The Cipher of Chivalry: Violence as Courtly Play in the World of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

摘要: ��� The dominant act of the Middle English romance Sir Gawain and Green Knight is grotesque physical breaking disfigurement one knight by another. In a courtly Christmas context, with its twin evocations holiday merriment spiritual renewal, violence seems aberrant, to say least. Knight’s proposal endure decapitating stroke in return for chance deal himself appears subvert tenets civility Christian fellowship. Yet he pursues this contest true knight’s obligatory magnanimity finesse. A blend amicable quarrelsome, crude civilized, kind monster, but embodies monstrosity militarized society that produced him. Chivalry allowed aristocratic brutality assume rarified forms (honor, prowess, fealty), man-at-arms sublimated horrors destruction, especially mutilation ruin combat human body—including his own. Immune decapitation’s worst effects, only exaggerates how late-medieval warrior-nobles, French, could conceptualize experience chivalric as play. Superficially, fantastic, manifesting qualities alien community. He giant-like otherwise superhuman—“Half etayn erde I hope þat were,” narrator tells us. 2 is, moreover, gruff contentious, which does nothing mitigate threat huge ax carries, “brod egge / As wel schapen schere scharp rasores” (212–13). But also handsome impeccably dressed, rustic green meaningfully accentuated “golde ay inmyddes” (167). And carries other hand holly