Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay Questions

Who is the antagonist of the poem? How do you know?

At the beginning of the poem, it is made clear that Sir Gawain – the celebrated, virtuous, brave knight – is the protagonist of the narrative. As such, the Green Knight is made into the antagonist as he challenges Gawain to a game that Gawain is likely to lose (as the Green Knight is magical and Gawain is not). However, the text is careful not to portray the Green Knight as particularly violent, aggressive, or otherwise ill-intentioned. Instead, the Green Knight is a mysterious antagonist who serves to challenge Gawain's moral character rather than threaten Gawain's life. This is especially evident at the end of the poem, when the Green Knight's blows force Gawain to confess to his dishonesty about the girdle.

Why does the poem begin with an elaborate historical record?

Before describing the elaborate celebration taking place at Arthur's court on Christmas, the narrator dedicates a large portion of the poem's introduction to recapitulating major events from history, including the Trojan War, which would have taken place 2,000 years before the events of the poem. This historical record is important because it showcases the author's attempt to connect Britain – still a relatively young society – with thriving ancient civilizations. This chronicle also suggests that events across the globe are always connected, and thus Gawain and his trials are a product of thousands of years of societies, kings, and human development.

How is masculinity presented or complicated in the poem?

Masculinity is an important concept in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as it is intimately connected to the notion of chivalry and knighthood in general. The poem presents some traditional portrayals of masculinity through Bertilak and his hunting and butchering of animals near the castle. However, it also interrogates this monolithic representation of masculinity by suggesting that Gawain's trials at home with Lady Bertilak are an equal test of one's masculinity: that is, the ability to remain faithful and honest in the face of temptation becomes a symbol of one's chivalric strength in much the same way as physical prowess proves one's power.

How does the poem associate the Green Knight with the natural world?

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem that delights in the relationship between civilization and the natural world. The Green Knight himself is a symbol of nature and natural elements: not only is he dressed head to toe in green (the color most closely associated with nature), but he carries instead of weapons a holly branch in his hand. The green chapel – where Gawain is to face the Green Knight one year hence – is in actuality a mossy mound that covers a simple cave in the ground. The poem's portrayal of the Green Knight often turns him into a paradox, in which he is both fearsome and intimidating as a knight but delicate and benevolent as a manifestation of nature.

How does the poem use personification to help develop its major themes?

Personification is one of the most consistent literary devices employed in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Typically, personification appears when the narrator is describing plants, flowers, trees, and other blooming (or withering) living things in the natural world. As such, the poem suggests through these attributions of human characteristics that nature is a living, breathing force that must be respected in much the same way as a formidable human opponent.