The process of narration in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem written by a poet (name unknown) approximately 6000 years ago in the late 1300's in the medieval times. This story was originally written in medieval literature with a real unique rhyme scheme, but was translated later in time to regular English for high school students and researchers to study and read.

Narration was one of the aspects of success in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight story. To begin with, narration usually refers to the way that a story is told. The poem, like similar others about the same character, the story represents Sir Gawain in connection with a heroic journey away from home. Such journeys usually appear in the medieval literature where a hero is tested through tough challenges and experiences. The motive of the journey does not have to be only to save the princess from the hands of a witch, but some times like Gawain’s it has to be for reputation, tribute and honour. The poet had an excellent skill of narration and clearly at that time if the poet did not tell a touching story people would not have to listen to it.

Sir Gawain in a very classical narrative pattern, travelled from his home environment, of his own free will after participating in a beheading game with the green knight that he saw for the first time in King Arthur’s court. Sir Gawain during his journey would face unexpected enemies and experience a range of unusual challenges not available at his home environment. There, not only his chivalry and knighthood virtues are tested, but also his qualities which define his virtues are to be tested.

The opening scene of the poem describes Arthur’s court with a link to the Trojan War in a very clear approach to start the narration process. The poet in this point, not only introduces the poem, but also starts to draw the reader’s attention to the setting. Arthur’s court is a symbol of the high society life that everyone imagines at that time. A place where only men of honour and brave knights gather. Arthur, socialising with his men and celebrating the holiest day of the Christian year, yet not satisfied and asks for more (action). The poet moves from a civilised, wealthy, aristocratic and sophisticated Arthur to show a king who asks for amusement:
He would never eat
on such a special day until he had been told
a curious tale about some perilous thing,
of some great wonder that he could believe,
of princes, of battles, or other marvels;
or some knight begged him for a trustworthy foe
to oppose him in jousting, in hazard to set
his life against his opponent’s, each letting to other,
as luck would assist him, gain the upper hand. (fitt 1 91-99)

The poem gradually shifts from describing the elite, feasty society to show the king and his interest to transform the celebration into a memorable one. May be he wanted something to remind him of the other life beyond his royal court, some adventure which exposes the nature of human beings. More to say, he wanted something to remove his boredom.

His call for change was answered, of course (as many other similar stories of the medieval time), by the sudden appearance of the Green Knight. The narrative device, at that point, creates an atmosphere of suspense or tension in Arthur’s court. The green knight surprisingly, did not ask for a sword duel but asked for a beheading game. Then stated out his own terms and conditions, which made it as a challenge to Arthur and his round table knights.
Another surprise was the silence of the knights, the brave men whom King Arthur relied on. None of the knights wanted to participate in a game which meant only death. Another shift on the poem when the youngest knight Sir Gwain volunteers after the king decided to take the challenge himself. There are many events and surprises in the story the poet used efficiently. I am going to point them out in this essay to see how the poet used the power of narrative to compose the story.

As I mentioned at the beginning, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight may fall into heroic pursue narratives. The story begins recounting Sir Gawain’s standard social environment, where he is a part of the high society suit (system). Then his journey begins, and here every reader wants to know how Sir Gawain is going to react to his tests and challenges. In such pattern, the (hero) always learns something new about his own personality. Something he wouldn’t discover if he is still in his usual surroundings. To follow the classical narrative pattern in Sir Gawain’s story, I divided the story into series of events connected narratively to the main character.

The first event is the celebration at Camelot, King Arthur’s court where the first scene begins. A place where only brave courageous knights who supported King Arthur during the most recent battle gather. King Arthur offered everything but asks for more entertainment. The story carries on presenting the Green Knight and his beheading game, that event also contributes to the narration process and adds an element of suspense.
Chivalry virtues are seen in many places during the story. Once in Gawain’s volunteer to shift the responsibility from Arthur, although he claims that his relationship to Arthur is the cause for his praise:
Only because you are my uncle am I to be praised,
no virtue I know in myself but your blood;
and since this affair is so foolish and unfitting for you,
and I have asked you for it first, it should fall to me. (Fitt 1 356-359)

The poet used the power of narrative to capture attention and engage an audience in order to continue telling the story. The power, which let the readers travel with Sir Gawain, accompanied by his faith in God added to his duty to protect his Lord’s honour. The same power was used to describe his journey especially when the rain and cold and desolation became fierce. Bitter weather, hostile animals and monsters, yet again he was saved by his armour. Armour, on which there is a Pentangle on one side and the picture of Mary (the mother of God) on the other side. Pentangle which symbolizes the five knightly virtues: friendship, generosity, courtesy, chastity, and piety on each end.

Another event contributes to the process of narration is being a guest in Bertillon’s castle, where Sir Gawain was yet to be tested again. Bertilak’s game was different from the Green Knight’s beheading game; here Gawain’s test is part of testing his knighthood qualities. Again the poet injects the story by involving Lady Bertilak. The story continues to the seduction of Sir Gawain by Bertilak’s wife and Gawain’s resistance. Although Gawain finds her more appealing than Guinevere (who is the standard of beauty in Arthur’s court), he didn’t respond to her. It is a scene where Bertilak’s wife used to suggest moral associations to the reader, furthermore it shows the decline in Gawain’s morals. Since he accepts to stay in Bertilak’s castle the plot turns again to add more events to the story. Bertilak hunts out side and at the same time Gawain’s test becomes more like a hunt. Gawain managed to overcome the lady’s seduction until the third day when he feared death and accepts the green girdle. Most of the conversations between lady Bertilak and Sir Gawain seem as if it was taken from longer ones, they reflect the unease which Gawain was going through. The sentences are short, in forms of answers or comments not an expression of someone’s thoughts. However, he accepts the kisses and the girdle (the magical belt) as well.

The story progresses, and Gawain finds himself in front of the Green Knight who represents here evil force. The poet, yet again engages the readers in an eccentric scene, where Gawain was tested for the last time in the story. At the end of the scene Gawain would take with him reminders of his experience, the green girdle and a scar on his neck from the Green Knight’s third blow. Before Gawain leaves the Green Chapel the Green Knight held a long speech telling Gawain who was behind the entire story. More to say, he told Gawain about his tests since the green knight arrived at Camelot. I think the scene tells us the point of the entire experience Gawain went through.

The last event which completes the heroic quest narrative is, Gawain’s return to Arthur’s court. That event in other words, concludes the story. Talking to Arthur, not only telling him what has happened, but also showing evidence of his failure. Gawain looks as if he has learnt a lesson and want to pass it to his colleagues. The story ends as the round table members are going to put on a green belt to remind them of Gawain’s failure to worn for his sake :
The king consoles the knight, and the whole court
laughs loudly about it, and courteously agrees
that lords and ladies who belong to the Table,
each member of the brotherhood, should wear such a belt,
similar to Sir Gawain’s and worn for his sake. (Fitt 4 2518-2523)

Accordingly, the story ends after Gawain learns new lessons regarding his character, faith, and his knighthood qualities. The poet did not struggle to find a topic to write about, at that time the struggle was in putting the events correctly in the right time. The narrative technique varies from event to another, but was always connected by metaphors. The poem is full of symbolism which opens the door open for critics to read between the lines the symbols. Symbols like the green Knight, The Pentangle, the hunting when Gawain was in Bertilak’s castle, the animals that Bertilak hunt. All those symbols could suggest many interpretations to researchers and critics. The use of suspense and surprise factors as narrative techniques made me ask a question of: was it first read to an audience? The flow of events and the characters’ reactions were unpredictable which in my point of view is a credit to the narration. In the story a voice always cries out of Sir Gawain’s character, not uncovering him but telling about him. That voice was the skill of telling a story, the skill of building up events which force a listener, an audience or a reader to carry on the story till the end. The themes of the story in addition, add as much as the skill of the narrator to the story. Man versus forces of nature was the main theme beside faith in God, medieval romance and the likelihood of chivalric values. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight will always be considered as one of the first attempts to tell about the human being and his weakness, faith and reactions. Without a flawless narration no one would ever known about Sir Gawain, nor about his story.

Bibliography :-
1- J. D. Burnley The Yearbook of English Studies, Vol. 3, (1973), pp.
1-9 ,Published by: Modern Humanities Research Association
2- Catherine Koler, Narrative Analysis.[online] Available from
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3- (Un known writer), Narration Terms. [online] Available from http://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/engl/theor...ogy/terms/index.html accessed 04 Decmber 2009
4- Arthur Silber, The Power of Narrative.[ online]. Available from http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2006/03/...e-and-myth-that.html [ accessed 09 December 2009 ]
5-Winny, James (2007). Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, Broadview Literary Texts,Canada.

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