The second part jumps into the days before the payback. On Christmas Eve, after toiling through a daunting wood, Gawain beseeches the Lord and Mary to guide him to some haven where he may attend mass and properly pray on Christmas morning. Gawain again escapes her advances but the lady offers a token of remembrance: a valuable ring of gold, which he kindly refuses. The Green Knight explains to the wondrous Gawain what has just happened: the Green Knight is the lord of the castle, and the two feinted ax strokes represent the first two days of the game, when Gawain faithfully gave everything he won that day to the King. All the Knights of the Round Table have gathered in order to celebrate the New Year. Before saying good bye Sir Gawain wants to know Green Knight's true identity and he comes clean about it by revealing the entire truth. The author obviously had an intention of giving a hint. The poet describes in detail the hunting party as it moves through the winter forest, hounds and blaring horns in hot pursuit of deer. Why does he say he didn't wound Sir Gawain with the second swing? His name is Bernlak de Hautdesert, and he is sent by Morgen la Fay, the old lady in the castle who knows all about the magic, to inspect King Arthur's court and make Guinevere die out of fear. After the Christmas feast and the Green Knight's challenge, the winter passes into a springtime and summer. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. But eventually harvest season approaches, the leaves fall, and as winter begins, Gawain remembers his agreement with the Green Knight. GradeSaver, 20 December 2000 Web. The actual story begins afterwards, representing the true account the author has heard about "in town.". Everyone in the castle is kind to him, the lord has choses the best clothes and chamber to sleep in. The Green Knight exposes his neck and Sir Gawain decapitate him with one blow. Finally, on Christmas day, when he is freezing and almost losing hope, Gawain prays to Mary for guidance and a castle appears in the distance. The first two blows were for those two days when he shared the kisses he got from the lady, and the third one was for not being completely honest and keeping the green girdle a secret. He explains that he has punished Gawain with this third strike for his dishonesty in hiding the green girdle on the third day of the hunt. Awed and grateful, Gawain asks the porter of the castle for entrance and is greeted by a great, joyful, and eager company. Nevertheless, Arthur and the courtiers, unaware of Gawain's shame, adopt the green girdle as a heraldic token in honor of Gawain. The game the lord has proposed, to exchange daily the acquired gifts has been approved by Sir Gawain. He hears the Knight sharpening his weapon inside and prepares himself. Li, Winnie. The Pentangle, the emblem of truth, is particularly suitable for Gawain because the five points of the star represent the five different ways in which Gawain, like purified gold, embodies faultless virtue. Gawain strikes at the calmly standing Green Knight, and cuts the knight's head off. It begins with Sir Gawain's departure from the lord's castle in pursue of the Green Knight. But Gawain doesn’t want to be a coward. He demands, somewhat arrogantly, to speak to the ruler of the company, while the court stares on in stunned silence. The lord decides that the next day, Gawain will stay in bed until attending high mass and dinner with the lady of the castle; in the meantime, the lord himself will rise at dawn to go hunting. The description of the lord of the castle resemble to the description of the Green Knight- they are both old but in a good shape, sturdy in figure and strong. The lord invites Gawain to play a game. Gawain marvels at the deserted ugliness of the place, fearing that he might encounter the Devil himself in such a place. At the end of the day, the entire poem is about the chivalry and by carrying the green band for the hero's sake the Knights of the Round Table show how close they are. Sir Gawain cannot resist this offer as the first thing that comes to his mind is the upcoming reencounter with the Green Knight that will seal his destiny. If the Green Knight won, the knight would have to look for him exactly a year and a one day later for payback. On the inside of his shield is an image of the Virgin Mary, often the source of Gawain's courage. She wakes him from his sorrowful slumber, as he dreads the impending day of doom at the Green Chapel. Time passes by with no results. The second day, the lord brings home a wild boar, while Sir Gawain shares two kisses. On the way, he battles beasts and giants and struggles through a harsh, cold country which would have killed a weaker or more faithless man. by its own right, for it is a figure that holds five points. The knights make no answer, but when their visitor mocks them for cowardice, Arthur steps up and offers himself as the contender. Gawain is pleased to meet her, and their companionship deepens over the next few days of feasting. The pentangle represents all the virtues a knight should have- generosity, fellowship, chastity, courtesy, and charity. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our. He hides it under his clothes to keep it a secret from the lord. The green color that once represented a danger in Sir Gawain's life, has not only saved him from death (the green girdle), but has become a color that will become a reminder of his brave venture. She manages to give him one kiss before leaving his chamber. Ready for the quest, Sir Gawain bestrides his horse Gringolet and heads off to the Wales and Northwest England, determined to find the Green Knight. He gives Sir Gawain friendly advice and promises to keep it a secret if he decides so, to take another road and goes home without looking for the Green Knight. When he claims he has nothing to give, she starts offering him tokens of her own. The stranger charges Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel next New Year's morning, so that he may receive his exchange blow. The Knight refuses by saying that he has come to inspect the court he has heard about and to be a part of the game. Instead of starting a fight, the Green Knight offers a strange proposal- he seeks a knight that will strike him with his own axe. After the dinner has been served, the king Arthur introduces a game. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight follows a classic quest formula, with a knight receiving a challenge, going out on a journey to meet that challenge, and returning home to report on his quest.. At Christmas, a knight who is completely green rides into King Arthur's hall. Meanwhile, Gawain welcomes the lady as she enters his bedchamber, as dogged as ever in her pursuit of him. Britain is a land of great wonders and strife, but King Arthur has established a court of utmost nobility and chivalry, peopled with the bravest knights and fairest ladies. He finds a castle in the distance and heads towards its light. Jubilant, Gawain again declares himself the servant of the lord, ready to do his bidding. Outside, the hunt of the boar continues viciously, and the lord wins the battle by thrusting his sword into the boar's heart. 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It's not by an accident that these three animals are present in the story. The final, dreaded day opens ominously with a fierce winter storm that keeps Gawain up at night. All the lords and ladies are silently sorrowful that a knight as worthy as Gawain must go to his doom by receiving the exchange blow from the Green Knight. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight literature essays are academic essays for citation. His name is Bernlak de Hautdesert, and he is sent by Morgen la Fay, the old lady in the castle who knows all about the magic, to inspect … Hey, sorry can't remove answers. The court is astonished when the knight then picks up his head from the floor and instructs Gawain to find him at the Green Chapel before riding away.