Essay on 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' Analysis

Medievalism can be defined as “the ongoing process of recreating, reinventing, and reenacting medieval culture in postmedieval times” (Emery and Utz). David Lowery’s The Green Knight is a modern adaptation of one of the most well-known romances Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The film The Green Knight has an accurate representation of the themes in the 14th century Middle English poem the film made changes from the original poem to explore more of the man behind the legend of Sir Gawain. David Lowrey’s adaptation of the poem, puts Gawain on a mission of self-discovery. Lowrey’s film benefits with the new depiction of Gawain as introduced in the film.

The biggest adaptation made in the film is of the character of Gawain. Unlike the poem, Gawain is no longer the ideal chivalric knight; he is not even a knight. Director David Lowery was challenged by making Gawain’s character more relatable to a modern audience while remaining true to the original poems themes and symbolism. The film’s adaptation of Gawain was not just of his character, but also his appearance. I feel that the director choosing to have Gawain as a man of color is a very modern adaptation, due to the fact that the earliest rendition of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight originated in Wales, and it is safe to assume that Gawain was intended to be a white man. In today’s pop culture having nontraditional casting is a way to modernize old tales such as this one. A major difference in Gawain’s character in the film, is that he is much more of a personable protagonist. He is flawed and not as godly as he is in the poem. I would describe Gawain as a depressed millennial who has an eternal struggle of trying to match the standards of his family while continuously failing. He is at war with himself. Gawain’s depiction in the film as a privileged man who has a lot of growing up to do is more relatable to a modern audience rather than the outdated depiction of the noble Sir Gawain in the poem.

Another adaptation of the movie is the relationship between Gawain and Morgan Le Fay. In the poem, Morgan was portrayed as evil and her reasonings for summoning the Green Knight were petty. Morgan summoned the Green Knight so Arthur would take the challenge and scare Guinevere, but Gawain accepted the challenge. In the film, Morgan also summons the Green Knight however it is revealed that Morgan is Gawain’s mother therefore completely changing her motivation. During the Christmas banquet the Green Knight appears and his appearance is different than how he is described in the poem. The Green Knight in the poem is described in a way that portrays himself as a wealthy nobleman. In the film, the Green Knight has a face of tree bark and a beard of twigs. In the poem, the Green Knight is described as “garbed in all green was the gallant rider…” (SGTK 455-457). The Green Knights color has a “wide array of possible symbolic meanings to a medieval audience, to the modern Pagan eye, he reads as being from the untamed, pre-Christian world of nature, standing in mischievous opposition to the civilized Christian world of Arhtur’s court.(Scott para 3). The Green Knight’s appearance in the film shows him as a creature of nature. The Green Knight proposes a game: any knight of Arthurs is allowed to strike him with a blade, but whoever strikes him must find him in a year and be struck in return. Just as Morgan hoped, Gawain steps up to the challenge and throws himself in the pursuit of honor and beheads the Green Knight. Morgan being the one summoning her son’s own personal test suggests a more modern and feminist perception of women being in charge and moving the plot along as well as a mother trying to get her son to find his greatness. After Gawain beheads the Green Knight, the Green Knight then picks his head up off the ground and leaves. The year in between the next meeting of Gawain and the Green Knight goes quickly for Gawain who tries to avoid his fate. Gawain seeks guidance from King Arthur and Arhtur reminds him of his oath he took and says, “I do not know of any man who has not marched up to greet death before his time” (Lowrey 2021). After his discussion with King Arthur, Gawain goes out and begins his journey.

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The adaptation of the film adds new characters into the story. The addition of new characters adds symbolism to the film. Gawain is mugged by three scavengers shows the audience how naïve Gawain is. Gawain lived a privileged life in Camelot and does not suspect anyone to rob him. The scavenger highlighted Gawain’s unpreparedness for the outside world. Winifred is introduced when her spirit approaches Gawain asking him to retrieve her skull. Winifred represents the sin of males and teaches Gawain to not let his greed and lust to overpower him. Essel was Gawain’s greatest challenge. Essel is Gawain’s love interest and has clear feelings for Gawain and wants to be with him which Gawain understands is impossible due to their different class. Many of the new characters are female, and the ones introduced in the poem are given more to say. Bringing more women into this medieval story is a clear form of modernization.

Out of every challenge he faces along the way to the Green Castle, Gawain’s biggest challenge is himself. The film focuses more on the moral themes of Gawain’s journey. Throughout his quest, Gawain is reminded by his encounters of being robbed, insulted, haunted, and bloodied that at any point he could turn back. He is continuously given opportunities to turn around but chooses to keep going. Gawain receives shelter from the lord in exchange of the lord going hunting and what the lord catches will be Gawain’s; while Gawain stays at home with lady, and whatever Gawain acquires will be given to the lord. (Scott para 6). The lady offers Gawain her green girdle and claims that it will protect him from all harm just like the one his mother gave him at the beginning of his journey. Gawain accepts it and in return the lady says to him “You are no Knight”(Lowrey 2021). Up to that point Gawain avoided serious sin. He breaks the rules of the game by accepting the lady’s girdle to protect himself. Gawain finally reaches the Green Knight to stay true to his part of the game.

Lowery’s final adaptation is the ending. In both the film and poem, Gawain’s green girdle keeps him safe. In the poem, Gawain keeps to himself that he is wearing the girdle because of his fear of death. In the film, Gawain wears the girdle from the beginning of his journey until it is stolen and finally sees it again when the lady tests him and receives it through infidelity. Before Gawain throws the girdle away, he was a vision of who he will become is he survives the Green Knights strike by being a coward. After having a vision of who he would become if he kept the girdle, Gawain takes the girdle off and submits to his fate. In the film, Gawain lived his entire life with no real honor and taking the girdle off is where he finally became a true knight. Finally at the end of the movie, Gawain has found nobility and improves himself.

In all, The Green Knight did a good job putting components of the medieval world into a context that a modern audience can relate to and understand. Lowrey’s adaptations allows the audience to relate more to Gawain rather than how he is depicted in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. The two different endings of the poem and the movie allows the audience to understand that the movie is more focused on the who Gawain is as a man rather than precisely retelling the poem. One of Gawain’s first lines in the film is “I’ve got lots of time…I’m not ready yet” and he ends the film by saying “Now Im ready. Im ready now” (Lowery 2021). After his vision he accepts his fate and finally controls his destiny. The Gawain presented in The Green Knight is not a chilvaric knight and his mess of a journey is comparable to the messy aspect of the average life.