The Green knight and Gawain
INTRODUCTION
The Green knight and Gawain story are made up of game which gives a premise to the event in the text. The games that are played in the story play an important role since they act as a tool that is used to explain the story. Mostly the game is viewed to emphasize the moral consequences and how the game is a challenge of Sir Gawain’s moral fortitude. Therefore, when a game is needed in the challenge of moral implications it’s also simply referred to as a game. From the text, there are so many different games with different functions. Games were used to entertain during Christmas and also the reader. The Author’s Christmas dinner is presented by Green Knight which leads to a game within another game at Bertilak’s castle. This shows how players play with each other and are also played by each other. All the game playing in the text shows that the relationship between the reader and the author is a game.
Rules constrain defining an aspect of a game. Rules in a game are important since they must be defined for a game to be fair since they obey and do not cheat by violating them and are designed by the author. The proposed game is interesting since it pushes the idea of a game to its limits but it seems to violate what a game should be. Thus, he participates in festivities which unexpected from the guests and they propose a game whose objective and time span are a surprise thus Knight’s challenge is out of order. Knights bring this challenge as a game and insults the Arthurs court members due to their refusal to play until they agree. He calls them “Beardless children.” which shows his disappointment and insults them to be a courteous host and their ability to live up to their expectations. Playing the game would prove the reputation of the author being hospitable and courteous to be true. The game is used as a challenge made in the court and challenges its structure rather than its member. This shows that the court must but the game doesn’t fit the definitions.
Games is significant as it serves as a guide that is essential and makes the essential elements in the story to be clearer to the reader. For example, we are in the world of the game that mostly allows things that used the spirit of games to become essential. Laughter is one of them and brings humanity to a story that could ne superhuman. It also serves as a symbol where the systems of belief are broken in the poem. Laughter also occurs when Green knight makes the challenge and insults men of the Arthurs court “he laughs so loudly that the lord was took offence”. Green Knight, therefore, violates the standards of behavior from the guests. The belief system that the court holds for the guests and the structure has been overturned. Arthur is “greved” showing that the insults distressed him and this makes the reader also see that Knight’s behavior is also disgusting at a level whereby the convectional and Christianity see the game to be beyond the story boundaries.
Games are used to pave the way to tell a story and allow Lord Bertilak to access what he needs from Sir Gawain. We as the reader we are challenges since the text is pushing the limits of our perceptions, our challenge is to trust the author, play uncertain games and even text that the story will be entertaining something that we are not sure of. The green knight is focused on getting the game which is shown by the insults and uses the court formal life to undermine its basis. He wats to paly dangerous games that might lead to death. Arthur finally agrees to pick the ax, believing that the game will be “folly” and thus this belief goes with the definition of a game.