1) Look at the progression of each stanza in this section and briefly list/discuss in order what every stanza is about.
1) Time passes throughout the season as plants begin to thrive in the summer. Does the vivid discretion of nature have anything to do with the Green Knight?
2)Winter starts to come around as plants begins to"ripen and rot". This shows the sine that Gawain will eventually have to seek the Green Knight.
3)Aurthor and his Knights gather and say goodbye to Gawain. Gawain is sad at first but then decides it isn't bad to face your fate. Idea of Honor.
4)Gawain suits up in his Armor. His well valued armor shows us that he is not as much of a weakling and unknown as he claims to be.
5)Gawain mounts his horse which is equally decked out in fancy armor. This passage shows the honor of going on a quest making it seem like a big deal as everything is done with great care and fashion.
6)Gawain is given his Pentangle shield. Is this to show him as a true knight for seeking out the Green Knight?
7)The Pentangle shield is futher discussed and the Virgin Marry is mentioned on the back. It shows the purity of Knights and who/what they show that fore.
8)Gawain goes off and sleep in the woods bye himself and has nothing to eat that he likes. He cannot find anybody who has herd of the Green Knight or his castle.
9)Gawain goes and kills a billion monsters throught the power of god and suffers in the rain and snow on rocks. He then becomes a wimpy little girl and asks the back of his shield to find hi a home.
10)Gawain gets all teary eyed and emotional and starts praying to God and his shield that he can get to a nice place to stay and go to church.
11)God grants Gawain's prayers, perhaps he didn't want to see him cry anymore, and leads him straight to a huge castle with a moat. How very convenient.
12)The narrator describes the castle as an amazing work of art that towers high which shows the wealth and power of the king.
13)Gawain is allowed into the castle and greeted with great care. The people show him great respect and obviously know who he is. He is not as poor as he described himself earlier.
14)Gawain meets the lord of the castle who is described and large hairy and powerful. Gawain is given new clothes that make him look like spring and better than any knight the people had seen.
15)Gawain is further spoiled with the great riches of the castle and then treated to a feast. Hospitality is shown as a sign of respect and honor.
16)The castle is ecstatic for they have a Knight of The Round Table with them. They honor him by saying they are truly blessed by god to have such a great guest during Christmas.
17)Gawain notices two ladies walking about. The description of the hideous beat of a woman leading the prettier around is set up as contrast to the beauty of the other and possibly setting up a foreshadow.
18)Gawain goes to talk with the two ladies and many games are played between them far into the night.
19)They feast the next day and Gawain sits next to the lovelier of the ladies. They enjoy each other greatly and are pictured spending a lot of time with one another.
20)The next three days go by which seems to be one long party with lots of guests and games. The guests eventually leave and Gawain is thanked again for blessing the castle with is presence on Christmas.
21)Gawain is asked why he must leave and he explains he is on a quest for the Green Knight. Gawain finds out that it is only a few miles away and is able to stay a few more days.
22)Gawain tells Bertilak he is staying and Bertilak screams like a girl from joy. He then tells Gawain to get a bunch of sleep and spend a lot of time with his wife while he is off hunting in the woods.
23) Before Gawain goes off to bed Bertilak sets a wager that whatever he kills on his hunting trip will be given to Gawain.
2) Look at the motif of games and discuss how it works in this section.
In the second section many games are played to keep the men entertained, but the biggest game is the competition between Gawain and Bertilak. Bertilak has staked all his trophies from his hunt for everything Gawain earn in the castle while he is away. There is an irony here because while Bertilak is out working hard to kill animals as trophies Gawain is doing the exact opposite. While trying not to offend his host he must figure out how to keep Bertilak's wife from hitting on him. This is funny because Bertilak as basically challenged Gawain to get lucky with his own wife but give her back to him in trade for fine furs.
3) Other than the pentangle describe a symbol in this section and relate it to a theme. Discuss how this symbol reinforces the theme.
Bertilak's castle is a symbol of human nature as well as representing a test for Gawains Chivalry. Gawain leaves the wild because his human nature calls for him to seek comfort and company. While in the woods Gawain was by himself un tempted by the evil that he is exposed to in the castle. The theme of Chivalry calls for Gawain to be respectful and courteous to all men and woman. In the castle Gawain is faced with the task of denying Bertilak's wife while not upsetting her or Bertilak. Gawain shows his honor by giving Bertilak's wife just enough to please her but for him to not break his code. The castle proves as a excellent test for Gawain showing that he is true knight, and that even the best of them have flaws.
4) How is Gawain different in this section as compared to the last?
In the second section Gawain is viewed as a true blessing to have in the castle. Bertilak practically begs him to stay when he says he is leaving and is giving the treatment of a king. Feasts are thrown from him, he is given gifts, and Bertilak allows him to spend time with his wife. In the first section Gawain is barely noticed. He shows himself noble in both sections by not upsetting Bertilak's wife and then taking the Green Knights challenge for King Aurthor. However when he takes the challenge in the first section he tells everyone that he is the least valuable person so he should be the one to take the competition. When he says this nobody stand up and says, "No you're not, your the most valuable" they all just sit back and let him do it. After he beheads the green giant Author just says allows everybody to continue eating without really honoring Gawain for his great dead. This sets Gawain in the first section from Gawain in the second. In the first he is viewed as a expendable nobody and in the second he is a greatly respected knight who everybody wants to hang out with.
5) Discuss the setting.
The first setting is King Authors Court in Camelot. It is portrayed as a silly place full of games and nothing really goes on of too much importance. The setting draws Gawain down making it seem like everybody who's there is less important than they really are. This is contrasted by the serious Green Knight who rides into the hall of a bunch of foolish boys.
At Bertilak's castle the mood is much more serious. It is full of fun and games but the people are more professional and treat Gawain with respect. Although Bertilak and his servants treat Gawain with care it represents the sin that Gawain must withhold from in order to be a good knight. This could be why the castle is right where he need to go to find the Green Knight. Having it right there forces Gawain to stay in the castle longer being the ultimate test to his Chivalry.
