This SWA has several questions for you to consider, so pay close attention to the prompt.
First of all, I would like you to discuss your opinion of Lady Bertilak. What do you think about her behavior? How does she compare to your opinion of how women are supposed to behave? What about how you think women of the Middle Ages are supposed to behave? Does she overstep any boundaries? How/why/why not, and be careful to explain your answer and refer to specific passages?
Consider how your perception of her has changed from the first reading assignment versus now, when the poet explains the stakes of the game (the pact between Gawain and Lord Bertilak/his wife) and discuss this in your answer.
Were you surprised by the identity of the Green Knight? Looking back through the text, are you able to find any clues that hint at his identity? If so, what are they?
My final question to you is to prepare for viewing the 2021 film by David Lowery and the SWA you will have to write for that. Do you have any disappointments about the poem? Be careful to explain what they are, and discuss how you might rectify any issues you have with the poem in a film adaptation. There are many things to consider, but here are a few ideas:
~the role of women in the poem
~the role of magic in the film
~competing masculinities in the film (this is something well also discuss in our reading of Chaucer
~how would you cast the characters?
~are there scenes that you would add? Delete?
Youll return to these questions in the next SWA, so be mindful about your answers here.
