Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Literary Analysis Essay
675 Words3 Pages
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight starts out by taking the reader through time but then remains in a state of stasis at the court of King Arthur but is soon interrupted by the challenge of the romance adventure that pushes the story beyond Arthur’s court. The story of Sir Gawain starts out with the battle of Troy instead of with the main story of King Arthur. While the story begins with Troy and Aeneas, it leads to the story of Arthur and Camelot by showing the repetitive tale of empires rising and falling. Troy fell and brought the rise of Rome subsequently Rome fell and Camelot rose. The history behind the story gives it greater contest showing the importance of genealogy and rule being handed down through generations. Moreover, the movement stops at the Christmas feast…show more content… Challenging anyone who would take up his offer the Green Knight not only interrupts the narratives stasis but also the whole feast at court. “For hardly had the music stopped for a moment, and the first course been properly served to the court. When there bursts in at the hall door a terrible figure. In his stature the very tallest on earth.” (SGGK 135). The sudden appearance of the Green Knight and the literal bursting into the court stops the people from continuing their feast and the issuing of a challenge that interrupts the narrative however, the challenge is the beginning of Sir Gawain’s quest. When the Green Knight appears the most obvious distinction of him from the others at King Arthur’s court is as his name describes his green clothes. The color green symbolizes nature and the Green knight shows an overlapping of man with the natural world. Appearing with no armor but a fierce battle-axe in one hand and a holy branch in the other a kind of combative message. The holy branch and no armor represent peace while the battle-axe represents