1. Gawain

5. Close reading:

6. 1-490 Fit 1: Foundation myths: Troy→Rome, Tuscany, Lombardy, Britain. 31 if ye wyl lysten þis laye bot on littel quile I schal telle hit as tit as I in toun herde with tonge as hit is stad and stoken in stori stif and stronge with leel letteres loken in londe so has ben longe >> see “rum ram ruf” in Chaucer p. 341 l. 43

7. 1-490 37 “the inspiring story I intend to spin” Arthur “who as I heard” 91 it was his his pledge he þur nobelay had nomen he wolde neuer ete 107 and still he stands there just being himself þus þer stondes in stale þe stif kyng hisseluen talkkande bifore þe hye table of trifles ful hende

8. 1-490 150 and overal enker grene – green, gold, red blood 205 green holly 254 won’t you step down from the saddle lit luflych adoun and lenge I þe praye and quat so þy wylle is we schal wyt after 258 because you claims are so loudly chorused bot for þe los of þe lede is lyft vp so hye and þy bur and þy burnes best ar holden thou – thee – ye - you

9. 1-490 304 his red eyes rolling 429 blood on the green

10. 1-490 346 without causing offense to my queen 385 note how the bob and wheel often summarize the following stanza

11. 1-490 456 so come or be called a coward hereafter Bricriu’s Feast: the beheading game is simply a test of bravery, as the story seems to be so far here.

12. Fit ii: The procession of the seasons. Gawayn sets off for the North on All Soul’s Day (1 October) 566 His attire as a knight 640 the pentangle (pentagram) pentacle is tha ammulet or pendant (Lat pentaculum ‘little five’ or Fr. pentacol ‘pend à col’

13. 740-1240 740 dreary upland countryside 772 as it sparkled and shone within shimmering oaks as hit schemered and schon þur þe schyre oke

14. 740-1240 740 dreary upland countryside 772 as it sparkled and shone within shimmering oaks as hit schemered and schon þur þe schyre oke 811 Good morning, said Gawayn !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gode sir quoþ gawan woldez þou go myn ernde to þe he lorde of þis hous herber to craue e Peter quoþ þe porter and purely I trowe þat e be wye welcum to won quyle yow lykez

15. 740-1240 841 Then firmly, likr good friends arm into arm they fell. ayþer oþer in armez con felde (=falda í örmum)

16. 740-1240 842 Gawaym gazed on the lord Gawayn glyȝt on þe gome þat godly hym gret and þuȝt hit a bolde burne þat þe burȝ aȝte Wikipedia, “Homoerotic interpretations” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain_and_the_Gre en_Knight#Homoerotic_Interpretations Don’t forget the hermeneutic turn! Are we talking about the poem or about our (modern, uninformed) reading of the poem?

17. 740-1240 945 More glorious than Guinivere, or so Gawain thought and wener þen wenore as þe wye þot 965 the Loathly Lady

18. 740-1240 The lord Bertilac invites G to stay until New Year’s Day, when he will show him the way to the Green Chapel, which is very close. 1079 Then Gawain was giddy with gladness... 1083The lord squeeezed Gawain’s arm.... Þenne watz gawan ful glad and gomenly he laȝed now I þonk yow þryuandely þurȝ alle oþer þynge now acheued is my chaunce..... Þenne sesed hym þe syre and set hym bysyde let þe ladiez be fette to lyke hem þe better

19. 740-1240 The lord Bertilac invited G to stay until New Year’s Day, when he will show him the way to the Green Chapel, which is very close. 1105 They make a pact: the Lord will hunt for 3 days, and Gawain rest at home; at the end of each day they will exchange hwatevery they have gained.

20. 740-1240 1237 You’re free to have my all, Do with me as you will. I’ll comne just as you call and swear to serve you well All of me, darling take all of me e ar welcum to my cors yowre awen won to wale me behouez of fyne force your seruaunt be and schale

21. 1601-1667 (The story so far..... Three hunts: a stag, a boar and a fox Three trials for Gawain: one kiss, two kisses, three kisses (and a magic girdle) 1601-1667 The slaying and partitioning of the boar; the return and the payments according to the pact

22. 792-1893 – the third enticement by the lady The magic girdle. Gawain at last succumbs. 1863 She “went on to beg him not to whisper a word of this gift to her husband”..and bisoȝt hym for hir sake disceuer hit neuer bot to lelly layne for hir lorde. - i.e. to “loyally hide it from her lord” The wily fox is the victim of the third hunt

23. 1934 “I shall first fulfill our formal agreement” I schal fylle vpon fyrst oure forwardez nouþe þat we spedly han spoken þer spared watz no drynk þen acoles he knyt and kysses hym þryes as sauerly and sadly as he hem sette couþe bi kryst quoþ þat oþer knyt e cach much sele in cheuisaunce of þis chaffer* if e hade goud chepez e of þe chepe no charg quoþ chefly þat oþer as is pertly payed þe chepez þat I ate *chaffer ceapfaru, kaupför, trade.

24. 2047-2406 Gawain says farewell to the people of the castle and the servant guides him to the Green Chapel through desolate landscape.

26. https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Lud's_Chur ch https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Lud's_Chur ch

27. 2047-2406 A terrible noise: the Green Knight is sharpening his axe. The Green Knight gives him 3 blows with the axe First blow: Gawain flinches Second blow: Gawain doesn’t flinch Third blow: the axe nicks blood

28. 2047-2406 2335 “In his heart he admires him” in hert hit hym lykez “in his heart he is pleased”

29. 2047-2406 2379 “Dread of the death-blow and cowardly doubts meant I gave in to greed” Gawain takes the beheading game at face value, a question of valour or cowardness. For the Green Knight, the contest was to test Gawain’s chivalry and morality, not his braveness. For care of þy knokke cowardyse me taȝt to acorde me with couetyse my kynde to forsake þat is larges and lewte þat longez to knyȝtez. Now am I fawty and falce and ferde haf ben euer.

30. 2421 “if only we could love our ladies without believing their lies” hit were a wynne huge to luf hom wel and leue hem not a leude þat couþe

31. 2505-2530 final stanza: Gawain is received back at Camelot, and he shows them the green belt of his disgrace. All the knights adopt the green sash. The last line before the bob reiterates the beginning of the poem. Cf. Pearl