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.
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