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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Difference between revisions
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{{work}}
{{Infobox book
| title = Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
| original title =
| image = SG GK Chopping off Gawain's Head.JPG
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The third strike misses Gawain again, except for a slight scratch on the side of Gawain's neck. The Green Knight then reveals that he is Lord Bertilak, and that the first two misses were in honor of the first two nights of their arrangement, which Gawain met honorably and in full. The third stroke, scratch and all, was for the third day--and the belt which Gawain is wearing, which he tried to keep secret from Bertilak.
The entire arrangement, Lady Bertilak's attempted seduction and all, was part of Morgan le Fay's [[Evil Plan]] to embarrass Arthur's court. But Gawain had instead proven himself almost entirely perfect, much to the enchantress's dismay. Gawain keeps the green girdle as a reminder of his cowardice in trying to escape his duty through magic. Bertilak himself is well pleased with Gawain's performance
Both this work and its source material are [[Older Than Print]]: The story itself apparently originates in an [[Celtic Mythology|Irish myth]] called ''Briciu's feast''. It was later recounted by [[Le Morte d'Arthur|Thomas Mallory]] and translated by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]].
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{{tropelist}}
* [[24-Hour Armor]] : Gawain sleeps in it while searching the green chapel.▼
* [[An Axe to Grind]]: Seems to be preferred by the Green Knight.
* [[Chaste Hero]]: Lady Bertilak tries to seduce Gawain and he refuses... up to a point.
* [[Genre Blindness]]: Despite it being the middle of winter, wandering through a desolate forest, Gawain when greeted by a beautiful castle in unseasonable [[Color Coded for Your Convenience|green]] bloom immediately thanks Jesus.
* [[Grail Quest]]: Or, rather, a variant thereof. The Green Knight asks to be beheaded, and so he complies. Turns out the knight survives this, and says Gawain must come in a year and receive the same. Despite this being an obvious [[Suicide Mission]], Gawain agrees. He has to spend three nights in a castle where the knight's wife is the hostess, and resist all that she offers.
* [[Honor Before Reason]]: The only thing binding Gawain to the agreement is his sense of honor.
* [[Impossible Task]]: The same vein of story, but the task is less physically impossible than it is emotionally - every human fears death, even if just a little bit.
* [[I Don't Want to Die]]: Gawain flinches when the Green Knight is about to execute him, which causes the knight to not kill him.
* [[King Arthur]]: The person ridiculed by the Green Knight in order to arouse the passions of the knights, including Gawain.
* [[Knight Errant]]: The [[Ur Example]], to the point of being the [[Trope Namer]].
* [[Losing Your Head]]: The severing of his own head doesn't trouble the Green Knight all that much.
* [[Magic Knight]]: The Green Knight is one. How else would he still be up with his head cut down?
** His magic abilities probably stem from Morgan le Fay's sorcery,{{verify}} but he is magic nonetheless.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: The Green Knight, who is arguably a [[Color Character]], though the meaning is debated.
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: King Arthur at the start, and Gawain near the end.
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* [[Secret Test of Character]]: The feast tests the knighthood and the three days at Bertilak's castle test Gawain. Indeed, the entire story is this trope in regards to Gawain's chastity and honor.
* [[Spoof Aesop]]: What have we learned, Gawain? "Never trust women?" Wrong, try again!
▲* [[24-Hour Armor]] : Gawain sleeps in it while searching the green chapel.
* [[The Vamp]]: Lady Bertilak keeps trying to tempt Gawain and is the one who gives him the girdle that makes him ultimate fail his test. Gawain claims he has learned never to trust women, that they only lead you to sin, etc. etc. The Green Knight tells him this is ridiculous and that he has to take responsibility for his own failure.
* [[Xanatos Gambit]]: The Green Knight's challenge in Camelot: if they refuse, he can call them cowards, and if they accept he can humiliate (and possibly kill) one of them. The [[Secret Test of Character]] interpretation also works here: no matter their response, they will have shown him the nature of their honor.
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[[Category:Literature]]
[[Category:Literature of the 14th century]]
[[Category:Matter of Britain]]
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