Thread by @LadyCadashing

I am having some thoughts about the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight adaptation I posted about earlier. Not bad thoughts, I should mention! Just some contemplations. So here's a super nerdy thread of me doing some medieval musing.

So Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is my absolute favorite medieval text. Gawain in general is my favorite knight, for many reasons (ask me if you want more nerdy gushing about Gawain). One of the reasons I love it is because it's such a rich text.

Plot-wise, SGGK really isn't that dense. Summary: An entity comes to challenge Arthur at Christmas to a behading game that is rigged in the entity's favor through magic. Gawain, being a good knight, takes his King's place in danger, and must suffer the trials put to him after.

He gets one year to put his affairs in order and then has to go face the Green Knight at New Years. He gets lost, meets a lord, stays for xmas, and engages in a competition to exchange their "winnings" at the end of the day. The lord goes out hunting while Gawain gets smooched.

Gawain smooches the lord when he gets back in exchange for whatever the lord has caught. He's usually honest, but on the day he needs to go see the Green Knight and face being beheaded, the lady gives him a magical belt. Gawain does not share this "winning" with the lord.

When he goes to face the Green Knight, he's spared from death because he was honest, except for a cut on the neck because he lied about the belt.

(also ta-da! the Green Knight is the lord, who would have guessed).

Gawain goes home alive, the end.

What makes SGGK such an amazing poem is how rich it is. I'm not being metaphorical when I say that reading SGGK is an experience. It was meant to be read and re-read. It's dense, and packed with an insane amount of small moments and visuals that are distinct and beautiful.

For example, Gawain putting on his armor before heading out to find the Green Knight is a visually rich moment. We see him suited up in fine detail. His armor, the design on the inside and outside of his shield, the colors, his features, ect.

Same with the first appearance of the Green Knight, who is described in what can only be explained as t h i c c medieval beefcake.

Also, the poem oscillates between earthly sensuality and spirituality, which aren't mutually exclusive when performed according to chivalric values

Also, if you want to do some deep dives into medieval texts through the lens of queer theory, there is just. So Much. in this text. Seriously, just read the part w/ Gawain & Bertilak snogging, it's not some quick peck on the lips. The subtext is strong with Gawain & Sir Beefcake!

Gawain's internal struggle with his draw toward earthly life (Christmas parties, kissing men & women, feasts, games) and his spiritual & chivalric duties coupled with intense visual imagery are at the very core of what makes this poem compelling & evergreen.

This is why adaptations of medieval texts are often so hard. They are absolutely meant to be read and contemplated over and over again. They are the literary equivalent of lambas bread-- there's enough in one bite to keep you going for ages. Literally. It's been like 600 years.

So this is what makes adaptations really tricky. Because if you stick too closely to the original text, you'll often find that it's shallow and pale feeling in comparison. There just isn't that much, plot-wise. Stray too far and it loses the heart of what makes it special.

This isn't to say that its impossible to adapt while maintaining the heart of what makes SGGK important, mind you. But it will require a devotion to building complex characters that a lot of medieval movies lack, or replace with sword fights.

I can see this veering from the text in a few ways: 1, they make it about a love triangle between Gawain and the Bertilaks, 2. they make the relationship between the Green Knight & Gawain adversarial, & 3, they replace character building with sword fights and make-out sessions

i.e. turning it into most Arthuriana-based movie before it. Doing these things won't mean its not a success financially or even as a narrative, but I personally feel it wouldn't share the same spirit as the poem. Which is in general a problem with most Arthurian adaptations, tbh.

Anyway, I'm still looking forward to seeing David Lowery's version. I don't think it's blasphemy to be different than a text during adaptations. But there's a lot of difficulties in doing it, and the reasons for them aren't simple. It's gonna be interesting to see the results!

Also because most won't read this thread (I don't blame you), some highlights:

t h i c c medieval beefcake bertilak
Gawain is a bi icon
sword fights can't replace a lack of personality
Arthur is a dick

That last one wasn't really in the thread but is worth saying anyway.

Also, just to make this easier for me to copypaste and post elsewhere, @threadreaderapp unroll please 💕