Sir Gawain and the Green Knight vs. Sword of the Valiant. The representation of the Green Knight in comparison

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Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, University of Bonn (Institut für Anglistik, Amerikanistik und Keltologie), course: English Medieval Studies, language: English, abstract: The Gawain-Poet introduces a mysterious and magical character in his poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Green Knight is a dangerous and powerful character in the beginning of the plot. He sets the happenings in motion and is the reason for Gawains journey. However, the Green Knight is uncovered to not be the main villain of the story. Therefore, there must be hints at his weakness and vulnerability throughout the plot, just as the depiction of magical elements. The same applies to the movie adaptation Sword of the Valiant directed by Stephen Weeks. Although Weeks adaptation shows clear alterations to the poem, the beginning and the ending of the plots can still be compared. As for the beginning, in both versions the Green Knight enters the Arthurian court and explains his errand. Towards the end, both versions of Gawain find themselves in the Green Chapel. Thus, these two scenes are comparable. This paper aims at answering the question whether the representation of the Green Knight in the original poem corresponds to the movie Sword of the Valiant. Moreover, this paper is going to focus on the aspect of vulnerability and magical elements. Thus, the following questions will be answered: How is vulnerability portrayed in contrast to each other, and in how far is magic emphasized through the depiction of the Green Knight?

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