How do you think women and femininity  are represented in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight? Do you think women have more positive or negative attributes? Are they portrayed as cunning, manipulative, and deceiving? And a creation of the Pearl Poet’s view of women? Or can this poem be read as a critique of misogyny and gender norms?  

Again, we see magic at play here. Like in Chretien’s The Knight With The Lion, one of Arthur’s knights is given an enchanted item to aid them in times of trouble. Yvain is given a ring to make him invisible, as well as another one to shield him from blows. Similarly, Gawain is given a green girdle to do the same — the girdle protects him from harm. Is it “knightly” of him to have used the girdle in his bargain? Or did he cheat on his promise?

Green is often the color of life, nature, energy, and renewal, and associated with growth, environment, and safety.  The Green Knight’s description is highly detailed, and lasts for about two pages (give or take), describing the various shades and amounts of green on his person. What do you think is the importance of him being a “green” knight? Do you think it serves a specific purpose? 

In the beginning of the poem, the speaker describes Camelot. He says “Such a coming together of the gracious and the glad: the most chivalrous and courteous knights known to Christendom;”  He says the knights are known in the Christian world not throughout the kingdoms. There is an emphasis on Christianity in multiple parts but do the characters’ actions align with christian doctrines? Even some unlikely characters? Or do you see more of a repetition of the seven deadly sins?

There are several key differences between this narration of Arthur’s birth/Lancelot’s affair with Guinevere/participation in the tourney and other narrations we have read, such as those of French origin. Does anything in particular strike you about the way Lancelot is characterized in King Artus? Do you think this can be explained by cultural differences (i.e. the influence of Judaism)? Explain.

How does women’s sexuality seem to evolve between the two versions of Tristan & Isolde and the Saga of the Mantle, and how do these stories relate to women’s sexuality today? Cite specific quotations from the texts, and explain why they are relevant to current societal issues (for example: the prude/slut dichotomy).

Saga of the Mantle ends on a note that almost seems to contradict the story it told, with the order: “Now let no one say anything but good about women, because it is more fitting to conceal than to reveal something, even though one may know the true state of affairs” (235). This model for behavior is followed by Karadin, the lover of the maiden whom the mantle fits perfectly. Given this encouragement of deception and the overall humorous, irreverent tone adopted by the narrator towards “purity of…maidenhood” (which make Saga of the Mantle diverge remarkably from previous texts we’ve read this semester) what do you think is the purpose of this text? Or, rather, what was the narrator trying to impart about Arthurian culture and society, and how seriously can we take this given its elements of comedy?

In the form of a comment, present the 2-3 topics open for interpretation that your group discussed in class. (Just one person per group needs to do so.)

Considering the complications of the love triangle in this story (Yseut, Tristran, and King Mark), the use of potions, and God’s role in the three characters interactions, I want to look back to The Art of Courtly Love. How does King Mark fit into some of the things we see in Books 1 and 2 of The Art of Courtly Love? Given the fact that he is constantly swaying from one emotion or action to another, can we pinpoint some of the ideas that we get from The Art of Courtly Love onto his particular case?

We know from the opening that the queen and Tristan’s love is because of a potion.  However, in every instance that the narrative speaks of the affair, the queen is honorable and the knight is great while the barons and dwarf are seen as evil? Why is their affair accepted by the general public when they are betraying the king? Do you think that their love could be considered true love if affected by a potion?