As the Green Knight drops the ax for a blow, Gawain flinches, and the Green Knight stops before the ax reaches his neck, mocking Gawain for his lack of bravery and reminds him that a year ago the Knight did not flinch at Gawain's swing. Gawain promises that it will not happen again and the Green Knight raises his ax once more. He, again, stops his ax and teases him more but Gawain gets angry and demands he stop with his threats. The Green Knight raises his ax for the final time and hits Gawain in the back of the neck, drawing one drop of blood. Gawain springs back refusing to take another hit saying "I take one stroke that's all, for that was the compact we arranged in Arthur's hall; but now no more for me!" (319-322) It is then that the Knight reveals his identity as the lord from the castle and that he arranged the exchanges between his wife and Gawain, including the one he withheld and the swings of the ax corresponded with his games at the castle, the first two played fairly and the last he did not. However, the Green Knight praises him, and tells Gawain that he is convinced that Gawain is above all the Knights, and that even though he took the sash it was out of the love for his life and not lust or greed. Gawain feels disappointed in himself but the Green Knight assures him that his penance is enough to label him as…
- 936 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
5. How much time passes in the story? Why do you think that the author so frequently mentions time?…
- 272 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
He is described as a man, “None had seen...with sight in that hall so grand” (197). Immediately he asks for the leader of the house to which he extends his request for a contest to King Arthur. Shortly after, the unnamed knight reveals the rules of the game. Carl Martin, in his essay, “The Cipher of Violence,” elaborates, “ The Green Knight reveals here that while the typical warrior-noble engineers his aggrandizement through public displays of prowess… he is also bound by a strict code of behavior meant to restrain and refine his aggression” (312). So too, the knights of the round table and the entire court of Camelot are bound to the same laws of courtesy. They cannot demand bloodshed, however, in the guise of a game, it can be desired, even more so, required, for the sake of entertainment. In time, Gawain accepts the challenge in the King’s stead, takes the ax and, “Brought it down deftly upon the bare neck” (420). This is the moment the court has fantasized about, the instant when courtesy is exchanged for violence. Given that the court has treated the unnamed knight with all the courtesy they possess, they are now allowed to ensure he dies nobly at the hands of one of their own, in the sight of all who dare to watch. “The blood gushed from the body, bright on the green/ Yet fell not the fellow, nor faltered a whit (429 - 430). Instead of completing their fantasies of violence however, the Green Knight survives…
- 1133 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
When we hear the word knight, we imagine Arthurian-tales of glorious battles between men and dragons, fierce jousting competitions, rivalries between kingdoms, and knightly chivalry. Several of these tales center on the bravery of knights against mighty foes or on their ability to resist earthly temptations. Sir Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur and is a knight of the round table. He appears in more Arthurian-tales than any other knight and is known as the ideal that all knights should strive for. (Joe) In the Arthurian-Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain faces many challenges and his decisions based on those challenges shape him into the Knight that many know now.…
- 1227 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Of course, the king was surprised at the rules demanded by a man who he was not aware of but the Green Knight took his silence as a joke. By mocking King Arthur, he steps forward to take the challenge but everything changes once Sir Gawain stops his King and ask to take on the challenge instead. In one deadly blow, the axe cut off the knight’s head which concludes the game officially started. As the headless Green Knight picked up his head he reminds the young brave Gawain to find him within a year and a day at the Green Chapel. Although, Sir Gawain proved his loyalty towards his king, he felt uneasy…
- 1285 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
It all starts with the game presented by the Green Knight; "You will grant me gladly the little game that I ask as my right"(Poet 56). Being a king, Arthur cannot express fear because he is the protector of the society. Therefore, the King accepts the challenge but Gawain steps forward to take the king's place; "Let this game be mine"(24). As the game progresses, one can identify that the game was a test to see how true Gawain is to his code of chivalry. The game was not fair for Gawain because the Green Knight held superpowers(167). As it stated,"He held his head by the hair, high, in his hand; and the stranger sat there as steadily in his saddle"(167-168). The Green Knight had the ability to live without his head attached to his body. Even though he knows that he will die if he pursues the Green Knight, "Sir Gawain sets off on his quest to find the Green Knight and fulfill his part of the challenge"(183). Gawain went to face the Green Knight because of his Knight's code of chivalry. In addition, for a second time, Gawain holds his truth to the code in the game inside the castle. As Poet states, "determined not to deceive his host or violate the agreement, Gawain accepts only two kisses from the lady, which he (tells) to the lord at night"(p 183). Gawain could take advantage of the situation by committing adultery. Although tempted, he holds…
- 1169 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
In this exchange, Gawain exudes chivalry and charm. He treats both Bertilak's wife and her attendant with reverence, despite the fact that the latter is described to be a sorrowful sight to behold. A pinnacle of courtesy, Gawain is faced by a veritable moral dilemma when Bertilak's wife puts him to the test to see if he will choice between being discourteous to her or disloyal to her husband.…
- 892 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays