Sir Gawain and Green Knight Essays: Plot Elements

519 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Parallels in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Plot Elements in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

The most striking feature of the organisation of plot elements in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the fact that the meaning of the poem is enacted by the shape of the narrative itself. The three major elements of the plot of this narrative: the Beheading Game, the Temptation, and the Exchange of Winnings are linked in a way which helps convey the meaning of the poem.

The reader quickly realises the interdependence of the Temptation plot and the Exchange of Winnings plot. The bedroom scenes correlate with the hunting scenes - therefore each one must be understood in reference to the other. On each of the three days the behaviour of Sir Gawain corresponds to that of the animal, which had been killed on that day. On the first day he is cautious - like a deer; on the second he is more like a boar; and on the third he is cunning - like a fox. These are not the only similarities between the two plot elements . Hunting is generally used in literature as a metaphor for the pursuit of love - that is for courting. This metaphor had most probably already been known in the Middle Ages and was used by the Gawain Poet.

The most important device used to make readers aware of the interdependence of these two plot elements is the technique of narration. Great care is taken to make sure the reader understands that the bedroom scenes and the hunt scenes happen at the same time. The narration jumps from the castle to the forest “Pursuing the wild swine till the sunlight slanted./All day with this deed they drive forth the time/While our lone knight so lovesome lies in his bed”.(l 1467-1469). Each bedroom scene is “inserted” into a hunting scene - which emphasises their simultaneity.

The Beheading Game is also linked to the other two plot elements - but in a way which only becomes visible to the reader after having read the entire text of the poem. At first, the castle episode seems to be an interlude between the two parts of the Beheading Game. The reader awaits the climax - that is the second part of the Beheading Game. Finally it turns out that the real test has already taken place and the Game itself proves to be an anticlimax.

Show More
Related

  • John Hersey's Hiroshima

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    watching a neighbor tearing down his house because it lay in the path of an

    Read More

  • Hiroshima: Book Report

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    radio, it had been said that Hiroshima suffered of an attack by a few B-29. Many

    Read More

  • Ulysses S. Grant

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the Mexican War, Grant served under both General Zachary Taylor and General Winfield Scott and distinguished himself, particularly at Molina del Rey and Chapultepec. After his return and tours of duty in the North, he was sent to the Far West. In 1854, while stationed at Fort Humboldt, California, “Grant resigned his commission because of loneliness and drinking problems, and in the following years he engaged in generally unsuccessful farming and business ventures in Missouri.”(Grant Moves South, 18) He moved to Galena, Illinois, in 1860, where he became a clerk in his father's leather store.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Deception Essay

    1627 Words  | 4 Pages

    Deception is one of mankind’s most versatile and powerful tools and is used nearly every day for both evil and good. Whether it be deceiving an army in battle or using exaggerations and myths to teach a child right from wrong, deceit allows one to advance his selfish or selfless intentions by providing them a source of influence on others. Such deception is evident throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight—the host’s wife’s dishonesty in particular—as it helps to spur the plot of the poem. Lady Bertilak’s purposeful deception of Gawain has questionable motives that highlight the theme of human imperfection and susceptibility to temptation.

    Read More

  • Parallels in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many parallels that can be drawn from the three temptations and hunting scenes and the three blows exchanged by the Green Knight. All of these scenes are interlocked together in the way that Gawain's quest is told and his trails he endures leading up to his meeting with the Green Knight to fulfill his promise made the year before.

    Read More

  • Comparing Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Julius Caesar

    641 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Seventh Edition. Volume 1. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000. 114-209.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain and Green Knight Essays: Triumph or Failure?

    510 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sir Gawain is presented as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. He is the perfect knight; he is so recognised by the various characters in the story and, for all his modesty, implicitly in his view of himself. To the others his greatest qualities are his knightly courtesy and his success in battle. To Gawain these are important, but he seems to set an even higher value on his courage and integrity, the two central pillars of his manhood.

    Read More

  • Gawain's Moral Superiority Revealed in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    454 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the final scenes of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain’s encounter with Sir Bertilak allows Gawain to perceive his own flaws, manifested in his acceptance of the Green Girdle. The court’s reaction to his personal guilt highlights the disconnect between him and the other knights of the Round Table. Gawain’s behavior throughout the poem has been most noteworthy; his understanding of his sin, one that many of us would dismiss since it was propelled by his love of life, enhances his stature as a paragon of chivalry.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Research Paper

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    The next hunt is one for a boar. The boar is an animal that, when hunted, can be fierce in retaliation against being disturbed. So when the lady comes the second day to tempt Gawain, he immediately greets her. The author writes, “Gawain thought it good to greet her at once,” (1447). He again stands against the temptation.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Analysis

    2165 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Culture does not make people. People make culture” said Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer and educator, in a presentation on feminism in a TedTalk. The culture in which Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written was misogynistic and it shows in the writing of the poem. Medieval cultural misogyny manifests itself in multiple ways in SGGK. This paper will examine the negative relationships between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and gender by discussing: the representation of female characters, gendered violence, and Christianity in the Middle Ages.

    Read More

  • The Pentangle

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the anonymous poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the character of Sir Gawain is portrayed as the imperfect hero. His flaws create interest and intrigue. Such qualities of imperfection cannot be found in the symbol of the pentangle, which he displays on his shield. This contrast between character and symbol is exposed a number of times throughout the poem allowing human qualities to emerge from Gawain’s knightly portrayal. The expectations the pentangle presents proves too much for Gawain as he falls victim to black magic, strays from God, is seduced by an adulterous woman, and ultimately breaks the chivalric code by lying to the Green Knight.

    Read More

  • The Four Basics Of Medicare

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some people get stuck with a bill they must pay out of pocket after thinking that Medicare had their back when they didn’t. That’s why patients must always ask what their insurance does and doesn’t cover especially because most of the people on Medicare are old and non-working citizens that don’t have money to be paying out of pocket. The most important things that Medicare doesn’t care are most dental care, eye exams for glasses, and hearing aids. These are things that many older people which make up roughly 46 out of the 55 million of those on Medicare really need but can’t afford. But there’s also things that Medicare doesn’t cover that is implied for example cosmetic surgery, acupuncture and

    Read More

  • Medicare Benefits

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    Medicare has several advantages. For starters, an individual who has subscribed for Medicare can still use their own private insurance plan for routine check. Therefore, one is not absolutely tied to the Medicare program only. However, every member is assigned a Primary Care Physician, who one must consult, to enjoy the full benefits. Better still, if one needs special attention, a specialist is assigned by Medicare, who is usually proposed by the Primary Care Physician (Berwick, 2011). In addition, the monthly payments are highly subsidized, or in some cases, there are no monthly payments. Moreover, medication is included in the kitty. However, one has to chip in a little to cover for part of the medication cost. Medicare advantages are similar in the whole country. This is not the case for Medicaid. Medicaid’s policies change according to the different states. Nonetheless, there are strengths of Medicaid which are common across the board. Medicaid tends to give a lot of specialized attention to expectant mothers. It offers nurse midwife services, family...

    Read More

  • Medicare and Medicaid

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    Medicare is a federally governed insurance program, primarily serving Americans over the age of 65, younger disabled meeting specific disability criteria, and dialysis patients having permanent kidney failure. Medicare is linked to Social Security, is not income based, and is available to every American meeting the requirements of the program. Those entitled to Medicare can select Original Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance) paying co-insurance and deductibles or opt to add Part C (Medicare Advantage Plans) paying a monthly premium and co-payments normally less than the out-of-pocket expenses for Original Medicare.

    Read More

  • Medicare Essay

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    Medicare is a national social insurance program, run by the U.S. federal government since 1966 that promises health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older and younger people with disabilities. Being the nation’s single largest health insurance program, covering a large population for a wide range of health services, Medicare's funding is a fundamental part of it sustainability. Medicare is comprised of several different parts, serving different purposes, some of which require separate funding. In general, people at the age of 65 and older who have been legal residents of the United States for at least 5 years are eligible for Medicare. Same is true with people that have disabilities under 65, if they receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. Medicare involves four parts: Part A is hospital insurance. Part B is additional medical insurance, that Part A doesn't cover. Part C health plans, also mostly known as Medicare Advantage, are another way for original Medicare beneficiaries to receive their Part A, B and D benefits. Medicare Part D covers many prescription drugs, some of which are covered by Part B. Medicare is a major operation, not only needing adequate administering but the necessary allocated funds to keep this massive system afloat.

    Read More

More about Sir Gawain and Green Knight Essays: Plot Elements

Open Document