History Literature / SirGawainAndTheGreenKnight

* KnightErrant: Gawain during his search for the Green Knight. TropeNamer: The oldest recorded use of the phrase (as "knygt erraunt") is here.

* UrExample: Of KnightErrant.

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* HonorBeforeReason: The only thing binding Gawain to the agreement is his sense of honor. This is to be expected in a shame culture, where reputation is everything. He turns out to be reasonable enough to [[IDontWantToDie want to keep a silk belt that will stop him from being expectedly killed]], at least.

* IDontWantToDie: Gawain kept a silk belt from Lady Bertilak which she told him would prevent him from dying (despite his agreement with Lord Bertilak implying he should have given it to him), and flinches when the Green Knight is about to execute him.

* HonorBeforeReason: The only thing binding Gawain to the agreement is his sense of honor. This is to be expected in a shame culture, where reputation is everything.

* IDontWantToDie: Gawain flinches when the Green Knight is about to execute him.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: King Arthur at the start and Gawain near the end.

* TheVamp: Lady Bertilak keeps trying to tempt Gawain and is the one who gives him the girdle that makes him ultimate fail his test. Gawain claims he has learned never to trust women, that they only lead you to sin, etc. etc. The Green Knight tells him this is ridiculous and that he has to take responsibility for his own failure.

* KnightErrant: TropeNamer: The oldest recorded use of the phrase (as "knygt erraunt") is here.

''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' is a late 14th-century [[HistoryOfEnglish Middle English]] alliterative ChivalricRomance. One of the earliest stories in the King Arthur mythos, this tale revolves around the eponymous Gawain accepting, and completing, a challenge presented by the Green Knight, who mysteriously appeared in Arthur's court during Camelot's New Year's Day feast.

->''Silence fell in hall''
->''such wonder for to see,''
->''for man and horse and all''
->''were green as green could be.''

Both this work and its source material are OlderThanPrint: The story itself apparently originates in an [[CelticMythology Irish myth]] called ''Briciu's feast''. It was later recounted by Creator/ThomasMallory and translated by Creator/JRRTolkien.

* ImpossibleTask: The same vein of story but the task is not physically impossible but emotionally. Every human fears death, even if just a little bit.

* KnightErrant: The oldest recorded use of it is [[TropeNamer in this work.]]

** His magic abilities probably stem from Morgan le Fay's sorcery, but he is magic nonetheless.
* MeaningfulName: Well, color, really, though the meaning is debated.

* HonorBeforeReason: The only thing binding Gawain to the agreement is his sense of honor.

* IDontWantToDie: Gawaine flinches when the Green Knight is about to execute him.

->''were green as green could be''

* RuleOfThree: Three kisses, Three animals that are hunted (The deer, the boar and the fox).

* TwentyFourHourArmor : Gawain sleeps in it while searching the green chapel.
* UrExample: of KnightErrant

''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' is a late 14th-century [[HistoryOfEnglish Middle English]] alliterative romance. One of the earliest stories in the King Arthur mythos, this tale revolves around the eponymous Gawain accepting, and completing, a challenge presented by the Green Knight, who mysteriously appeared in Arthur's court during Camelot's New Year's Day feast.

* IDontWantToDie: Gawaine flinches when the Green Knight is about to execute him, which causes the knight to not kill him.
** Not true. The Green Knight spares Sir Gawain's life because he passes the [[SecretTestOfCharacter secret test of character]]. In fact, the reason he even wounds Sir Gawain at all is because he took a love token from Bertilak's wife.

** Not true. The Green Knight spares Sir Gawain's life because he passes the [[SecretTestOfCharacter]]. In fact, the reason he even wounds Sir Gawain at all is because he took a love token from Bertilak's wife.

* SecretTestOfCharacter: The feast tests the knighthood and the three days at Bertilak's castle test Gawain. Indeed the entire story is this trope in regards to Gawain's chastity and honor.

Both this work and its source material are OlderThanPrint: The story itself apparently originates in an [[CelticMythology Irish myth]] called ''Briciu's feast''. It was later recounted by ThomasMallory and translated by JRRTolkien.

* SecretTestOfCharacter: The feast tests the knighthood and the three days at Bertilak's castle test Gawain. Indeed the entire story is this trope in regards to Gawain's chaste and honor.

Both this work and its source material are OlderThanPrint: The story itself apparently originates in an [[CelticMythology Irish myth]] called ''Briciu's feast''. It was later recounted by Mallory and translated by JRRTolkien.

Both this work and its source material are OlderThanPrint: The story itself apparently originates in an [[CelticMythology Irish myth]] called ''Briciu's feast''. It was later recounted by Mallory and JRRTolkien.

* GenreBlindness: Despite it being the middle of winter, wandering through a desolate forest, Gawain when greeted by a beautiful castle in unseasonable [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience green]] bloom and immediately thanks Jesus.

* AnAxeToGrind: Seems to be preferred by the Green Knight.
* BatmanGambit: The plan relies on King Arthur's pride taking the bait. If he had held his tongue the plan would have failed in the first act.

* SecretTestOfCharacter: The feast teasts the knighthood and the three days at Bertilak's castle test Gawain. Indeed the entire story is this trope in regards to Gawain's chaste and honor.

* XanatosGambit: The Green Knight's challenge in Camelot: if they refuse he can call them cowards and if they accept he humilate (and possibly kill) one of them.

Both this work and its source material are OlderThanPrint: The story itself apparently originates in an [[CelticMythology Irish myth]] called ''Briciu's feast''. It was later recounted in Mallory's ''LeMorteDArthur''.

This work is OlderThanPrint, although the story itself is even older ( ''Briciu's feast'' in Irish myth). It is also recounted in Mallory's ''[[KingArthur Le Morte D'Arthur]]''.

* GenreBlindness: Despite it being the middle of winter, wandering through a desolate forest, Gawain when greeted by a beautiful castle in unseasonable bloom and immediately thanks Jesus.

This work is OlderThanPrint, although the story itself is even older ( ''Briciu's feast'' in irish myth). It is also recounted in Mallory's ''[[KingArthur Le Morte D'Arthur]]''.

The entire arrangement, Lady Bertilak's attempted seduction and all, was part of Morgan le Fay's BatmanGambit to embarrass Arthur's court. But instead Gawain had proven himself almost entirely perfect, much to the enchantress's dismay. Gawain keeps the green girdle as a reminder of his cowardice in trying to escape his duty through magic. Bertilak is well pleased with Gawain's performance--his only fault was the desire not to die.

* HonorBeforeReason
* ImpossibleTask

* NiceJobBreakingItHero

* SecretTestOfCharacter

* XanatosGambit
* AYearAndADay