October 2017 – Addendum

In reading the second half of the story, particularly the climax scene, I was particularly confused by the concept of the Green Chapel. Several things about it seemed slightly odd to me, primarily that it isn’t a chapel at all, but rather more of a hollow mound in the ground. The recurring theme of the color green in still represented, but for a poem with heavy religious themes written in a time when piety was extremely important, it almost seems counterintuitive that there wouldn’t be an actual chapel. Additionally, the fact that the “chapel” doesn’t have a defined location gives it a somewhat otherworldly feel. This prompted me to research the region’s history and traditions further in hope of gaining a better understanding of this famous scene.

I discovered that while the fantastic tales of mythical Camelot and King Arthur are likely fictitious, there likely was an actual King Arthur whose deeds earned him enough notoriety to be immortalized in literary history. Although many historians disagree on exactly where Arthur may have ruled, the general consensus is that it was likely somewhere in Wales or Southern England. I remembered studying Celtic mythology back in high school, and the concept of mystical mounds is a common theme throughout Celtic and Irish mythology.

The Celts believed that the “Otherworld”, home of deities, fairies, mystical creatures, and even the dead, could be accessed through caves that resemble the Green Chapel. Heroes in these mythologies could access the Otherworld through these portals as part of epic quests, which aren’t that different from the Romance themes that helped shape many epic poems of the time, although Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written centuries later.

The author likely drew on Celtic, Welsh, and Irish mythology, as well as current Christian beliefs, to enhance the story, and add a mystical feeling to them. We can see parallels through mythological beliefs and story structure, suggesting that centuries old writings and legends were major contributing factors in the writing of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Personally, I believe that knowing this background information makes the climactic scene all the more epic, and I certainly understand it much more than I did prior.

Sir Gawain and Chivalry

In the medieval period, a big aspect of the knight’s way of life was the whole concept of chivalry. In all, this concept of chivalry in Sir Gawain’s age was completely different from what the concept of chivalry means nowadays. In the medieval era, it was a set of rules that governed how a knight lived his life, most of which involved said knight pledging everything he did in each of his days in the advancement of church and to protect her, however, this is not true in our day in age. In our current time, chivalry is thought to be a set of rules that a man follows in an attempt to be courteous and kind to any woman he happens upon. This is often declared in online dating profiles and in online message boards by a man in an attempt to “woo” a lady with his charm and civility. The rules that the current day chivalric man abides by are more keenly seen as simply good manners that were instilled in him by his parents or any other authoritative figure in his life. This modern-day idea of chivalry includes ideas such as a man should always open any door for a woman and allow her inside first, that he should always offer her his umbrella if it should rain while they are out, going without one himself if needed, taking her hand to stabilize her as she walks as to not let her fall, and as seen in some cheesy sit-com episodes, if there is a puddle she can walk through, instead of walking around it, a man should always lay down his jacket into it so that she will not dirty her shoes or legs. However, if this were true romantic era chivalry, the man would not lay down his jacket for her to walk across, he would lay down his life in pursuit of eliminating the infidels from his country that are threatening the power of his true lady, The Church, all while screaming at the top of his lungs, “DEUS VULT!”. This modern interpretation of chivalry is noble, but it ultimately represents a secular change in our society. It goes from us laying down our lives for our church, to us laying down out jackets for our fair maidens. This is not a bad thing, however, since I do not think most people would want to lay down their lives for the church, due to the fact that there would not be many pertinent opportunities. The fact that the idea of chivalry changed from the medieval era to our current day shows that ideas that were common and popular in the past may not have left our society completely. They may have undergone dynamic changes due to the changes in our society and had adapted to fit the needs of our society better.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Introduction and FITT i

I think it is respectable how Sir Gawain volunteered in King Arthur’s place to challenge the supernatural green knight. While I appreciate the first blooming of Arthurian chivalry, I was surprised that King Arthur did not want to challenge the green knight himself. In this story, King Arthur is young and I expected him to be hot-headed and desire to make the first blow on the giant’s head. This story reminds me of the ancient parable “an eye for an eye” since however fiercely Sir Gawain strikes the green knight, the green knight will strike Gawain with that same force. Since this story contains a supernatural challenger, the green knight will not die from Sir Gawain’s blow, and I predict that Sir Gawain will die when he has to face the green knight a year later.

I think it is ironic how the knights of the round table were supposedly the bravest men in the land and, yet, when a worthy challenger comes to the castle, all of the knights except one stay silent when they are challenged. Maybe since King Arthur is young, he and his other knights have not gone on their many adventures yet and have not fully developed their bravery. Only when the green knight scoffs at the knights’ silence does the knights’ pride take a blow. I am curious to know in this story if the insulting of the knights’ pride is the sole catalyst that will cause them to take action.

I believe Sir Gawain demonstrates chivalry in two ways in this story: he steps up in place of his king to fight, and he shows trustworthiness. Unlike the other knights who were dumbfounded by the green knight and kept silent, Sir Gawain humbles himself before Arthur by calling himself the “weakest of [his] warriors” and, thus, the knight who should die fighting the green knight. Sir Gawain is willing to sacrifice himself for the betterment of the court and that shows chivalry and selflessness. Sir Gawain also shows trustworthiness since he volunteers in Arthur’s place to challenge the green knight, and then he follows through by striking the green knight. Sir Gawain kept his word which is important. It will be interesting to see if Sir Gawain’s chivalry continues throughout the story since he has promised to find the green knight in a year in order to receive his own blow. In my opinion, Sir Gawain would not be chivalrous anymore if he backed out on his word with the green knight.

This story reminds me of the Biblical story of David and Goliath. David was a young boy who volunteered for the Israelites to fight the giant Goliath. Just like Sir Gawain called himself the weakest warrior, David was the youngest and weakest son in his family when he fought Goliath. Both of these stories prove that someone does not have to be the strongest person in the room in order to rise up against a formidable enemy.

Milun and the Influences of Romance

Marie de France’s Milun is a classic example of a typical romance. Romances have been popular throughout hundreds of years because of the way these stories make their readers feel. When reading a romance, there is usually a structural standard of some sort of separation followed by a reunion.

In the story of Milun, two lovers are secretly seeing each other and become pregnant. At the time, pregnancy before marriage comes with serious punishments, so the couple decides to send their child to the woman’s sister to be cared for. They plan on reuniting once the child is grown up.

While reading this story, I was made more aware of the reasoning behind the consistently flourishing business in romantic books and movies. The plot lines cause a wide range of emotions in the audience members, but they ultimately end in happiness and hope. In Milun, the plot causes the reader to feel a wide range of emotions. There is a certain sadness present in the reader when Milun and his mistress are so in love with each other but can not be together. The reader’s desire for the couple to be together “happily ever after” is ever-present in this story.

However, the sadness transitions to happiness when the entire family is reunited following the death of the woman’s husband. When I was reading, there was also a certain amount of relief when the messenger tells Milun and his son that the husband was already dead. This relief stemmed from the fact that I did not necessarily want the son to kill the husband in order to reunite their family.

My personal feelings became intertwined with the story as I felt pity for these three people that love each other very much but could not be together for so long. Despite feelings of sadness and pity, however, I enjoyed reading this story because of the happy ending. When the family ends up together, the “happily ever after” factor leaves the reader with only the best feelings. People tend to feel happy when seeing problems being resolved and bad situations turning to good, and the romance genre uses human feelings to its advantage.

Paradise Lost Book 3

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Book 3 of Paradise Lost. It was interesting to read about the fall of man as an epic poem. I have read about this topic in my Bible; however, I found it fascinating to read it from Milton’s perspective. I found it intriguing to read about the original sin as seen through the eyes of God in Milton’s interpretation. I also found it interesting to get Milton’s perspective on why Jesus volunteered himself as a ransom for mankind.

A passage that stood out to me is where God speaks to Jesus about what he understands is going to happen on Earth. In lines ninety-eight through ninety-nine, God says, “I made him just and right, sufficient to have stood, though free to fall” (Milton 1989). Here, we can infer God blames himself for the corruption of mankind by his adversary, the Devil. God says he is to blame since he gave mankind the power of free will. He gave man the option to choose to stand with God, however, he does not force them. These lines stood out to me because I do not feel God is to blame. He gave his creation the gift of free will meaning he does not force people to obey him. If God had not given man freedom of choice, he would be forcing his creation to do behave like a programmed robot which is not what a loving God would do.

Another passage that stood out to me is where God answers Jesus’ plea to have mercy on mankind. Lines 191 through 193 say “To prayer, repentance, and obedience due, though but endeavored with sincere intent, mine ear shall not be slow, mine eye not shut” (Milton 1991). God is telling Jesus if man is sincere in his prayers for forgiveness, he will never ignore them. This spoke to me because I grew up believing this. I think Milton’s word choice is a beautiful way to express the love God has for his creation.

Finally, a section of Book 3 I found thought-provoking is when God asks for one of his angels to give himself as a ransom for the sins of man in order to receive salvation. (Milton 1991) Lines 217 and 218 state, “He asked, but all the heav’nly choir stood mute, and silence was in Heav’n; on man’s behalf” (Milton 1991). These lines caused me to pause and think about the scene in heaven when God made his request. I have grown up learning about the original sin of man. In my head, I pictured the angels fighting over who would save mankind willingly from death. In Milton’s interpretation, the angels were not eager to sacrifice themselves. Milton mentions the ransom had been set, yet without salvation mankind would be given over to death and lost forever. Finally, the Son of God speaks up in man’s behalf. (Milton 1991) Before Jesus speaks up, reading this made me anxious because if he had not volunteered, man would be unable to receive God’s forgiveness.

Paradise Lost: Book 3

John Milton starts Paradise Lost: Book 3 with the quote, “Hail holy Light, offspring of Heav’n firstborn.” (1987) This is the foundation for the focus of the book. The use of light is a powerful tool in this piece, acting as imagery to describe the heavenly effect God desires to have on mankind, as well as illumination in Milton’s mind.

Milton writes that God is Heaven, watching everything that has been taking place on earth and in Hell. He knows what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen in the future, and begins to question His plan. He sees a fall in mankind, an evil from Satan that will become a cancer to man, causing them to lack love and mercy. The light in this case comes from the overall presence of God throughout man. The love He shows humanity will build faith and trust in Him, ultimately leading to a world where man can be capable of sincere love towards others. This is seen when Milton writes, “Man shall not quite be lost, but saved who will, yet not of will in him, but grace in me freely bestowed; once more I will renew his lapsed powers, though forfeit and enthralled by sin to foul exorbitant desires; upheld by me, yet once more he shall stand on even ground against his mortal foe.” (1990) God expects a downfall, but attacks this threat by pouring his light into the spiritual souls of mankind. This light symbolizes God’s grace and love, which can fight the temptations Satan brings to humanity.

God’s light and presence is also seen in the book when Milton asks that heavenly light illuminate his mind with divine knowledge. Milton desires to spread God’s word to others, and the only way he sees this possible is by being gifted with heavenly knowledge from God himself. For example, Milton writes, “So much the rather thou celestial Light, shine inward, and the mind through all her powers irradiate, there plant eyes, all mist from thence purge and disperse, that I may see and tell of things invisible to mortal light.” (1988) This inner light given from God would give Milton the ability to share incomprehensible and invisible things to others, such as Heaven, Hell, and the past. God’s light and presence has the power to connect with individuals in order to share and translate spiritual thoughts and beliefs.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Paradise Lost: Book 3. Although Milton is tricky to read and understand, the challenge makes the comprehension that much more meaningful. I was most interested in how light symbolized the positive and negative aspects of mankind, and the presence of evil in society, acting as darkness. God’s love and grace is shown through the light he gives off in Milton’s piece, and without it, the fall of mankind could have been much more severe.

Paradise Lost, Book 1

Paradise Lost surprised me. Before I read it, I knew that it was an epic poem to do with the fall of humanity into sin. However, I was surprised to find that it focused so much on Satan. In a classic epic, there is always a hero, a protagonist who is usually outlined very early on in the story. This hero is often a proud warrior or leader. In this case, Satan seems to be painted as the hero. His second-in-command Beelzebub calls him as “leader of those armies bright” (line 272), referring to how he led the army of opposition in the war of heaven. Later, Satan calls out “warriors . . . repose your wearied virtue” (lines 316-20) in the way that a valiant, brave general would call out to his troops. This is interesting because Satan is unanimously considered the antagonist in Christian belief. I believe he will turn out to be the antagonist in Paradise Lost, but it is definitely odd that Milton seemed to place Satan in the position of protagonist to begin with.

This is a drawing of Satan in Paradise Lost, depicted as a warrior.

Milton also surprised me by the styling of his epic. He clearly wanted to keep with tradition since he wrote a classic introduction calling to the muse, started the story “in the midst”, and included a catalogue element. However, he peppered some rhyme into it, which is unheard of in epics. Several lines in Satan’s speech rhyme: “tend . . . there . . . offend . . . repair . . . despair” (lines 183-191). This makes me think that Milton didn’t just want to write an epic, he wanted to write the best epic. He wanted his work to stand out and be remembered by adding unique qualities like rhyme and taking on such a daunting, important topic.

Paradise Lost Book 1

I think it is interesting that Milton decided to start with Satan’s story. At least in Book 1, Satan seems to be portrayed like an anti-hero, rather than just an antagonist. If not for his explicitly stated desires to “ever do ill” and “out of good still to find means of evil,” Satan seems almost like a rebel fighting against tyranny (line 160, 165, 1950). Satan is also charismatic and emotional, which I suppose many antagonists share these qualities. However, these qualities also help with the image of someone fighting against the tyranny of another. He gives speeches to the other fallen angels who quickly rise to follow him. Also, three times, “tears such as angels, weep burst forth,” meaning he cried thrice before he was able to give his speech about wanting to corrupt the new world God was building (line 620, 1960). Despite knowing the evil that Satan wants to spread, he does not come off as a classical bad guy to me. I do, however, recognize that Satan is also bitter, petty, and power hungry, agreeing that it is “better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven” (line 263, 1952). This quote could be used to serve my argument that he is resisting tyranny because he does not want to be a servant anymore. It can also be used just to show his defiance of God and evil nature.

It is his goal to defy God and cause harm to all by leading people to damnation. Satan’s large appearance is compared to an island that a sailor might land on; this represents Satan’s ability to lead people astray. I also find it interesting that the main way the fallen angels damn people is by posing as false Gods. They make council in a temple of riches they built named Pandemonium which literally means “all demons” as opposed to the opposite “all gods” (1963). This is a perfect name for their temple since they cause chaos (a synonym to pandemonium) by posing as gods to harm people.

I cannot wait to see how Satan’s character is portrayed in the rest of the epic and how he will play his part in Milton’s story of Adam and Eve.