Sir Gawain and the Green Knight  Author Information  Background information  Setting  Characterization  Themes  General Plot Line  Vocabulary Words

Author Information:  Who is believed to be the author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?  The Pearl Poet  What are the three medieval romances written by the Pearl Poet, and what TWO ideals did they all have in common?  “The Pearl”  “Patience”  “Purity”  1.Quest/Test of knighthood  2.renewal/rebirth takes place for a character  Who translated Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?  Marie Borroff

General Information:  Genre -Medieval romance-characteristics? (narrative poem) Damsel in distress, adventure, love, supernatural, kings, knights, etc.  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was composed in what year?  1375

Historical Background Code of Chivalry: Definition  What century was chivalry prevalent?  Eleventh century  What TWO values/virtues is the code based on? (examples)  Christian values  Warrior-like virtues

Historical Background  Examples of chivalry being tested in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.  Examples of chivalry being followed throughout the story line.

Setting:  Time:  11 th century when chivalry was popular  Place:  Camelot-New Year’s Eve  Lord’s Castle in North Wales -the following Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day.  Green Chapel –New Year’s Day

Main characters:  King Arthur  Legend based off a Celtic warrior from the 5 th or early 6 th century.  Excalibur/Merlin’s influence  The Knights of the Round Table  Role in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?  Guinevere  Sir Gawain  The Green Knight  The Lord of the Castle  The Lady of the Castle

Motifs/Themes:  Definition of Motif  Definition of Theme -Live by the sword, die by the sword. -Admission of guilt/confessing -Chivalry (loyalty) -Appearance vs. reality -If something seems too good to be true, it probably is

General Questions about Plot Line  What is a quatrain?  What is the purpose of the quatrain?  What is the rhyme scheme of the quatrains?

General Questions about Plot Line  Identify supernatural elements in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?  Identify Christian elements in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?

General Questions about Plot Line  What is the definition of character flaw?  What is an example of a character flaw in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?

General Questions about Plot Line  Why did Sir Gawain take the place of King Arthur in the beheading game? (intrinsic and extrinsic)  How did he get King Arthur to allow him to exchange places with him?

General Questions about Plot Line  What were the terms of the beheading game?  Explain why the Green Knight gave three “blows” to Sir Gawain. What did each represent?

Vocabulary Words  Assay  Adroitly  Adjure  Largesse  Feigned