Gawain's Quest: Blog 10

BLOG 10: Gawain’s quest for the Green Knight is accompanied by

detailed descriptions of the changing seasons of the year. How

does this attention to weather and landscape complement the

figure of the giant knight, who appears both in green and, as Sir

Bercilak, with a beard “of a beaver’s hue”—that is, a deep brown?

How would you compare the role played by seasonal change in

the characters’ lives here with that in other poems and narratives

you have read? Choose a song and pictures to complement your

response.

The descriptions of the seasons changing starts in Part 2. When Gawain leaves Camelot the season is autumn. The changing of the season, I believe, has a lot do to with the emotions of Gawain as time grows closer to the arrival to the Green Knight. While he is on his journey, the weather makes some pretty dramatic changes like going from warm and sunny like summer to cold and gloomy like winter.  Gawain does arrive on New Years Day as like he said he would. The knight is wearing green to represent the really nice weather, eventually returning back with the beard that is deep brown, representing the brown bark on trees. The changing of the seasons can describe the life of a man. In the beginning everything is green and happy like the childhood of a man and then as things go on everything is brown and dull like an old man aging, so this can relate to age and death.  Throughout the story of The Green Knight the seasons change right along with the mood of the characters.  For example Gawain is in a peacefully and cheery mood at the beginning of the poem and that is symbolized best with winter because of the holidays.  Later throughout the story the weather changes to spring and fall and becomes less cheery as the time comes when Gawain has to fight the Green Knight.  When the Green Knight spares Gawain the sun is out and the whether is peaceful as Gawain can be at peace because he is not going to die.

I chose La Roux’s “Bulletproof” to describe Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This song doesn’t necessarily fit in with the changing seasons but it represents the story very well. "This time, I'll be bulletproof," is mentioned in the lyrics, which would relate to Gawain saying that he'll be more reliable and noble for the rest of his life. Also the song talks about not letting someone in and not messing around which could refer to the lord's wife who continually tries to seduce Gawain.