Overview of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
- A medievalist gives an overview of the 14th century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, providing a taste of Middle English and reviewing the poem's main events as well as its themes.
You're a wonderful and passionate advocate for these stories and this time period. Thank you so much!
Thank you for your kind words! 😊
Can we hope to see more of these kind of videos? As you so eloquently explained in an older video, literature like arthurian legends is one of the sources of the genre. I'm sure a lot of your viewers will appreciate the occasional look into works you deem important. Especially if we get more recitals in Old and Middle English out of it ;)
Thank you, Gerd! think it would be appropriate from time to time to dip into the works that inspired the modern fantasy genre! Plus, I don't need much of an excuse to break out into Old English or Middle English!
I’d love to see more as well! Maybe a series on some of the historical texts that have inspired the modern fantasy genre?
@@darmokandjalad7786 An excellent idea!
I'd love to hear your take on c s lewis and his relationship to the romance tradition, especially what he writes in the allegory of love.
@@mjnairn Lewis has written some great scholarly essays that she’d light on that topic, though it’s been a long time since I’ve read them. It would be fun to delve back into them!
Another amazingly interesting video! Being a bit of a King Arthur fan from a young age I knew some of what you told us about, but as always you took it to the next level! I found Canterbury Tales immensely entertaining, but it take a moment or two to come to grips with the English used...
Thanks! That’s true about Canterbury Tales, Si. It does take some time and effort to be comfortable enough with the Middle English to start relaxing and enjoying the stories. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is another level or two of difficulty beyond that, so it’s best read in translation, unless you’re keen to learn dialects of Middle English!
Thanks for the lecture. I had the pleasure of reading this story as part of a literature class in college. The professor had just published a article about it so we got to hear some great analysis. Have always enjoyed the story and anything related to it since then.
Very cool! I'm sure your professor did a great job with it, especially if it was an area of special interest. It's definitely one of my favorite Middle English texts.
After seeing the movie (loved it by the way), I dove into Simon Armitage's translation of the poem. I devoured it in a couple of sittings today and came to watch your video. This video is such a great overview! The movie and story seem to have their fair share of differences, but in my opinion, the film keeps the core elements and emotions intact.
There is also a movie tie-in translation that includes a forward by the director which examines some of the differences to the film. He states something similar to this: "The best one can hope for in adapting a work such as this is to catch a glimmer of the original enough to drive the viewer to the source to discover what you merely scratched the surface of." I was slightly in awe because that is exactly what I did.
To me, they are both works of art and I hope to see a review/discussion of the poem compared to the film adaptation. As always, thanks for your amazing content!
Thanks! In fact, I am planning to be part of a discussion of the film with some other BookTubers. First, however, I need to watch it. Based on what you and others have said, I’m very excited for it!
This was great! What a wonderful reading. Amazing how different the language was. I got such an education this morning… thanks Philip!
My pleasure! I actually think the English language was at its most beautiful in the 14th century, but I might be slightly biased.
If you ever want to do an entire video series on the evolution of the English language, I would watch every second of it. This was such an interesting topic and video. Thank you! 😁
Thank you! That sounds like a very tempting idea! I appreciate you watching!
Really curious to see what your reactions of the film are, if you see it eventually. They do a lot more to make Gawain less honorable to play up his flaws, but the ending of the film is incredible and quite a bit different from the poem. It's also quite hard to follow at times, it's definitely a thinker of a movie, but I thought it was rather brilliant.
They add quite a few extra characters and scenes, and dive deeper into themes on what it means to be an honorable person. Also plays up how elaborate Morgan Le Fey's plan is. It's a brilliant adaptation that's just as strange and whimsical as the poem.
That sounds like it’s worth watching! I intend to see it relatively soon. Thanks for your thoughts on it - you’ve got me even more curious and hopeful about the film!
Wow Philip that was really fascinating. Thank you for sharing this. I’m actually very excited to watch the movie, and I’ve thought about reading some of the translations, such as that by Tolkien.
Tolkien’s translation is great, Chas. I’m excited to see the film, though a bit wary as well. We’ll see!
Late to seeing this one, but thank you for the breakdown! I tried doing some research into this so I’d know what I’m seeing tomorrow at the movie, but your talk really helped clarify the basics of the story!
Glad to be of service, and I hope you'll enjoy the movie!
I loved this, Philip! I didn’t know about the film, but this was enjoyable either way. I enjoyed listening to your Middle English reading and the way you brought this story to life in your discussion. The other realm veil-opening during winter solstice sounds atmospheric, and I love the human elements you highlighted throughout the poem. I read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and some of Le Morte d’Arthur in high school, but I haven’t retained much. I would love to hear your thoughts on the film after you watch it!
Thanks, Johanna! I'm curious about the film, called The Green Knight. I watched the preview, which looks intriguing, but it's really hard to judge a film by its preview. I'm certain they're going to change and add a lot to make it into a film, but I don't mind that as long as it's done well. If you watch the film, I'll be curious to hear you're reaction as well!
In my judgment, you did an excellent job with this video-informative and entertaining 😊
Thank you so much! It pleases me to have earned your good judgement! 😁
Loved writing a dissertation on the evolution of Arthurian legend last year, but your wealth of knowledge far surpasses mine! Looking into Nennius' Historia Brittonum, to Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae and beyond was beyond exciting and engaging, as was watching this.
Will
Wow! It would be fantastic to chat sometime about the evolution of Arthurian legend with you, Will. While Old English is my favorite, I’m excited to discuss anything medieval, including Arthurian stories. Among them, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is probably my favorite. My best to you and the rest of the Gwynnes!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I would love to chat as well! Tokien's Fall of Arthur and his translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are among my favourites. Very best to you as well. Happy reading!
Will
@@thebrothersgwynne In that case, I’ll add that to my list of future discussions with The Brothers Gwynne!
Finally, I was able to have an easy summary of what for me was such a challenge fantasy story..thank you, Dr. Chase, you do agreat job! Best wishes on your channel..🤗 God bless..
Thank you so much, Paula! It can be a challenging read, for sure, but also very rewarding after all that effort. I hope you're doing great!
Hi Philip, it was a great summary, congrats. Just a side note. You mentioned the idealistic picture of other Arthurian texts, and you highlight the humanism of this Sir Gawain story. It’s true, however, the most famous Arthurian author, Chrétien de Troyes also walked on this humanistic road. For example both Lancelot and Perceval in their Chrétien-novels are very “humanistic” with a lots of flaws and doubts, It’s very interesting, that the Perceval, The Tail of the Grail and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight both are about story of the failure of the main character. They have a lot of common characteristics, and very funny that in Chrétien’s poem the half of the book is actually about Gauvain, and in a sense Gauvain also fails in his mission.
That was wonderful - thanks Phillip!
Another shelf of interesting knick-knacks - and an impressive number of Beowulf texts!
I would imagine during the 'middle' English years, that the theme of wild/primal/primitive, being seen as an opposing force to the burgeoning civilization, would have been quite common - what with the emerging societal structures also attempting to apply order to nature in general.
Even the most intelligent person of the day, with no access to the concepts of science, in trying to make sense of the various catastrophes (plague/famine), would likely see them as a wild primeval force set against their communities, and of course, human nature being what it is, we have to blame someone - a witch, a green man, a magical embodiment of chaos - an entity that can be fought, makes its way into the stories explaining the weirdness.
I feel very at home with these sorts of tales, most of my 'heart favourite' books have clear threads tying them to Celtic, Anglo, and specifically Arthurian, myth - and then there's Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld - The Green Man gets a speaking part in Lords and Ladies for example. Discworld abounds with folklore from the British Isles - you're going to love them.
Thank you, Derri! Well said about the medieval struggle against nature. I hadn’t realized that about Discworld, but that makes me even more excited to immerse myself beyond the two books in the series I’ve read so far!
This was a fantastic story and well told by yourself mate. I hope this video goes alright. I would love to hear more legends and stories told by you 👍
Thanks so much! These old stories are the foundation of fantasy, so I definitely would love to bring more attention to them. That's one reason I'm glad they're making a movie based on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, though I think they'll take liberties with the story!
Loved your deep dive into this poem.
Thank you! Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has given me a lot of pleasant reading hours over the years.
Excellent video. I learned a lot and I loved hearing Middle English! You should make more of these, Philip!
Thank you, Johan! I have a lot of fun with these old tales, but I never know how much interest there would be in them on UA-cam. In our corner of UA-cam, there seems to be enough!
This was a great video. I really liked the film. It was beautifully shot and performed, and fantastical, and creepy, and everything else you would want out of this story. I want to pick up Tolkien's translation of it just because I like the story. I never really studied Arthurian tales, or really any Medieval literature in any of my classes, so more of these videos would be really interesting I think.
I ended up enjoying the film a lot too. Cheers!
thank you so much for this vid! it was such an enjoyable and informative video, you did an amazing job
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful.
can't wait to see this . tnx for the reading , philip
My pleasure, and thank you for watching and commenting!
This was great Philip. I throughly enjoyed it. Have you thought about discussing the Mahabharata with someone? If Ruthan Badd has read it, I would love that discussion. Though I would never presume that he has. Till then, I will be awaiting everything coming. Good night and thank you for brightening my day. Sorry, nothing pithy tonight. 😔
That’s a fantastic idea, Seth! I’m pretty sure Ruthan Badd is familiar with The Mahabharata since I’ve heard him mention it. I’m happy you enjoyed this one!
Brilliant video! 👌🏾
Thanks so much!
Very interesting video Philip, thank you. I suddenly remember a green man in the books of Gene Wolfe and his series is also about renewal. That's interesting...
What a coincidence! Hmmmm. I really need to read those books by Wolfe!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy YESSS!
Just read the poem before I saw this video. Loved your analysis and the middle english reading was fantastic.
I do wonder about your interpretation of how quickly it skims through his journey though. Based on the opening mentioning Troy and Aeneus, I wonder how much of the poem is referencing or drawing inspiration from older roman/greek epics.
I haven't read a lot of older works, but the first one I read some time ago (translated) was the Odyssey. And I remember being quite frustrated with it at first because it's nothing like how modern interpretations of it represent it. And it's really a stark contrast from how modern fantasy and adventures play out. The sirens, Scylla, the lotus eaters are all like... 1 or 2 pages. And even some parts like the cyclops and circe are still quite brief by modern standards. In fact Odysseus reciting his "fake story" to someone on on Ithaca seemed about as long or longer than the recitation of his actual adventures during his stay in Phaecia.
And I'm not finished it, but I'm reading the Aeneid and it's quite similar in how it skims over some adventures.
To me it seemed like the poem was similar in that regard, "okay blahblah there's a 7 headed monster whose screams sound like bagpipes, he killed it, ANYWAYS..."
but I wonder if that's just my interpretation.
I've also never read anything about Jason (the fleece or the argonauts) it but I wondered how much the sash drew from Jason and the Golden Fleece and if there were any other references to older epics that I missed. Certainly the misogynist themes (which you mentioned) of women being tricksters goes back to the greek epics - athena tricking Hektor (who is mentioned in this poem) into fighting Akilius, athena tricking a soldier into throwing a spear during the truce, circe tricking odyssseus men in the odyssey etc.
Thanks, Nate! It’s safe to say that classics like The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid were important influences in 14th century Europe. In its first and last stanzas, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight references the tradition, based mostly on The Aeneid, that various escapees from Troy founded European kingdoms. This tradition is completely made up and likely stemmed from a desire to relate to the great deeds and persons of yesteryear. Those classic epics also influenced how poets and writers told their stories or what they felt was an appropriate way to go about telling stories. A much later example from the 17th century is Milton’s Paradise Lost, which closely follows the classical epics in ways big and small. So, those old epics had an enormous influence on European literature for a long time. There were other modes and styles, of course, but anyone aspiring to an epic felt the pull of the classics.
I have watched a couple of adaptations based on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but I have never read the story itself. The one that always comes to mind immediately is Sword of the Valiant with Sean Connery. Then there was another one from the 90s I remember seeing. Of course now I am more interested in reading it.
I don’t think any of the adaptations thus far have been very good, but I’m curious to see what this latest one will do. The original is, in my opinion, tough to beat!
Great video! This seems like it would be virtually impossible to adapt into a movie that modern audiences would like, especially American ones.
I would love to see you do some videos on your favorite modern fantasy adaptations, pastiches, and parodies of Arthur and Robin Hood. The Winter King is high on my TBR; I think I will take it with me on my birthday vacation next month.
Thank you! I agree - there’s not a lot of the “action” that modern films need so much of in the original poem, so I imagine they’ll add it. Great idea too! Among my favorite Arthurian parodies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is, of course, at the top of the list!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thanks, Doc! My comment about adaptations and parodies was actually meant about literary works such as novels. Movies could be fun too, but there is already a lot of that out there and readers are your primary audience.
Good video. I’m excited for the film
I’m looking forward to it too!
Great video Philip as ever, very informative and I loved your recitation of the poem in middle English and all the mentions of Monty Python and the Holy grail, my favourite of the Python films.
The green man is a figure that has appeared a lot throughout literature in general, one of the more recent ones that I read is Lanny by Max Porter from early 2019. Dead Papa toothwort is a scary dream like, omniscient figure who you'd not want to meet in your worst nightmares.
It was on the Booker long list that year and it's written in a unique way. I loved it. 🤓
Thank you, Tracey! I love Monty Python, and I've watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail more times than I can count. When I was in high school, we members of the cross country running team used to recite dialogue from the film while running. I've watched it with my daughters as well, and it's one of the few films I actually bought in DVD form. Thanks for the recommendation of Lanny!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Had a titter to myself there Philip I can recite the film also... 'A mere scratch' as the black night gets his arm chopped off. It's hilarious and so irreverent as are all Monty Python films. Great to hear you still have the DVD Philip.
I would say Lanny is literary fiction which is my usual genre along with classics,. It was one of my favourite books in 2019. This is a break away year for me reading just fantasy and sci-fi and I'm enjoying it immensely.
@@yorkshirelasstracey5383 Yes, I love the Black Knight scene! 🤣🤣🤣Congratulations on your Year of Fantasy, Tracey!
So interesting to hear you talk about Ser Gawain and the Green Knight! I didn't know that the "green man" was a mythical figure in English literature, which may be the source of inspiration for the Green Man in Jordan's The Wheel of Time. Also, maybe I'm reaching here, the way you said "associated with renewal of crops after the death of winter" made me think of ASOIAF and the greenseers, and if that might also be a source of inspiration to G.R.R. Martin.
About the film, based on the trailer, I doubt it will have any humor at all^^
I would say that you're most likely right about the connections between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and fantasies like Wheel of Time and ASOIAF. That's one reason I think a lot of modern fantasy fans would enjoy reading the older texts -- they've inspired many of the biggest names in the fantasy genre. I think you're also right about the humor, or the lack of it, in the upcoming film. We shall see. The trailer looks . . . interesting, and I'll reserve judgement for after the film, which I look forward to.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Yeah absolutely, like one of the other comments said, it would be great to have more videos on how old medieval texts inspired or can be identified in modern fantasy. Harry Potter is another great example, with Grindelwald (Grendel) and Albus Wulfric Dumbledore (Beowulf) being a nod to Beowulf, and I'm sure there are many other examples. Anyway great video again, this is one of my favorite UA-cam channels, always interesting discussions!
Is there a translation that you would recommend? Thanks for another fascinating video 🙏
Tolkien has written a translation of Sir Gawain.
My pleasure, Francois! Tolkien's translation is great, but I usually teach Marie Borroff's translation, which gives a good sense of the alliteration and the meter of the original while remaining accessible for a modern reader.
As a language nerd, this was a great video!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Just saw the movie and it was nice to watch this to understand a bit more of the context
I’m glad you found the video helpful!
Thank you for the summary! It's been really helpful for my exam study session
You’re welcome!
Missed an opportunity to do a trailer reaction. This movie has become my most anticipated movie of this year.
Good point! I might make a video after watching the film. I hope I’ll love it!
Perfect timing Philip! I'm excited to go and see the film on the 30th. It looks dark and well made. Are you going to watch it?
The trailer has me curious enough to venture out of my cave. I’ll try not to have expectations either way, but I’d love to be impressed! I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts on it!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy That's a good idea. I'll try to keep my expectations in check and I will definitely put out a review for this one. Thanks Philip!
I just finished reading Tolkien’s translation and watched this for a recap. Your video is so lovely and on point. Thank you very much.
I’m glad it was helpful, Adnan!
Another one that my AP class was "forced" to read in high school and I did so excitedly. Enjoyed it then, would probably enjoy it even more now. Very much looking forward to the A24 adaptation.
Same here! The preview has me intrigued. I’m trying to keep expectations low, but I’d love to be impressed. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a load of fun to teach, by the way - always a good sign for a story.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I do wish my AP teacher had loved classic fantasy literature as much as you, my good man.
@@mikesbookreviews As you know from your channel, genuine enthusiasm can be contagious. That’s one of the “secrets” to effective teaching.
I saw THE GREEN KNIGHT last night and I wish I would have stumbled upon your video before watching it. Loved your content! 😍
Thanks, Mario! I hope you enjoyed The Green Knight. I’m planning to watch it soon!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a film that stays with you.
@@icnocuicatl Excellent to hear!
Sir Gawain has always been one of my favorite Arthurian Legend characters! The Arthurian Legend is one of my soft spots. When you say so and so invented all my favorite characters that have lived in my head forever it feels like a small stab to the heart. 🗡Le Morte D'Arthur is such a great book. I need to get back to these texts.
It’s amazing how many stories the Arthurian lore has spawned over the centuries. While it evolved over those centuries, it became the expression of a whole set of social ideals. I love Sir Gawain and the Green Knight because it explores those ideals in ways that are seldom seen elsewhere. Le Morte D’Arthur is great too since it became the “standard” version of the Arthurian story cycle.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy yes! So many stories have spun from it. Even stories you'd never think... I love seeing that. Shows how strong the story originally was.
@@TheLiteraryApothecary Very true - it takes something special to inspire so much.
The film seems tonally very different from the original tale, it’ll be interesting to see if it aligns thematically.
From what I gather from the preview, I completely agree with you about the tonal difference. It might hint at some thematic continuity, but I don’t quite trust previews.
Thank you, this is very informative, would love to see more videos like this one, with a presentation of a famous book against its background.
Somehow I'm thinking about The Kingkiller Chronicle. The way the stanzas are built sounded almost like something Kvothe would sing. A longish passage of storytelling, a bridge and a chorus, blending alliterative and rhymed verse. And the slightly tongue-in-cheek tone would also interest him.
And the content of this and other Arthurian stories also lies close to Kvothe's quest of finding truth behind stories: they are about heroes and characters who grew radically different through various re-tellings and lost their anchor in history. For example, you read out a passage about Brutus of Troy, and any of the known historical figures called Brutus is very far from this character.
Yes, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins and ends with references to Troy and the mythical origins of various European kingdoms founded by refugees from Troy (modeled after The Aeneid). I like the connections you make to Kingkiller, and if Rothfuss hasn’t read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which I’m pretty sure he has, I suspect he’d enjoy it! Thanks for watching, Igor!
I love the pipe behind you by the way, is it a Rathbone? Also the dagger of course being a lover of all things stabby!
Thanks! The pipe is a Dr. Grabow, and the dagger is a Nepali khukuri. The latter is indeed stabby, though I’ve never stabbed anything with it!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I thought it was a Khukuri, my mentor had a genuine one himself... a wonderful weapon.
I read this poem in college, in translation, many years ago. I loved it, but what stuck with me most was the feel of it - the alliteration, the rhythm, and the imagery, as well as the self-aware and slightly mocking tone. By modern standards the plot seemed pretty thin - more a structure to hang this gorgeous language on than anything else. I feel like most readers would get more out of it if they read it assuming it to be more a long lyric poem than a fantasy novel.
I'm dreading the film - it seems like a film by its nature would have to remove almost everything that made the poem great. But it's A24, so... fingers crossed.
That's well said, Frank. The plot really is thin, especially in terms of action, leaving me to wonder how they're going to make a film based on it. The preview has me curious, I will say, and I'm leaving open the possibility that I'll love the film. We shall see!
I saw the film last night and I'm curious your reading of it. I thought it was gorgeous and suspenseful. There was a lot to unpack. I'm really curious on your thoughts.
That sounds promising! I’ve been hearing very positive things, and I’m going to need to watch it soon. Afterwards, I have plans to be in a discussion about the film. Looking forward to it!
I’m very curious about how to map your pronunciation to the original text, as Middle English is foreign to me, but linguistically sounds very interesting to figure out how to map to current English text. As you mentioned, glossary would help. 😅 maybe you can transliterate a Malazan passage to Middle English and educate us.
As it happens, Benjamin, I’m actually working on translating a Malazan poem into not Middle English, but Old English. More on that in a week or so! Cheers!
Came here after watching the movie this past weekend! The movie wasn’t really for me, and I assumed that it was so weird/ambiguous because it was sticking closely to the original material. After watching this, I can’t really give them this excuse. I wish they’d actually stuck more to the original material now that I know the poem! The movie is gorgeous visually, but it ends up taking itself too seriously and doesn’t even seem to represent the original themes. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it once you get around to watching!
Thanks for your thoughts! I’ve heard mostly positive feedback on the movie so far, but I definitely will see it for myself and hope to be in a discussion on it relatively soon. Cheers!
Can't wait for The Green knight movie!
It’ll probably get even me out of the house!
didn’t read sir gawain for class (oopsies!!!) however this video was a great one to catch me up and help me with an essay! thank you so much, great video ☺️
I hope you do well on the essay, Sabrina! Perhaps you’ll read the poem someday - it’s a fun one!
Thank you for this! It was a long time ago when I read this story. Can I ask you something? Please next time add the old English text too, as my first language is not English I would enjoy your reading more. I could not understand a word, but it sounded nice. :)
Will do! Thanks so much for watching!
Amazing reading! I had tried to research how far back a modern English speaker could go and be understood. I've heard it's about 1500.
1500 is about when Modern English begins, though we usually distinguish it as Early Modern English. It's fairly hard to understand if you're not used to it. There are more people doing Shakespeare plays with Original Pronunciation (OP) -- I'm sure you'd find some videos on UA-cam. People often look at me funny when I explain that Shakespeare's English is Modern English, not Old English!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy doing the good work explaining that last bit 😆
@@mrgodliak One person at a time! 😁
Exquisite review
Thank you, Login!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy what are the prominent points in Sir Wagain and the Green Knight?
Great video, Philip. I just watched the Green Knight movie and wanted to know how the original poem went.
Thanks! I’m hoping to watch the film soon myself!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I really enjoyed it. Maybe you could do a video about it after you've seen it.
@@danielsan3969 I hope to do that!
I loved the reading! Great video. I felt like I was in lecture. Lol
Thank you so much! Hopefully not a boring lecture!
I look very much forward to the movie! Yeah, it is a bit ironic that The Arthurian Legends became as popular they are in England, when he is portrayed as a Roman-Celt/Brythonic defender against the Saxons in the earlier Welsh texts. But as you state, this popularity comes around the time after the Norman Conquest (as well as after the Vikings and the Crusades and around the Conquest of Wales). As such I have always thought of it more as a “British” (with connections to Ireland and Northern France) counterpart to the “Matter of France” about Charlemagne and his Paladins: A Conqueror/Defender of Christendom (and Unifier of “All Britons”) against heathens (Germanic and other). A narrative that a multicultural Britain, with Norman Kings that ruled over descendants of Romans, Celts and Anglo-Saxons all over Britain and France and with some affinity for Crusades, could get behind!
Also, is that a Nepali kukri-knife on your bookshelf?
Absolutely right! The Arthurian myth was something the Norman conquerors of England could get behind and even used as propaganda. It did backfire a bit when it came to their conquest of Wales (the Welsh rallied to the idea of the return of Arthur, who would liberate them), but later kings of England saw fit to exploit the Matter of Britain (like King Henry VII, who named his eldest son Arthur, though Arthur died and they got Henry VIII instead).
Yes, that is a genuine khukuri from Nepal, where I used to live and still visit. I can't say I've ever used it for anything other than decoration, though.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Which makes very much sense, given the Tudors Welsh origin!
Very cool artifact to have, and reminded me of trekking from Pokhara to Poon Hill under giant Rhododendrons!
@@MacScarfield Yes! Henry VII was definitely exploiting those origins - clever king!
I’m so excited for this film, but it’s coming out after “Freedom Day”, 🥴 so idk if I’ll be able to watch it safely.
My best wishes for the opening up of things over there on "Freedom Day". From what I can tell, being vaccinated seems to make a huge difference. I tend to be cautious myself, so even though I've been vaccinated for a while, I still don't go out much. Well, I didn't go out much before all this either . . .
So just a little peril...
I am wondering how familiar the general populace would have been familiar with the 'pagan' death/resurrection myths referenced with the changing of the seasons. I am thinking quite a few.
I agree - such references would have been widely understood, I think. It’s amazing how old myths and stories survived the conversion to Christianity and became indistinguishable from the rest of the religion.
Curious then, what's your most and least favourite adaptations of the Arthurian stories (film or television)?
To be honest, in terms of television and movies, most Arthurian adaptations have been rubbish (in the opinion of this humble viewer). Modern book adaptations have been better. Mary Stewart’s Merlin books come to mind, Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, T.H. White’s Once and Future King, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon, etc. I wish I could recommend a great Arthurian film, but everything I’ve seen so far has disappointed me. Perhaps this one will be different!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I enjoyed Excalibur, not sure how accurate it was, it was 1982 after all. And I hated First Knight. And I liked Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles.
Sir Gawain is King Solomon. The son of King David. David will always be the greatest king. He possesses qualities and a personality other kings could never compete with
What I am not understanding: Why y'all are calling King David, most beloved King of all time the Green Knight.
Great video and excellent introduction to this wonderful Middle English text. Your beautiful reading of the first stanza and the vivid summary make me wonder if we have been introduced to your second favourite medieval text? I definitely prefer the Green Knight to for example Chaucer.
Would you say that like the different gaming challenges mirror each other so does the transgressive behaviour of the lady of the castle mirror the transgressive nature of Morgan le Fey?
Also let me transgress a bit myself and put in a link for anybody who would like to have a look at the medieval manuscript. www.bl.uk/collection-items/sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight
Thank you! Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is definitely one of my favorite Middle English texts, right up there with Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I would be hard pressed to choose between the two, but nothing else comes close for me.
Regarding the lady of the castle (unnamed) and Morgan le Fey and their transgressive acts, I would say they are very much parallel. The lady of the castle and Bertilak are in fact working for Morgan le Fey, and some even think the lady of the castle might be Morgan le Fey transformed. Yes, the "old crone" who appears beside the lady is supposedly Morgan, but, if she can make a castle suddenly appear, she could likely create other illusions to deceive Sir Gawain. At any rate, the lady of the castle behaves transgressively by being sexually forward, and at the heart of patriarchy is the male desire to control female sexuality and reproduction. Morgan le Fey transgresses by refusing to acknowledge the authority of that same patriarchy over her, so I really do see the two as mirroring each other, as you suggest. There's some really excellent feminist criticism on this topic.
Thanks for the link to the manuscript! I've actually seen it in person while visiting the British Library (and the Beowulf manuscript as well, among many others!)
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy thank you for this extensive answer! Like you I've seen the original in the British Library, don't remember the Beowulf manuscript but it might not have been on show at the time. So it's more likely that my focus was not on it.
By the way I consulted with my go to expert for Irish pronunciation (aka the husband) and the second 'i' in Bricriu is silent -- brick-roo. But you can of course always claim that you pronounce it in an, until now completely unknown, Old Irish dialect.
@@brush2canvas849 Thank you! I wish I had learned Irish at some point. I know some basic rules of pronunciation, and I’m reasonably sure I’m not butchering some of the more common names. When I was learning Welsh, there were some Irish speakers learning alongside me, and I loved hearing them speak Irish.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy no worries. Irish has the most unpronunced letters of any language I know. Probably the result of putting a dislectic monk in charge of the scriptorium. 😉
You might enjoy this short film of some one learning Irish. It's quite funny and a commentary on the fact that very few actually use the nation's first language.
ua-cam.com/video/DoVJYuTyyN8/v-deo.html
@@brush2canvas849 “Did you know that Old Paddy could speak Chinese?” 🤣🤣🤣 It’s funny but also sad, especially considering the history, how people in Ireland today largely don’t speak Irish. Completely understandable, of course. I had to laugh at the poor fellow’s moments of culture shock since I’ve had a few of my own. Thanks for sharing!
What are your thoughts on the upcoming movie The Green Knight?
The preview looks interesting. From what I can see, it seems like they're going with a grimmer tone and losing a lot of the playful humor of the source material. Also, they'll need to add a lot of action since the plot of the original poem is pretty sparse in terms of action. But I think they can still include some of the social and psychological themes of the original story, and I'll be interested to see if they do that. We shall see!
Beowulf next? Or maybe Judith?
I’ve actually done a Beowulf chat on Andy Smith’s channel. It was in January, I think. No doubt I’ll put something up on my channel at some point!
I giggled at "the great bowel shift" because I'm still 12 inside 😂
Ha ha! And I made the joke because I too am still 12 inside. I'm glad there are kindred spirits out there!
I definitely laughed out loud at that - sitting at my desk at work in a totally adult setting 🤣
@@TheLiteraryApothecary Oops! Sorry about that! 😬 🤣
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I welcome it! It was a nice relief from my boring mundane adult day 😅
I have an "audiobook" middle English reading on LP record made in 1965, complete with booklet containing the words read with a translation beside. If you had a PO box I'd send it your way to be appreciated by someone.
It's very kind of you to think of that! I wouldn't have any way of playing it, though. Perhaps you'll be inspired to give it a listen someday -- it might even start a journey to learning Middle English!
Oh, I've listened to it. The man who reads has a fabulous voice for it, but I can't say I understand much lol
Great video! To my Dutch ears there certainly were some Germanic or Scandinavian sounding words in there - though that didn't make it much more understandable 😅
The feminist undertones - and disregard for the 'action quest' - makes me wonder if this might have been written by a woman. Interesting and funny either way.
Also interesting how it can be seen as a jab at Christianity from a pagan. "You're all so impressed about a little resurrection, while the Green Man takes a beheading in his stride. For a lark"
Will be amazed if these undertones survive in the adaptation, though the trailer does look good. Reminds me a bit of Sleepy Hollow.
Thanks, Paul! Among the candidates I’ve seen discussed as the Gawain poet, none are women. The three other pieces bound in the manuscript seem to be by the same author, and one of them, Pearl, is narrated by the author, who is a father lamenting his daughter’s death. So, it seems likely to have been a man, but an unusually sensitive and perceptive one, for sure. The preview has me curious and even cautiously optimistic that some of the themes might peek through, but I agree that the tone feels different. We’ll see! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Key points in imagine that David Lowery's The Green Knight, King David....: Why when Sir Gawain is in the brothel at the beginning and is asked if he is a knight yet he replies
"I've got time, I've got LOTS of more TIMES"(WAIT, HOLD UP, STOP COLLABORATE AND LISTEN! LOTS OF TIMES??!! HOW MANY TIMES IS LOTS OF TIMES?!)
ALSO KING ARTHUR TELLS SIR GAWAIN TO SIT BESIDES ME AND MY QUEEN TO WHICH SIR GAWAIN RELLIES IT ISN'T HIS PLACE THEN KING ARTHUR SAYS ITS OWNER IS AWAY AND IN MY MIND THAT OWNER IS NONE OTHER THAN LORD BERTILAK(X) BUT WHEN KING ARTHUR LATER TELLS SIR GAWAIN THAT HIS SEAT BESIDE HIM WILL BE WAITING UPON HIS SAFE RETURN. WHO'S DAMN SEAT IS IT? SIR GAWAIN'S(RIGHTFULLY)(BECAUSE I SAID SO), LORD BERTILAK'S, MORGAN LE FAYE'S(ANTON LE FAYE, LUCIFERIAN) IN THE WORDS OF MY OWL, WHO?!
I imagine SIR Gawain is actually LORD Bertilak, hence the Essel/lady's ordeal with both LORD Bertilak and SIR Gawain, as if LORD Bertilak is somehow testing his own knightly virtues. And I only am truly, rightfully, the I AM(I, Amanda, ME. I knew at 2 years old that I Amanda ME was how I remember I AM, but how did I know that the A in am was the A in Amanda or the M after A in AM was ME? I did not know my Alphabet. I did not know how to spell or form written words or even what letters of an Alphabet were or what they looked like! 0:39
I enjoyed it! It stayed true to the original for the most part but I would have liked them to have kept the ending closer to the poem's ending than they did.
Good to hear you enjoyed it - my expectations are growing!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I'm eager to hear your thoughts when you have the opportunity to see it!
@@thedevilspajamas I’ll likely be in a discussion about it!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy very cool!
have a great weekend 💖💖💖
You too!
this was a middle english dialect from north west midlands?
That seems to be the consensus. It’s definitely harder to read than Chaucer’s Middle English, which is the variety centered in London.
Ì understand he is green but he is more than some mere knight. So much more. You're also calling him King Arthur. HIS NAME WAS AND STILL IS DAVID, THE SHEPHERD BOY.
I was just reading the tale to my son, who is 11, from the Tales of King author by James Riordan and illustrated by Victor Ambrus (1982). I was wondering why there was no mention really of Christendom in your review. I seemed that it was all from a humanist perspective. I can appreciate for sure the faults of humans and the need to not judge the mistakes that were made by the noble knight Gawain. I certainly can feel his pain and shame in ALMOST doing something perfectly, only to have some flaw that just could not be helped because of human nature. However, when I read from this book and I think another one that my older son had to read years ago, there was always a mention of God, Christendom, the protection of God or pleading for the help of God in their tasks as knights and in repenting and asking for mercy. Is there a reason why there's no mention of the faith of these characters. It seems to me it played a big role in them being virtuous and noble and courageous and humble and all the other great things that come with chivalry and knighthood. They usually made their oaths to God and to one another. And my version also says that it was Christmastide (12 days) and not winter solstice. Is there a bent in more modern translations that make it more fantasy/ mythological? Or do older versions generally not mention Christendom? I know you made reference to the veil being thin during the winter solstice. And I can appreciate that from the cultures that were in existence in that area prior to Christianity. But I guess I'm thinking since these are from the Middle ages, Christendom, though often still mixed with lots of lore from the past, seemed to have won out or edged out the more pagan or earthy religious tones. Please help me understand this take? Also, I was delighted at hearing you read in Middle English! It just makes me want to learn it for the heck of it!
Hello, Kesha! Thanks for your comments and questions. Like many other works of literature from the Middle Ages, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight includes both Christian elements and elements inherited from pre-Christian times. You are quite correct in your observation that Christianity is essential to the story. In spite of carrying on various pre-Christian traditions, the largely fictitious Arthur and his knights would have seen themselves as Christians. As you probably know, as Christianity spread in Europe, it sometimes incorporated or allowed the continuance of altered versions of pieces of religions that already existed. The Green Man is an example. Not only do we encounter a version of this Celtic fertility figure in the Green Knight, but you can find portrayals of him on carvings in many churches and cathedrals. Christmas itself is another such example. Jesus was almost certainly not born on December 25, but, because of the significance of winter solstice and the old Yule celebrations (pre-Christian), it was deemed a good idea to rebrand the holiday in service to the new faith. Thus, while what we have in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is truly an amalgamation of pagan and Christian, it’s a given that both the characters in the story and the original audience would have thought of themselves as Christian first and foremost.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy thank you so much for the swift response. I really appreciate that. And thank you for allowing me to see how these fictitious characters merged both their pre-christian and Christian thoughts. I will also take the time to see some of your other videos. Thank you!
@@keshaheffron4425 My pleasure! Also, my very best wishes to you and your family, Kesha.
on the 1st day the lady gave 3 kisses, which he passed on. on second day she gave 6 kisses which he passed on. on the 3rd day she was annoyed and gave him 300 kisses. Poor Sir Gawain found it hard to handle and pretended he passed out. and got admitted to the ICU.
and that's the story of how Sir Gawain managed to sashay out of the head-chopping business. :)
Ha ha! Nice summary!
Only here to know how to pronounce the name
Ha ha! There are a couple different modern pronunciations that are fine, one being the one I use.
:D
Thank you!
Great peom, terrible movie.
I actually ended up liking the film once I accepted it was art house. Terrible previews for making it seem more action oriented (there was almost no action). Great poem, of course. Cheers!