![]() ![]() In the evening, they will exchange with each other whatever they got as a pray. Since he is tired of all the travels, the host will be busy hunting, while Gawain will be spending time with the lord’s wife. ![]() So, the protagonist can stay with them until New Year’s Eve. When Gawain explains that he still has to find the Green Chapel, the host says that he knows where it is. The host begs him to stay, but Gawain refuses. However, Gawain has to leave to find the Green Knight. The game they play after the Christmas mass is focused on giving away valuable clothing pieces one by one to those who win them by entertaining the company. The guest plays games with the host and the two ladies. The atmosphere in the castle is quite friendly. It is peculiar that the host is as big as the Green Knight. ![]() He introduces Gawain to his wife, Lady Bertilak, together with an elderly lady that also lives in the castle. Its owner invites him in, a large man by the name of Lord Bertilak. Suddenly, he sees a white castle that looks beautiful and unreal. The weather is the worst of all, and it makes him pray to Virgin Mary (his patron saint) for shelter. Throughout the journey, he encounters a lot of adventures and misfortunes. He puts on his best armor and leaves Camelot. After the meal, Gawain tells King Arthur and his court that he is leaving to look for the Green Knight. However, it is not easy because they don’t want to say bye to noble Gawain. Next year Gawain spends time before Christmas with Arthur and the knights of the round table. He picks up his head, and before leaving the castle reminds him about the rules. Gawain takes the ax and, with one hit, takes off the head of the giant. To save the King and the court’s honor, Gawain decides to play the game himself instead. No one wants to participate in this game, and eventually, Arthur is about to agree. He says that he will allow one knight to hit him with the ax, and a year later, the challenger will receive a hit in return. However, he does not want a traditional fight. At first, Arthur thinks that the green man talks about a duel. ![]() Nevertheless, the visitor rejects the invitation and explains that he came to play a little game. Arthur invites him to join the feast and asks him questions about the reason for his visit. The poet describes in detail the clothing and the weapon that the green stranger carries with him. Despite his unusual appearance, the stranger looks handsome and well-dressed. The celebration gets interrupted by an enormous man who is fully green, entering the hall. All of this creates an atmosphere of growing tension. The readers also learn that Arthur does not like to start his feast before hearing a lovely tale. Arthur is described as an attentive host who would refuse to eat before others are served. There is an emphasis on the decoration, food, and lavish dressing of the Queen and King Arthur’s court: fine silks, the best gems, chivalric symbols, precious cloth of Toulous, and tapestry of Tarts. In stanzas 4,6 and 7, the Gawain poet tells about Arthur’s feast and some gift-giving games the court plays. The Gawain poet uses many hyperbolas and literary exaggerations to catch the reader’s attention. In the second stanza, the poet tells his intention of telling this Arthurian legend. The poet says that Britain was founded by these warriors, too, and the greatest of all was Arthur. It then tells about how Trojan heroes fled to Europe to establish new civilizations in Rome and Europe. The opening stanza of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight story alludes to Troy’s Fall and its destruction. The poem starts with the court of King Arthur celebrating New Year’s Eve in Camelot. ![]()
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