Here are the study questions for Week 3's readings, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (pp. 185-213). The instructions are the same as in the sample (see below). And again, I will not be grading whether or not you have invented an ingenious reading of a difficult text. These questions and answers are designed to prompt a discussion, not to evaluate you; it's the beginning of a process of talking about a piece of literature, not the end. Just read the text carefully, and think through the question, and write a thoughtful response that incorporates concrete details and quotations from the text. If you do that, you're all set!
Q1 - Josie: In an aside in lines 1549-50, the narrator tells us that the lady (the lord's wife) "tested [Gawain's] temper and tried many a time, whatever her true intent, to entice him to sin." What sin(s) do you think she is enticing him to? (Hint: the Cardinal Sins are typically listed as pride, wrath, envy, greed, lust, sloth and envy.) And what tactics does she use to entice him?
Q2 - Matt: In lines 1616-18 we hear that "the boar's head was borne before the same man that stabbed him in the stream with his strong arm right through." And in 1353 we watch the lord's men "hew" off the deer's head at the end of the hunt. Why do you think these gruesome scenes are described in such detail? And why are they told in alternation with the episodes involving Gawain's escapades with the ladies in the court? Are the lord's hunting scenes symbolic of anything?
Q3 - Carol J.: What moral lesson does Gawain (and maybe all of Arthur's court) learn when the Green Knight reveals who he really is? Based on the examples of Gawain and the Green Knight, and their descriptions of chivalry, courtesy and bravery, how should a knight behave?
Q4 - Christine: Some critics have suggested that the Green Knight is in fact a figure of Christ. Why might they think this? Is there any evidence in the text that points to a comparison between the two? (Hint: think about some of the poem's own references to Christ; what kind of person is he described as in the poem?)
Q5 - Renée: What role(s) do women play in this poem? How much power do they possess? Did your perspective on the women change over the course of the poem? How? (Maybe pick one or two scenes to focus on).
Q6 - Mark: Come up with a question for me to answer; it can overlap with some of the discussion above, but should be about something you are wondering about in the poem. It could be about the plot, the symbolism, the historical background, or anything you choose. (Your question will obviously be shorter than the other answers, but you should put the same amount of thought into it).
In your answers, post a comment that says "This is Your Name answering Whatever Question." Feel free to ask questions in your response, and to add in your own opinions and reactions. For instance: "I think that Gawain is a slothful kind of character... But what I really wonder about is whether he is also... Perhaps that is even more important than..." Or: "While I personally think that the Green Knight is awesome (or awful), the narrator seems to think he is..."
This is Mandy's few ideas. In the part three and four, most of the plot is about the lady. She displays her obedience and passion to Sir Gawain. I think she is a symptom of the reward to be a good Christian knight. Different with Beowulf, a knight’s honor comes from his lord. Discussing the relationship between the lady and Sir Gawain, I find that is very similar to the cartoon characters “Popeye and Olive Oyl.” Just Sir Gawain’s lady has no name in the poet. The lady shows a definite loyalty to Sir Gawain as the knight to his lord. Their relationship is subordinate like a kingdom’s system. The last class mentioned that the story exploded how some tribes gather gradually to the King Arthur’s land. Hence, the lady, I guess is a saying to make sure the welfare or right to those submissive lord. And the lady has another effect is to show Sir Gawain‘s knight merit such as Christian faith, loyalty, and brave by her speech to praise and courage. So their personal name and soul are honor according to the lord and god. The scene the lady gives her girdle to Sir Gawain in page 199 is an example to her definite submission. And her behavior makes me think of the Christian who shows no private to god. Generalize my thought, I think it is why the poem does not strenthen the blood of the hero. Besides, the hero is not so supernatual as the Beowulf; in other words, his weapon which the lord gives become important.
回覆刪除Great thoughts; thanks, Mandy! Anyone who wants to comment on the questions, or any part of our readings, is more than welcome to do so! Just be sure to give the person who is assigned to the question (that is, whose name is written in *bold* beside it) a chance to respond, first. And don't worry, Mandy, you didn't do this--in fact, you gave us a great place to begin from. I look forward to reading the responders' thoughts!
回覆刪除-Prof. Warren
This is Mark answering Question 6.
回覆刪除Actually I think in part 3 and four focuses on the process of hunting and the lady’s seduction to Gawain. The connection between these two things is a promise- “whatever I win in the woods I will give you at eve, and all you have earned you must offer to me (P.185 line 1106-1107).” Therefore, my question is why the host (or Green Knight) wants to do so? It’s not a fair deal.
Here’s my guessing; Green Knight is trying to test Sir Gawain’s loyalty and chivalry. As we know, chivalry includes being polite to woman. If Sir Gawain can’t resist the lady’s seduction, he might be killed in the end of the story (and it will become a tragedy for betraying chivalry).
This is Carol Juan trying to figure out Q3. When the Green Knight reveals his true identity to Gawain, I think the poet is trying to emphasize two sides of the same coin. For Gawain, the Green Knight is powerful and horrible, who makes a dead deal to challenge his chivalry value; on the other hand, the host is gracious and gentle, who Gawain blesses and admires. However, the two people are actually Bertilak de Hautdesert; in other words, the bad and the good come out to be the same. Consequently, I guess the poet wants to express that one thing has two (or even more) sides, merely depending on how you think.
回覆刪除As for how should a knight behave, from the story I think a knight should be brave, faithful, and keeping his word. In the first part, when nobody but the King Arthur dares to answer the Green Knight’s request, Gawain decides to represent the King making deal with the strange knight.(Actually I’d like to call him green monster…) Even he claims himself to be the weakest, in fact he is the bravest. And after chopping off the Green Knight’s head, Gawain finds himself falling into a wrong deal; nevertheless, he does not run away. Though being afraid, Gawain still comes to the Green Chapel and fulfills his promise. Besides, when he stays in the lord’s house, he steadily refuses the seduction of the lord’s wife, which expressing his loyalty and faithfulness to the lord, and also his identity as a knight.
This is Renee answering Question 5. I think women in this poem play a cunning rule. It seems they outwit all of the men, and actually they do. Also, those women are confident. They are people who can proof that Sir Gawain is an upright and brave man, who obeys the disciplines of chivalry.
回覆刪除Metaphorically speaking, I would say women in this poem are like waitresses who are serving the hot water to the customers. They can be intended to hurt the customers but they are not supposed to do. The higher degree of Sir Gawain feels the intensiveness and uneasiness as the host’s wife impending, the more the power of the host’s wife possess. The more Sir Gawain fears the death he may encounter when facing Green Knight, the larger power that Morgan le Faye is holding. Originally I think woman in part three is just working as an undercover of Green Knight and as a mean to achieve the dramatic effect of the poem. Especially for the part that the host’s wife entering the chamber of Sir Gawain and implying the sexual service that Sir Gawain can use. Yet, at the end of part four, I think women are the winner of the winner. All of the events were scheduled by an old lady indicated by Green Knight. It is extremely ironic! I love the end of the story! IT ROCKS!
This is Matt answering Question 2.
回覆刪除Gawain』s adventure towards Green Chapel is to fulfil his promise he made one year ago after he had chopped Green Knight』s head off. As a result, in these hunting scenes, the narrator tries to emphasize these heads hewed from the game by the host and his company and elaborate description of dissecting their prey to remind the reader the forthcoming death of Green knight『s 「prey」-- Gawain, who was temporarily detoured from his death-ended journey, for fulfilling his promise as a brave chivalry.
The parallel between hunting scene and Gawain』s interactions with the lady displays Gawain』s struggle as a guest in the castle and how he escapes from this struggle and keep his moral of knight intact. As a guest, Gawain must accept every invitation from his host and compliment their hospitality. However, as a knight, he cannot completely accept these invitations, especially the lady』s sexual invitation, because he must follow the moral of knight or his honour as knight will fade. And the lady』s status makes her the ultimate puzzle for Gawain because she is not only the host』s wife, who has a right to invite Gawain, but a sexual seductress who can make his moral vanished. And the host (or Green Knight) wants to test how Gawain, a prominent knight, keeps the balance between the hospitality of host and his moral. Meanwhile, we can see how religious they were in the Middle age because Gawain successfully uses God as a shield to refuse the lady』s invitation and these knights』 attitude towards women as a symbol of sin. Otherwise, Gawain should not refuse the lady』s sexual invitation thrice in order to keep his moral.
I think the hunting scene is the symbol of death, not only the physical death but also the death of moral. In these hunting scenes, we continually informed that how hunters passionately chase after their prey and how they crudely treat their prey after they caught it. In part 3, Gawain is exactly Green Knight』s prey because he is moving forwards to Green Chapel and stays in this castle for his final days. However, the castle』s host is Green knight himself and he pretends to be a generous host to attract his prey into his trap to test if Gawain the true knight, if Gawain cannot pass his challenge, he will not become the actual knight at all.
This is Josie answering Question 1.
回覆刪除Superficially, the gay lady (the lord wife) tries to entice Gawain to commit the sin of lust with her breathtaking beauty. As a knight as well as a Christian, having sex with a married woman is regard as one of the serious sin. However, he is attracted by her charm completely, seeing her as the most beautiful creature in the world. From the sentence “ He sees her so glorious , so gaily attired, so faultless her features, so fair and so bright, his heart swelled swiftly with surging Joy’’ we can see that he has already attracted by her utterly when his heart is “ swelled swiftly with surging Joy” even though he still behaved courteously. But what he doesn’t notice is the ambiguity that how could a faultless and bright married lady try to entice a man that is simply stopping by as a guest. Thus, Gawain actually commits the sin of lust in his mind. But essentially, the fair lady is enticing him to commit the sins of betraying his loyalty, the intrinsic worth of the knight, to the lord. In the sentence “But more his soul’s mischief, should he commit sin and belie his loyal oath to the lord of the house.” depicts that what really enable him to behaves so courteously and prevents him from falling the fault is the loyalty to the lord of the house. Since the good host treats Gawain genuinely and truly like a friend, it will be a dishonorable deed if he has a secret love affair with the lord’s wife.
The lady always takes the initiative while she is luring Gawain. She entices him through the physical touch and the nicest compliment. She sneaks to his room, lying at his side and even kisses Gawain. In addition, the fair lay entices him by praising him lavishly as if he is the best man in the world. For example, she praises him “whom all the world worship, where so you ride; your honor, your courtesy are hest acclaimed by lords and by ladies, by all living men.” when having a secret date with him. She believes that the best way to win the trust of the men is to pay them high compliments.
This is Christine answering Question 4.
回覆刪除I think the reason why some critics have suggested the Green Knight as a figure of Christ is not only because of his image but also the way he acts. “It seemed he well might be / Without a peer on earth/ In martial rivalry” (872-874) In these lines describing Green Knight, I see an image of a powerful man who surpass all the human beings on the world. Furthermore, when he is mentioned in the poem, the author uses the word “lord” which also represents the God.
Next, I am going to talk about the way he acts. We’ve known that God give Noah a test and wanted him to believe in the God entirely. As we can notice in this poem, Green Knight is just like a figure of Christ, and Sir Gawain is a figure of Noah. “For I have tested you twice, and true have I found you”(1679) The author uses the word “test” in the poem which gives me an image that Green Knight speaks like the person in the high position. That is a kind of way which is mighty and powerful, like God.
Green Knight truly gives Sir Gawain many trials. First, he disguises as a Green Knight and find the loyal knight, Gawain, who substitute his king to face the strange challenge. And then he is so tough to find the Chapel alone. When he is so close to the appointed place, he again confronts a difficult situation, the lust of beauty. At last, he proves that he is brave and endures the strikes. During the process, every time he felt lost, he prays and seeks help from the God, which shows his piety. Because it turns out to be he doesn’t harm by Green Knight and someone may attribute his survival to his piety, and so the object he pray to becomes Green Knight. Than the idea of Green Knight an the God merge together.
Although I am not a Christian, I am Christine whose name sounds alike. The Christian may see Green Knight as God, but in my opinion, I totally don’t agree with it. If the Green Knight is a figure of God, he should be fair and keep his promise. But what I’ve learned is that he was hewed for once but he strike Sir Gawain thrice. That’s totally not fair and he did not obey his promise. This is the main reason why I don’t agree with this kind of interpretation.