Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Awe and Amazement

The emotions that the narrator claims have alternated throughout Britain since its founding are "war and grief and wonder," and "joy and turmoil." The joy and turmoil capture the unique feeling brought about by wonders in this text. They cause both fear and uncertainty in the face of the unfamiliar, but also a kind of elation, or joy.

This passage frames the story we are about to hear as a "marvellous event," a "prodigious happening," and one of the many "wondrous events" that have occurred in Britain since its founding. The story of Gawain will bring both pleasure for its entertainment value and angst as we empathize with Gawain during his plight so that, like a wondrous event, it will cause both joy and turmoil.

Arthur has a custom of waiting to eat on a feast day until he has witnessed a wonder, which the poem defines as a story "of princes, or battles, or other marvels." Apparently, a wonder need not be something miraculous, just something entertaining, like the joust that’s also acceptable for Arthur’s pre-feast amusement.

Another element contributing to the wonder the people feel is the fact that they have never before seen anything like this man. So the feeling of wonder seems to be caused in part by unfamiliarity, as much as by unexpectedness. The effect of wonder is silence, in part because no one is quite sure how to react when confronted with the unknown.

The first mention we hear of the Knight’s entirely green appearance goes hand in hand with the wonder of the people at his color (the Middle English actually has "wonder of his hwe [hue] men hade," 147). So, although this man is practically a giant, it’s his color that really gets people staring.

Again, the major factor causing everyone’s astonishment at the Knight seems to be his complexion. We don’t know about you, but our first thought on seeing such a man would be "where’d he get the body paint?" But it could be that the unexpectedness of the greenness at this time and place causes just as much amazement as the color itself.

It’s a mark of Arthur’s leadership that he, unlike all the other people, is not stopped short even by something unexpected. A leader has to know how to react in all situations, even the unfamiliar ones, if he’s going to be effective.

An event so wondrous needs living proof - something that can be seen and touched - in order to be believed. This passage resonates with one a few hundred lines later, when Sir Bertilak hangs his hood on a spear and invites his men to compete for it. In both cases, possessions belonging to this character (for we later learn that Sir Bertilak and the Green Knight are one and the same) are objects of display and desire.

The authoritativeness of Arthur and Gawain’s opinions means that there can be no debate about whether or not the Green Knight was truly wondrous. This passage sets Gawain and Arthur’s relief at the Green Knight’s departure with their desire to see the wondrous. Just like in real life, people can be simultaneously exhilarated and frightened by new experiences.

If the people of Arthur’s court think they have witnessed a wonder when the man in green rides in, they are definitely gobsmacked when he picks his head up off the floor and speaks to them with it. There’s an interesting contrast here between the silence of the awe-struck crowd and the talking head that can’t be silenced, even when severed from its body.

The king’s speech here, "loudly remarked," is for the whole court’s benefit as well as the queen’s, all of whom must be frightened by what they have just witnessed. Arthur attempts to prevent their distress by lumping the Green Knight in with other Christmas doings like plays, song, and dance. We can’t help but think that this comparison rings a bit hollow, though.