The poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" belongs to the works of the so-called "Arthurian cycle" since it tells about the adventures of Gawain, a knight of the Round Table, and the nephew of the legendary King Arthur. Translated by James Winny, the poem reveals the story about Sir Gawain's risky undertakings to meet the Green Knight. Sir Gawain agreed to hit the Green Knight with his axe but in return, he has to be struck back a year and one day later. The development of the plot of the poem is built on the conflict as well as the interaction of two different worlds. They are the courtly, cultural, civilized world of Camelot represented by King Author and the Knights of the Round Table on the one hand, and the natural, uncivilized, wild world embodied in the image of the Green Knight.
The center of the conflict between the City and the Wilderness lies in the conflict between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Sir Gawain beheads the Green Knight in King Author's castle in Camelot during the celebration of the New Year. According to their agreement, Sir Gawain should meet the Green Knight again and let him do the same. This conflict may be seen as the conflict between the cultural world and the wilderness, the opposition between a man and nature. However, it may also resemble the conflict between the chivalrous laws, honor, and moral values and the inner, original, "wild" passions and vices that hide at the bottom of every person's heart.
The setting of the poem at the beginning of the story is King Arthur's castle. The atmosphere in the City was festive and elevated. The sounds of music, merry yelling, and joyful chattering of lords and ladies were heard everywhere. The knights were luxuriously dressed, the tables were full of food and drinks, dancing and loud laughs were usual components of the festival (60-75). All the people in Camelot followed the code of chivalry but the loyalty and moral principles of the knights are challenged throughout the whole story. It is also shown that there is a certain hierarchy in the City and the manners and behavior of the knights are predetermined by their status.
Not much is known about the locale of Camelot. It is depicted as a perfect place somewhere in Britain, probably, in England or Wales.
The agent of the City is Sir Gawain. He embodies the features of a true knight according to the code of chivalry. He is brave, ambitious, loyal, honest, and pious. He is also gracious and has a courageous heart (365-371). Although the laws and moral principles of the knights are quite strict and represent only virtues they are not always followed by the knights. What we see in King's Arthur's castle and what is proven later by Sir Gawain's adventures reveals that there is also a place for pretense in the perfect world of Camelot. The chivalric principles are challenged many times by the Green Knight. When he invites the knights to fight with him they are scared and no one dares to accept the challenge (307-312). They are scared and forget about bravery and courage as the main virtues of the chivalry. Sir Gawain also makes a deal with Bernlak de Hautdesert that they will share what they have got during the day. Bernlark honestly gives his trophies to Sir Gawain but the latter conceals that he has got the girdle from the Lady. He is afraid of the Green Knight and does not want to die that's while he remains the girdle that is said to have magical properties for himself. By doing so, he fails to keep his promise and reveals his cowardice and dishonesty.
The civilized world of Camelot is opposed to chaotic and wild nature. During his travel, Sir Gawain meets many magical beasts and unknown vegetation. The Chapel where the Green Knight lives is a mysterious place. On the way to it, no buildings were seen. There were only hills and rocks everywhere and a mould covered with grass. The mound had a hole leading inside and was hollow (2160-2180). This Chapel is the locale of the Wilderness and the Green Knight's place. The place looked desolate and uncanny as if the devil lived there.
The agent of the Wilderness is the Green Knight. He first appears in the poem at Camelot during the celebration of the New Year. He is described as being very tall, quite thick and having long limbs. His close was emerald green. He had a green coat and a green mantle. His horse was also of green color (135-178). This color symbolizes nature and the wilderness. He does not respect the laws of the chivalry and good manners. He appears in the castle as an uninvited guest. He embodies the uncontrollable and invading force that may be the force of nature. Even beheaded by Sir Gawain he continues to speak. This scene indicates that the natural world may be killed and then renewed and reborn again. The image of the Green Knight is built on contrasts. He holds a holly-branch (206), the symbol of peace, in one hand and an axe in the other hand (208). This character combines the traits of an elegant courtier and an awful savage. Thus, the Green Knight that came to Camelot represents the model of another behavior and another world and he does not know about the principles and rules of the chivalric culture. It is later revealed that the Green Knight is Bernlark. He was enchanted by Morgan le Faye, King Arthur's evil half sister. Here the inner conflict of the character is displayed. Bernlark's castle resembles the King's Arthur castle and the civilized world while the Green Chapel represents the chaotic, mystical, uncanny world of nature.
The conflict between City and Wilderness resolved at the end of the poem when Sir Gawain stays alive and can come back to Camelot. He managed to avoid death so the readers may think that he has won. Nevertheless, he should take the green girdle with him as the reminder of his breaking his word. All the knights in Camelot should wear a green ribbon as a symbol of Gawain's shame and a warning to be always honest. Thus, the Green Knight has won as his initial desire was to mock at the chivalric culture. However, there are no winners or losers in this conflict as the conflict is resolved through the interaction of the two worlds.
Works Cited
Winny, James, translator. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Toronto: CANCOPY, 1992. PDF file.
