The Eye Catching Plot

The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight started at the New Year’s Eve feast in King Arthur’s court when the strange figure, known as the Green Knight, appeared. He challenges the King to a game of beheading. Whoever accepts the challenge will get to behead the green knight with an axe under one condition, he gets to do the same in exactly one year. As soon as Arthur grabs the axe, Sir Gawain stands up and offers to take the challenge himself. In one deadly blow, the Green Knight was beheaded. The headless Green Knight picks up his head from the ground and reattached it as if nothing happened. He states that Sir Gawain is to meet him in one year at the Green Chapel. Gawain feels sick after the Green Knight rides out on his horse.

The story passes time very quickly as fall arrives. On the Day of All Saints, Gawain prepares for his journey to the Green Chapel. In his little town of Camelot, Sir Gawain suites up in his finest armor, mounts his horse named Gringolet, and sets off on his journey. Sir Gawain begins to travel through northwest Britain as he encounters many different beasts, as well as suffering from being cold and hungry. As Christmas Day arrives, as he finishes praying, he looks up and there appears a castle shinning in the distance. He is welcomed in and introduces to the lords lady. Sir Gawain then makes a deal with the host. The host offers him his findings from hunting only if he exchanges what Sir Gawain has to find in the castle. Sir Gawain acccepts and goes off to bed.

On the very first day of the host's hunt, he finds a herd of does while Sir Gawain is sleeping. As he begins to wake up, the lord’s wife sneaks in and tries to seduce him. He tries to ignore her, but he gives in and kisses her. That afternoon when Sir Gawain receives his portion of the does, Gawain kisses him with his winnings from the lady. The second day, the lord brings in a wild boar from the hunt with his men. The lady again returns to his room and kisses him twice. Sir Gawain passes those two kisses over to the lord as he receives the boar’s head. On the third day, the lord catches a fox while hunting. The lord’s lady kisses Sir Gawain three times and they get passed off to the lord in favor of him sharing his fox. When Sir Gawain gets kissed by the lady on the third day she offers him some items, one of which he accepts after the second offering, the green girdle. Sir Gawain has been told that this will protect him from death. He hides it and secretly takes it as he leaves the castle on New Year’s Day heading for the green chapel.

Sir Gawain finds a crevice in a rock, just visible through the grass. He hears the sound of the Green Knight sharpening his blade and knows he has arrived. As he sees the Green Knight, he holds out his neck. On the first and second blow, Gawain gets scared and pulls away. On the third blow, as he begins to pull away, The blade just barely nicks him, drawing just a slight amount of blood. At this time, their deal has been sealed. The Green Knight introduces himself as the lord or the castle. In the end, Sir Gawain has proven himself as a noble knight as he returns home to Arthur’s court. In the end, Sir Gawain continues to wear the girdle on his arm as a reminder of his failure.