The opening of Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight, the first stanza, might be puzzling to a reader unfamiliar with medieval literature and history. The first stanza serves as a kind of prologue or introduction to the tale, but it introduces places and characters that are not part of the main story at all. However, the poet has a very logical, and traditional, reason for beginning in this manner:
The oral tradition in medieval literature was extremely important for the people living during the Middle Ages. Since most people could not read or write, the stories being told served not only the purpose of entertainment. They also preserved the history of the people so that the names of their ancestors and the glorious deeds of their real-life heroes could be remembered and passed on from one generation to the next. The beginning of Beowulf, a student may recall, begins with a history of the early Danes; and the names and deeds of King Hrothgar’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather are given. The oral story-teller, then, is also the court historian.
Medieval romances developed in the same way that the epics did, from an oral tradition. And, so, they too may contain historical elements.
In Sir Gawain the poet begins by talking about the fall of Troy during the Trojan War, which occurred around 1200 BC and which is told in Homer’s The Iliad. The poet does this, though, because the people of England believed during the Middle Ages that their ancestors could be traced back to the ancient Trojans. The following chart simplifies this heritage:
The Fall of Troy
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Aeneas, a Trojan, and His Followers Sail
To Southern Italy and Settle There
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Various Descendants of the Trojans (Living in Italy) Later Travel to Settle Other Lands:
Romulus to Rome,
Ticius to Tuscany,
Langobard to Lombardy,
Felix Brutus to Britain
Of course, the most important of the four Trojan adventurers from the English perspective would be Brutus. Brutus traveled from Rome to become the legendary founder of Britain or England. And even several history books from the Middle Ages were called The Brut in honor of this legendary figure.
The Gawain poet thus uses this historical opening to indicate the greatness and nobility of the line of British kings. Just as King Hrothgar was descended from the great Scyld Scefing (in Beowulf), King Arthur and his nobles are, the poet suggests, descended from a great Trojan, Aeneas, and a great Roman, Brutus. This is important thematically to the story as well. One of the most important themes in the story concerns pride, the pride of King Arthur, his court, and, of course, Sir Gawain.