Themes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

“A green horse great and thick; A headstrong steed of might, In broidered bridle quick, Mount matched man aright. At this point, the audience wonders why he uses the word “courteous” as an adjective for this insolent knight who burst into the dining room armed, on his horse and asked for “the captain of this crowd”. He answered this way to save the face of his knights and his court and it will lead him to trouble. This is the first example of Arthur’s foolish pride.

Manipulation and domination and also a major theme in this story because it is what the Green Knight is counting on when convincing King Arthur and his court to accept the challenge. He is huge and proud and not afraid of any of the Knight of the Round Table, and he insults King Arthur to his face, repeatedly from the moment he entered the room. He answers right away: “What is the way there? Where do you dwell?”. He plays on their pride and honor and knows that they will make their decision based on those two factors, rather that think everything over and make a decision based on logic. By making this oath right away without hesitation, he shows a great proof of honor and pride. They wonder what will happen to Arthur because surely there is a catch in the knight game and Arthur in foolishly falling into his trap. The knight exposes the rules of the game and the audience wonders who will take on the challenge, why isn’t any of the knight of the round table getting up and accepting the challenge? He goes even further by insulting the king and his court directly, calling them cowards, laughing loud to their face until Arthur blushes, - “The blood for sheer fame shot to his face and pride” - gets up and takes the challenge on himself. This is a form of intimidation and this is the first step in getting Arthur to accept the challenge. The audience likes this because the Green Knight is an appealing “villain”.

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