Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
A late 14th-century Arthurian romance combining beheading game and exchange of winnings.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight survives in a single manuscript, Cotton Nero A.x., alongside three religious poems—Pearl, Cleanness, and Patience—all written in a North or West Midlands dialect of Middle English. Scholars believe the same anonymous author, often called the "Pearl Poet" or "Gawain Poet," composed all four works. The poem itself is a late 14th-century chivalric romance in alliterative verse, given its modern title centuries after it was written. Its plot weaves together two folk motifs: the beheading game and the exchange of winnings. Each stanza uses alliterative lines capped by a short rhyming bob and wheel, and the story draws on Welsh, Irish, and English sources alongside French chivalric traditions. As a key example of a chivalric romance, it follows a hero on a quest that tests his prowess. Modern English translations by J. R. R. Tolkien, Simon Armitage, and others keep it popular, as do film and stage adaptations.
The story opens in Camelot on New Year’s Eve. King Arthur’s court exchanges gifts and waits for feasting when the king asks for an exciting adventure. A gigantic green figure on a green horse rides into the hall, unarmored, carrying an axe in one hand and a holly bough in the other. He refuses to fight anyone, calling them too weak, and proposes a friendly Christmas game: someone may strike him once with his axe, provided the Green Knight can return the blow in a year and a day. The axe goes to whoever accepts. Arthur prepares to take the challenge when no other knight dares, but his nephew, the youngest knight Sir Gawain, asks for the honor. The giant bares his neck, and Gawain beheads him in one stroke. The Green Knight neither falls nor falters; he picks up his severed head, mounts his horse, shows the bleeding head to Queen Guinevere, and reminds Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel in a year and a day. Gawain and Arthur hang the axe as a trophy and encourage Guinevere to treat the matter lightly.
As the date nears, Gawain leaves to find the Green Chapel. Many adventures and battles are mentioned but not described. He comes across a splendid castle, where the lord and his beautiful wife welcome him. An old, ugly lady, unnamed but treated with great honor, is also present. Gawain explains his appointment, and the lord laughs, saying a path leads to the chapel less than two miles away, and invites Gawain to rest. Gratefu
- Title
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- Date
- Late 14th century
- Author
- Unknown (dubbed the 'Pearl Poet' or 'Gawain Poet')
- Language
- Middle English (North/West Midlands dialect)
- Form
- Alliterative verse with rhyming bob and wheel
- Manuscript
- Cotton Nero A.x.
- Genre
- Chivalric romance
Lore & Background
The poem survives in one manuscript, Cotton Nero A.x., which also includes three religious narrative poems: Pearl, Cleanness, and Patience. All four are written in a North/West Midlands dialect of Middle English, and are thought to be by the same author, dubbed the 'Pearl Poet' or 'Gawain Poet'. Little is known about its previous ownership, and until 1824, when the manuscript was introduced to the academic community in a second edition of Thomas Warton's History, edited by Richard Price, it was almost entirely unknown. Even then, the Gawain poem was not published in its entirety until 1839, which is when it was given its present title. Now held in the British Library, it has been dated to the late 14th century, meaning the poet was a contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer, though it is unlikely that they ever met, and the Gawain poet's English is considerably different from Chaucer's.
Reader's Guide
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight remains popular in modern English renderings from J. R. R. Tolkien, Simon Armitage, and others, as well as through film and stage adaptations. The poem is an important example of a chivalric romance, which typically involves a hero who goes on a quest that tests his prowess. Its plot combines two types of folk motifs: the beheading game and the exchange of winnings. The story describes how Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious 'Green Knight' who dares any man to strike him with his axe if he will take a return blow in a year and a day. In his struggles to keep his bargain, Gawain demonstrates chivalry and loyalty until his honour is called into question by a test involving the lord and the lady of the castle at which he is a guest. The poem draws on Welsh, Irish, and English stories, as well as the French chivalric tradition. The three other works found in the same manuscript as Gawain are often considered to be written by the same author, though the manuscript was transcribed by a copyist and not by the original poet. Comparative analysis of dialect, verse form, and diction has pointed towards single authorship.
Did You Know?
- The poem survives in only one manuscript, Cotton Nero A.x., which also contains Pearl, Cleanness, and Patience.
- The author is unknown but is often called the 'Pearl Poet' or 'Gawain Poet'.
- The plot combines two folk motifs: the beheading game and the exchange of winnings.
- The poem was not published in its entirety until 1839, when it was given its present title.
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