The Green Knight Explained- Knights Of The Roundtable, The After Credits Scene, And Did Gawain Die?

Finally, after waiting nearly a year for A24 and David Lowrey’s The Green Knight, it premiered in theaters today. The gorgeous, sweeping Arthurian tale was worth the wait. As epic as the cinematography was, the story is the intimate journey of one man who would one day become the most honorable of all knights. The Gawain we meet at the beginning of The Green Knight is anything but virtuous, though. Instead, this Gawain is self-indulgent, lusty, and aimless. That is until his mother takes matters into her own hands and forces the young man to confront his destiny. Here’s everything you need to know about Sir Gawain, The Green Knight, the poem it’s based on, and that ambiguous ending.

The poem

The Green Knight, known for his green clothes and skin, first appeared in the 14th century in a poem titled Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This short poem penned by the Pearl Poet portrays the mysterious character as immortal or, at the very least magical. Sir Gawain steps into King Arthur’s place and is tested by the Knight. He goes through a series of trials that he must complete before being spared.

The Lord and Lady trial in the poem finds Gawain recovering at a manor and striking a deal with Lord Bertilak. While Bertilak hunts by day, Gawain will recover at the house. What each man wins during the day they will share. Bertilak is a great hunter and returns each day with meat, but Gawain cannot rest. Each morning as the Lord leaves, the beautiful Lady Bertilak enters his chambers and attempts to seduce him. This results in Gawain trading chaste kisses with both the Lord and Lady of the manor. In the film, Gawain is tested by the Lady of the manor, who looks like Essel. She was a temptation put there by his mother to continue his testing.

The Lady is the one who gives Gawain the green girdle of invincibility. By taking the girdle and initially wanting to use it to defeat The Green Knight, he cheated both the test and Lord Bertilak. However, by removing the girdle and admitting his deceit, he became virtuous again.

The final act of the poem is a test of Gawain’s courage when he must present his neck for beheading three times. After doing so, the Green Knight reveals everything that happened in his journey to The Green Chapel was all a test, and he was found virtuous.

The Green Knight

The film’s version of the fearsome knight is a stone-like giant who is green and has birds and butterflies embroidered on his clothes, very similar to the antagonist from the poem. In the film version, Morgan le Fay, who is Gawain’s mother, has summoned him to force her son to grow up. He tests Gawain’s resolve and character in a terrifying and pressure-packed year-long quest to discover a way around being beheaded. In the poem, Gawain survives having proven his honor.

In future stories, he is traditionally an ally of Arthur’s, if somewhat terrifying one. He frequently disguises himself to perform the trials. Elaborate honey pot schemes are often used. The Knight also appeared in The Greene Knight, and King Arthur, and King Cornwell. In each story, he is described as a tester of virtue. He was tasked with this job and embued with magic by Morgan le Fay in only Sir Gawain. In the others, his magical origins are murkier.

The Green Knight appears in early texts from Arabic to Sicilian, to name just a few. The poem is the only instance in English text where the character has green skin, but an early Islamic tale in the Quoran features a green-hued character called the Green Man. He was turned green by being the only person ever to have drunk from the water of life. In the Quoran and Sir Gawain, the Green Knight tests honorable men, Moses and Gawain, respectfully.

The Camelot tales are big into chivalry and honor above all else. The Knight’s purpose is to test the strength of that honor. In the poem, Sir Gawain is a loyal and valued knight. In the movie, he isn’t there yet. He always is a heroic figure who is strong, courageous, and honest. Gawain is human, however, and is tested by earthly pleasures, including sex and mortality. The film’s version of Gawain spends a great deal of time in Essel’s bed, although he was told to leave her alone because he could never marry her. He also tries to cheat the Green Knight’s final test by wearing a girdle that would make him invincible. Additionally, he has a sexual encounter with the Lady and is unkind to many along the way.

He confesses his sin to the Green Knight and says he will wear the girdle for the remainder of his life to symbolize that our failings are not erased just because they are hidden. Thus, all of Camelot chooses to adopt the symbol as a sign that admitting your flaws and being humble is as important as not doing something wrong, to begin with.

No one knows exactly why the Knight is green. As the powerful knight seems immortal, it is likely a nod to nature and the life cycle. The unbridled power of the natural world coupled with the ability to regenerate makes the knight dangerous. The Devil is often portrayed as green in early British writings and artwork. With the Knights’ undeniable supernatural qualities, he could be seen as devilish or, at the very least chaotic. Additionally, the Celts avoided green clothing because it was thought to be bad luck. The Knight is often depicted as being clothed in green with gold embellishments and having a wild beard. This description would allow him to embody both “the green man” of vitality and “the wild man” of anarchy.

The Fox and the Sightless Lady

Both are manifestations of Gawain’s mother. Morgan le Fay uses both as guides and tools to watch over her son. The older woman is clearly Morgan as she wears similar clothing, and both have direct interaction with the green girdle. She was present when the Lady seduces Gawain, who later gives him back the green girdle. Morgan starts Gawain’s quest by giving him a green belt that looks suspiciously like the one he has at the end. The thieves steal that belt, but it seemingly returns to him later. Gawain can trust both the Fox and the Sightless Woman as much as he can trust his mother.

The ending and did Gawain pass the test?

The ending of The Green Knight is split into two parts. The first is grim foreshadowing of what would be if Gawain chose to value his life over virtue and cheated The Green Knight. In the first, Gawain doubts his magical power and uses the girdle. He has already failed at several challenges, having been duped by the three thieves, roofied himself with mushrooms, and gotten frisky with the Lady who looked like Essel. He failed the ultimate test by displaying cowardice and using the girdle, and claiming victory in Camelot. Initially, he has glory, family, and power, but the weight of his guilt eventually taints everything, and his family and kingdom are destroyed.

This reading of the story seems to hint at further manipulation from Morgan le Fay. She has already orchestrated a massive game and as a powerful sorcerer. It wouldn’t be that difficult for her to implant that vision of the future to influence her son. If that is the case, then Gawain did not pass the test honorably when he put down the girdle and accepted fate because Morgan forced the change of heart.

More likely, Gawain’s time with the beheaded ghost Winifred was the catalyst for his epiphany. In the moments before cheating the Green Knight, his conscience gives him a glimpse of his bleak future which he could use as a catalyst to choose another path. We do not see the ax fall, so it is up to the viewer to decide if he dies or is spared. In the poem, he is spared, but the movie is another story. Just before the knight says, “Off with your head,” he knicks his neck, leaving the scar Gawain carries forever in the stories.

In the movie, we don’t see the aftermath. Either his choice to embrace chivalry renders him useless to his mother, who wants to manipulate the power he would hold by defeating the Green Knight, and he is beheaded, or his sacrifice is rewarded with his life. The after-credits scene further complicates things. Gawain’s daughter is shown playing with Arthur’s crown. Did he live to sire the child who will one day be Queen? Was Essel already pregnant prior to the Green Chapel, and this is just the byproduct? Is the child another attempt at a power grab by Morgan? Is the crown a clue?

Throughout the film, Morgan appears to be helping her son. In many forms and in many ways, she wants him to succeed. She would not devise a trial that he would actually die from. Gawain lives and goes on to father at least one daughter. Since things are reimagined in The Green Knight, Gawain’s daughter may be Morgause, who will one day birth Mordred in the myths. This could be a nod that he cannot change fate despite Gawain’s best efforts, and Arthur will die.

In Arthurian legend, Sir Gawain lives long past the Green Knight trial wearing a green belt as a symbol that shame and failure can never be erased despite doing the right thing. He is eventually killed by Sir Lancelot, who grieved at his grave for days after. The two who were once friends became mortal enemies when Lancelot accidentally killed one of Gawain’s brothers. Although Gawain died at Lancelot’s hand, he was beloved by his friend.

The compelling story is one of self-awareness and a willingness to reject our baser human instincts. Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is an enduring story for the epic message at the story’s heart. To fail is human. To strive to do better while never forgetting your mistakes makes you a hero. The Green Knight is in theaters now.

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