Both Gamelyn and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight feature main characters or protagonists that are somewhat naive or reckless when it comes to confronting danger or the unknown. While a certain amount of recklessness could easily look like knightly bravery, I think there may be more going on than that. We talked a little bit in class this week about how Gamelyn is, in many ways, a poem about critiquing and even subverting authority - both the eldest son and the clergy. I think as we move further into SGGK, it will become evident that there is an element of that going on there too(and I will probably post about it next week). The naive attitudes of the main characters early on in both poems seem like a possible indication that English society in this time period was blind to the social and political upheaval that was coming there way. A few examples:
When Gamelyn's father dies, his oldest brother John pretends to take him and is inheritance under his wing, and Gamelyn goes along without suspicion (lines 70-73). By the time Gamelyn realizes that maybe his brother isn't quite treating him right, in lines 90-100, we get the sense that Gamelyn has been there for awhile. Later in the poem, the tables turn, and John and his men are pretty clueless about the danger that Gamelyn, Adam, and even Ote present once they have turned against him. Their ignorance leads to their deaths.
Likewise, in SGGK, Arthur seems perfectly comfortable welcoming a gigantic, magical green knight into his hall and agreeing to play a pretty dangerous game with him. Gawain enters into an agreement with the green knight that requires him to go wandering in the woods in unknown territory to seek out the green knight by himself. A lot is made of both of their bravery, but I wonder if we should be making something of their blindness to danger.
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Interesting comparisons there. They suggest in turn another comparison, between Gamelyn's youth (certainly at the beginning of his tale) and the youthfulness of Arthur and his knights. It may be that both romances are in part about their protagonists growing up to a more mature understanding of their place within society. Whether the rest of Gawain's companions grow along with him remains to be seen!
That's very interesting. Their actions could also have something to do with assumptions and our quickness to accept anything that seem to go along with our expectations.
Gamelyn's acceptance of his brother's action could be the instilled belief that the older brother is supposed to be in charge, or the "correctness" of hierarchical power. Gamelyn's brother would also expect his younger brother not to rebel in the way that he does. Therefore, he would be surprised when Gamelyn takes charge of his own fate.
As for the story of Gawain, there are two levels of assumptions. The first is assumptions that come with living in Arthur's world. That is, for him, his knights, and everyone in that story world, magic and "the supernatural" is natural. Morgan Le Fay is reputed to be a sorceress. It is possible, within that world, for a green man to ride into the hall. The second level of assumptions happens if we take a step back and inspect our own assumptions as modern readers. The title "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" tips off that this is going to be some sort of fantastical tale. Plus, most of us have probably heard of Arthur's mysterious and magical past, Merlin, Morgan Le Fay, and that whole world. It is easy for us to accept that there is magic in this tale. The tone is set from the very beginning, so we are never jolted, or at least not so much that we question the story's merit.
I also agree with Prof Wenthe that this could be a comment on youth and maturation. If I venture to merge what I have been speculation with Prof Wenthe's comment, then for Gamelyn's tale, growing up could consist of gaining the knowledge that assumptions are not always correct. As for Gawain, assumptions allow us to view the world in a different way, i.e. through different metaphors, emphases, different values and beliefs.
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