1 - Look. I know it’s not pronounced “Garwin.” YOU know it’s not pronounced “Garwin.” But that’s how everyone says Gawain’s name in this movie, and I figured it would be confusing for me to be calling him one thing while the footage calls him another. 2 - It’s weird that the movie arguably blames Gawain for being sexually assaulted, right? I say arguably because you can make a case for it not quite being that. She does get his audible consent, and later when the Lord kisses Gawain, you could argue that he makes his move slowly enough that Gawain could have said something before the kiss, but there is also a definite power imbalance in both of these cases, right? Gawain seems pretty scared during these encounters. The Lord and Lady read to me as like friendly-but-menacing. Uncanny nightmares of the psyche. Their sex/smooch scenes seemed steeped in that dreamy sort of vibe, the kind of dreams where you behave in a way that you hopefully wouldn’t in real life and then you wake up and go “oh my god, why did I do that?” But most critics I read seemed to feel that the narrative is blaming Gawain the most here. That the scorn of the Lady and the Lord after Gawain did or didn’t submit to them is how the audience should feel. “Gawain has failed the test of chastity and fellowship” and so on. As if we should agree when the Lady says “You are no knight” and that we too are sad that Gawain doesn’t hook up with the Lord. Me, I felt like these were more ambivalent touches, tying back to my comments in the video about how there is no consistent narrative karma to give us that kind of moral guidance. Either way, that blindfolded old lady is there too, who I guess is supposed to either be Gawain’s Mom or some extension of her magic/coven? Sooo that’s just a whole of layer of WTF that I can’t even begin to penetrate. These events are also in the original poem, and I guess a story about sex-obsessed temptress harassing a man who has explicitly said no multiple times I some rough source material to have to adapt, but it feels like it feels like it plays out LESS consensually in the movie than in the original text. Bizarre, imo 3 - There’s a vague scene after the credits which features a hint that Gawain became king and had a daughter. I guess the implication of her putting on the crown suggests that Gawain maybe possibly hopefully won’t ignore his daughter’s wishes the way he previously ignored Essel and I guess his mother’s? It stops short of being a happy epilogue and settles for a hopeful one. 4 - So Gawain IS going to live at the end, I think? That moment where the Green Knight runs his thumb across Gawain’s neck, that’s him “returning the blow that was given to me,” right? 5 - For some reason, this exchange always cracks me up: “Are you ready?” (Long pause) “Are you ready?” (Long pause) “Yes.” “Then I shall get to hacking.” I dunno, he seems so bla·sé about it, it’s great 6 - I say fantasy is about empowerment, but I wanted to clarify that I don’t JUST mean individual empowerment. It’s also often about the empowerment of a group of friends or community. 7 - I am mildly paranoid that Gawain’s original portrait does not, in fact, portray him as white. That maybe it’s just lit weird or the brown paint is just faint. I asked a bunch of people and they all thought it looked white, so uh… that’s about as scientific as I knew how to get with that. Even if it’s accidental, I still prefer my version lol 8 - Okay so last thing I had this fun speculation thing that I at least haven’t seen anywhere else, but like… I think it’s really interesting that a lot of Gawain’s dystopian future seems to play out from the POV of his Mom. Gawain himself becomes an uncanny character, defined by his own kind of weird ambiguous distance from us. We see a lot of these developments through the eyes of his Mom, who is also the final person to leave Gawain at the end of the sequence. It’s fun to think about how maybe not only is the Mom still controlling the Green Knight at the end, making the whole dilemma secretly toothless (probably), but that even the vision might be some sort of divination enchantment or memory spell or whatnot. Talk about a big payoff to the “women telling Gawain when he’s screwing up” pattern. But also interesting to just think that maybe this is all organically going through Gawain’s head, and as his life flashes before his eye… he sees himself through his mother’s eyes, realizes he didn’t want to disappoint her most of all.
Are they saying garwin? I heard gaawin, as in a long "a" sound like in "all". Doesn't really matter, but still, seems more faithful to how it's written
@@malicewonder8345 I see, but a more accurate American English translation of the movie's pronunciation (and arguably the welsh as well) would probably be [ˈɡɑːwən], as opposed to [ˈɡʌɹwən]
Well, considering they spelled honour "honor", I suppose you can't expect much from the pronunciation either. Anyhoo, I love your videos, I look forward to every one of them.
Arthur's vague confidence that Gawain will figure it out and save his ailing kingdom reminds me so much of so many conversations I have had with older people who take comfort in their belief that I and my generation can sort the world out in a way that they never could. They offer no advice, no counsel, just trust that I can handle this. they do this to make themselves feel better, not for my sake or really for the sake of the world they feel unable to help save.
Or…. they tell you that because they think you’re smarter or just have better traits and therefore more qualified to handle such tasks. What a weird way you have to interpret someone’s confidence in your generation into simply a lousy cop-out 😂😂😂
I believe it is the fox who represents friendship and fellowship. Gawain falls short of that chivalric ideal in the end when he shouts and drives away the fox who has been nothing but a fine companion to him, angrily insisting ,"[He] never asked for your help!". This is an explicit rejection of friendship and fundamental misunderstanding of fellowship; very rarely does anyone explicitly ask for friendship from someone, it is merely something that develops naturally to the mutual benefit of both. In the end when the fox says things to Gawain that he doesn't want to hear, he wants to pretend that the fox means nothing to him.
In regards to Camelot being in flames and pestilent, it ties back into the concept of the Fisher King, where the land falls ill when the king is ill. Arthur is still in high spirits because he knows it's the end of his reign but soon to be the beginning of another bright-eyed young man and that the misery of winter will be blossoming into spring again. Having said that, great analysis!
That is a general theme of Irish, Scottish, and Welsh folklore, actually! That the soverign is king because he's best suited to protect the land and his fertility is a literal reflection of the fertility of the land. If the land is failing it's the king's fault, and if the king is failing, well... But it's not just his physical fertility, it's the king's worthiness to lead. It's gotta be both. If you have a fertile but wicked king (like Gawain) the land won't change much...
I just watched Excalibur the other day, and it’s incredible how pervasive this theme is in Arthurian legend. “The land and the king are one” is basically the overriding ideology of the entire film.
Going from the Arthurian lore perspective, I think it's interesting that this Gawain is essentially a portrayal of Gawain from the Prose Tristan and Post-Vulgate eras of Gawain. It has been noted that there's a shift in portrayal of Gawain over time as Lancelot, Tristan, and Galahad become more prominent characters, all functioning to make Gawain essentially serve as a demonstrator of how good these greater knights are. Gawain is weaker than they are, shorter than they are, less courteous, and less noble. He becomes essentially the embodiment of a knight who is always second-best, and is portrayed as an ignoble brute quite often in these tales. The movie to me felt like it took a sympathetic view towards such a version of Gawain; what would happen to a man who felt like he was so lesser to his peers and how did he get that way. Gawain is selfish and cowardly, but it is easy to see how he would become that way. How could he be anything but, when he has been forced to live in the shadow of great men. It doesn't matter that they are great for reasons that aren't martial (see Arthur being the one to tell Gawain that he shouldn't play the game) or that some of them aren't great at all (the clapping knights), Gawain sets a self-fulfilling prophecy for himself that he cannot live up to this standard. It think it's worth noting that in these later characterizations of Gawain, he is often melded with the character of Mordred, and the dystopian future fantasy feels almost like due to his shame and inability to accept being a big, strong man, Gawain will inevitably become a Mordred figure. A tyrant who will consume the kingdom because what he has will never be enough to satisfy him and who will try to achieve greatness without actually going through the work for it (literally running from his responsibilities and his obsession wit hthe sash as a safety net). When Gawain yields at the end to his fate, what he is essentially doing is realizing that what makes someone great is not being a big man and killing dudes harder. And from the Arthurian lore perspective, it rehabilitates the Gawain of earlier tales in the Vulgate cycle, where he may not be the best knight, but it did not matter. He was still a good man even if he was not the strongest, and he can be forgiven for not being the strongest.
No one will see this: I thought this movie was about meaning vs nihilism Gawain goes on the quest because the quest feels like a fairytale, an epic legend with a “good ending” and maybe a “moral of the story”, which represent the meaning that he looks for in life. I didn’t interpret his interaction with Winifred as him asking for sex as much as it was him asking for a reward, maybe magical assistance, for his good deed like characters in story would get, because he still believes that the world in general and his quest in particular worked like a fairytale story. When he faced the green knight and asked “is this all there is?” He is asking “is my story going to just end with me dying? Where is the happy ending? Where is the moral of the story?” -and the green knight essentially tells him: “there is no meaning, your life isn’t a story at all” After being given this answer, Gawain flees from the chapel with a kind of fear that I thought was more than just the fear for his life, but existential terror in realizing that the meaning he sought does not exist at all. He lives the rest of his life unable to escape that terror, he goes through the motions of raising a child, being king, marrying, fighting wars looking but is emotionally numb throughout because he can’t find the idealistic, fairytale meaning of life. In the end, he takes off the sash which I take to represent his belief that magic is real and by extension that the world works like fairytales say it does, and the green knight praises him for confronting the essential meaninglessness of existence. Whether he kills Gawain or not no longer matters, since death will find him sooner or later. “Off with your head” could mean “now I will kill you” or “you can now leave and take your head with you”-“off” meaning “go away” in this case.
Nice interpretation... to me it feels like you found meaning in the film I did not. Different lives I suppose. By the end of the film any meaning, intrigue, and pleasure I had from the story was dead due to the clumsy telling, had it not been for that I would have re-watched it with your input in mind.
This was mostly my takeaway, too. I personally think some of his rudderless behavior was because of his own waning belief in the fairytales he was told as he became an adult; the faded glory of Camelot seems to exist to drive that point home to both Gawain & the audience. We've all seen fantasy characters who make clearly wrongheaded choices due to unwavering belief in the dominant ideologies of the worlds they inhabit, but this wasn't that. Gawain is pathologically indecisive through most of the film's runtime, which felt more like a conscious artistic choice than it did an example of "bad writing". He doesn't FULLY believe in anything... he does a little bit of everything, just in case. He's Christian but clearly lapsed, he's a boyfriend(ish) but selfish and hardheaded, ditto with his relationship with his mom. He's constantly in flux. His journey to and encounter with the Knight totally obliterates his last few touchstones for "goodness", "honor" or even "reality". Like you said, his desire to find meaning at the end of his quest is met with nihilistic indifference and he breaks down, running away. Removing the sash felt like the final step toward choosing to wholeheartedly subscribe to a single course of action, without in some way hedging his bets.
Exactly my thoughts. The dude in the video is just blabbing all over in my opinion. People take the 'off with your head' line too literally and throw all sorts of stuff at the wall. The movement of the finger at the neck is maybe just some playfulness. IMO the story is more about the knight realizing what truly makes a knight vs what he thinks a knight is vs what the world around him thinks what a knight is.
This is basically my reading, with the core theme of the film being one of myth-making. It's essentially a film about a confused young boy struggling to reconcile myth and reality - being pressured by the world around him to pursue some vague notion of "greatness", while constantly being thwarted by harsh realities at every turn. Given this is a further twisting of a tale mangled by time and history, it's easy to read the film as a critique of how such storytelling is deployed, and most of the takes in this video could be seen as an extension of that. Likewise though, the one major place I diverge is in the interpretation of the ending. I didn't see it as submission to some hazily defined code of honour, but as a rejection of his quest for greatness. After facing the existential horror that is the dystopian reality of becoming the myth, he chooses to accept his ultimate insignificance and the futility of living on as a genuine legend. I think this fits in neatly with the somewhat quieter themes of man/society vs nature/death. As with all coming of age stories, he struggles to balance living up to society's expectations and living something more real. In the closing moments he rejects the falsity of societal narratives of great men, and submits to the embodiment of the natural inevitability of death - with the final shot deliberately ambiguous, to leave the audience with the same uncertainty he has finally embraced. But the beautiful thing about transcendental film - as perfectly captured by David Lowery in the quote at 24:45 - is that it invites the audience in to the process of creating meaning, allowing us to make our own connections rooted in our personal experience. The interpretation I'm offering suits me the best, but I think it is no more valid than any other presented here, and they all have value in encouraging us to reflect on our broader worldviews.
He’s not performing for the green knight at the end. He is doing what is honorable under his own standards . He is listening to himself for the first time. .
@@violatorut2003 Well, the masculinity is talked about the typical Chosen One motif. The Most Important Guy in The Kingdom, who has a legend of his awesomeness that everyone knows like King Arthur. And that it’s also typically Masculine behavior to tell Larger than Life stories to demonstrate how more awesome a guy is. We likely have had the same experience with our guy friends.
@@solokom And notice how my comment said nothing about how female warriors don’t exist, nor did my comment say ANYTHING about females in any way shape or form. My comment, is about the very much Masculine behavior that men have, to tell stories of their own achievements to increase their status or social standing even if said stories are exaggerated. You made the conversation about something my comment doesn’t even mention. You should read less, touch more grass.
I feel like at the end Gawain, by removing the belt, refuses to live the life, imposed on him by the people who surround him - the one that he envisioned earlier. Because this is the life that he will have to live if he returns as a heroic liar. Thus, he refuses to meet the social expectation - to return home as a hero, also refusing to follow the masculine 'knight's path'. He basically decides that he does not want to continue this game of masculinty, and if there are just two alternatives - death and this, he would rather choose death. However, the Green Knight spares him, opening the third option - to lvie outside the masculine game. This is why the ending is open - this is a new path that is yet to be discovered.
yeah this was more or less my take, I very much liked the video but I took Gawain's act of removing the belt as one rejecting the life imposed on him, not because he realized it was what the Green Knight wanted, but because he finally had made a choice for himself
i respect this interpretation but i think it is a little too neat. I don't think we should assume gawain survives. nature cannot choose to be merciful. death comes for all of us. we can accept that, and reject our egoistic selfish values and goals, but none of that will ultimately save us.
I was not born a man, but I've always wanted to be one. What I loved about this movie was the constant question of 'what would you do then' with every step we take with the protagonist. Yes, I have an idea as to what a man is supposed to be, what nobility should be like, but when the chips are down- wouldn't I flail for my life? yell at a friend while upset? ask what there would be for me if I did something good? Would doing any of these make me a failure, of simply human? Is one lone act going to make your whole life better, even the parts of yourself you hate? I felt like it was a lot of questions that boiled down to "in the end, if life and death will continue without you, does it matter enough for you to cling like this?" And I sure as hell haven't given myself an answer but I truly love these questions.
No one was ever born a man except teddy Roosevelt. He slipped out his momma with a cigar in his mouth, a rifle in hand and a skinning knife in the other before he slapped the doctor and left the hospital to go hunting.
This movie left me and my friend completely winded and speechless. It is ludicrously creative, bold, and skillfully made. But the dominant thing for me, is that I've never seen a movie that felt as...pagan as this. And by 'pagan' I mean it captures a feeling I've experienced but never seen captured in a bottle. That the earth is old. And powerful. Not strictly threatening, but profoundly unknown. And while not the exact sensation of 'being watched' at this moment, the distinct sense that something IS there, that could begin watching at any time. ....I have this photo, that I took the last time my family was in England. We were hiking in a forest that looks altogether too much like the ones in this movie, when we came upon a tree in a small clearing. It was a different species than all the ones around it, deciduous where the rest were pines. It must have been 150 feet tall. It was stripped of bark, smooth, but it was alive. And I was overwhelmed by the feeling I got from it. It felt foreign, ancient, alien. I was suddenly seized by a gut certainty that this...was not a normal tree in any way a modern person like me could fully understand. I both wanted to get closer, and also distinctly felt like I shouldn't. I took several good pictures, and we hiked on. And even now, that picture blown up onto posterboard and hung in my living room, I still feel strange when I look at it. It's calming, grounding, AND vaguely unsettling. It still has some strange power. The Green Knight feels like that.
I completely agree and the imagery of his shield bearing Catholic symbols being crushed and smashed juxtaposed with the vision of his body rotting and returning to the earth definitely supports your point.
IMHO the northman does a better job at pagan visualizations, especially capturing the mysteries & irrationalities as they would've been to the people then rather than just mysterious to us, the viewers.
from the moment i discovered your channel, i've slapped every single one of your videos in a playlist of videos with jacob geller, acolytes of horror, and fredrik knudsen, for when i'm in... *_this_* mood. i think you're absolutely wonderful, and i hope you're having a nice day. whatever it is you're "performing," i'm a big fan of it.
I rarely ever comment on youtube videos but ever since we found you, your videos have become the “drop everything you’re doing and watch” kind of videos for my best friend and I. Keep up the awesome work!
almost every mug i own is either missing the handle, broken in some areas or been clued together after fallen to the ground, shattering, but for some reason i never want to throw them out
The way I interpreted the "dystopian future" scene was that it was Gawain having a moment similar to a life flashing before his eyes. He explores the possibility of the choice of running away and ultimately finds himself unhappy and therefore finds peace in the possible death that awaits him. Of course, in hindsight, this wouldn't make much sense given his character. Another theory I had is that Morgana sends the Green Knight for Arthur, and needs to find a way to protect her son after he takes the challenge instead. The sash is her way of doing so without his knowledge, maybe similar to how (grand)mothers let their children win at games to make them feel confident. I don't know about the level of control she has over the Green Knight as the story progresses, nor about the challenges that lie in between, but my thoughts were that he keeps making the decisions that he, according to her, shouldn't because he never seems to learn. I interpreted the fox as some sort of version of her to communicate with Gawain and guide him. But with her/it's cryptic messages Gawain only becomes frustrated and eventually pushes the fox (his mother) away. Mothers want to protect their sons, but sometimes it may be best to let them make their own mistakes.
I honestly feel the line, "Well done, my brave knight," as spoken to an adult is more something a mother might say to her son, which would be in line with the film. You're not wrong that a father might say to his child, but only a young one, not an adult son.
Exactly! The cheek caress was so gentle and tender like a motherly gesture, not a typical shoulder or back pat that a stereotypical father figure would give.
I agree, “my brave knight” is totally the kind of thing a 14th century mother would say to her little boy that scraped his knee or played pretend crusades with sticks. 🖤
@@Rachel-og8jy While thats true, I dont think we should be categorising how a mother versus a father should show affection to their children. Saying the Green Knights words are more motherly than fatherly, despite the Green Knight being coded as very masculine, feels like its conforming to those toxic ideals of the distant father and the close mother, rather than recognising and critiquing them. We shouldnt be expecting fathers to grow distant to their sons while mothers get to stay close.
@@somethingblabla5720 I agree. The line felt natural and fatherly to me personally, even with the ages of the characters. Just because we aren't shown a lot of fathers doing this does not mean it's any less of a fatherly thing
I am genuinely looking forward to your new releases! I actually can't handle horror movies, but I'm deeply fascinated by them, so you let me vicariously experience them through these videos. Please continue to keep making these gems!
TBH I feel like this essay assumes that the movie is adhering to modern beliefs, and I always got the impression it was trying to frame things in the perspective of the characters in it. Gawain submitting himself to seeming death may be a foolish decision to a modern man, but to Gawain, he’s finally found what he considers ‘honor’. And he wants to stand by it, even if it means dying, because it will at least be on his own terms
Wow this is one of the best video essays i've ever seen. 11/10 This reminds me a lot of the poem "A Generic Husband" by Rebecca Hazelton, she describes a man who fits incredibly specific cliches for the expectation of a middle aged white suburban father. A guy who plays golf, drinks beer, plays the stock market, is into war history, has a bad tattoo, wears whimsical socks, and "who does not dream." The whole description is incredibly uncanny and even creepy with both it's syntax and repeated mentions that the man "has no questions." It feels like the narrator is trying desperately to convey that something is deeply wrong with this man but instead the whole poem is a list of benign facts. Most of which are regular and okay. The husband is so impossibly archetypical that I began to wonder if a person who is only perfectly what they were expected to be could even be considered human. He is only what he was supposed to be, which eventually culminates in a strange creature that exists more as a vessel than a person. Also my favorite part at the end: "Who clips a dog with his car and keeps driving. Who adjusts the mirror."
This movie hits close to home. I only recently realized the hollowness of my narcissist father's expectations for me. "What else ought there be?" Truly a question that one must ask before they become their own person.
A very interesting essay. Thought provoking. I loved the film despite it being very different from the poem. It is a poem in itself. I particularly liked your comment on how the film subverts the action hero movie tropes. It sparked the idea that so many young men today, like Gawain, are pretty much directionless. They see depictions of heroes in film like Gawain sees King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but cannot find a way to match them. He has no story to tell and neither do many young men today. “Is this all there is?” He asks. You go to school, get a job, a career, start a family, check all the boxes of expectation and in the end, what?
I love how this movie completely breaks the mold of a male story. For all the talk of female empowerment in media the complete curve ball of a realistic male reality but in the opposition of men needing to be the knight in shining armor. In the end 95+% of any group just want to enjoy life and not lead it.
but at the end of the movie he becomes someone worthy of being a knight even though he failed every other test he passed the only one that counted overcoming fear.
@@femto7579 He passed overcoming not only fear of physical destruction, but fear of the annihilation of his ego. The fear that comes from submission to the world and acting as you feel is right regardless is the thing he conquered most importantly, imo
These videos are such a safe space. I overthink about everything, especially art that I love. Green Knight blew me away and I could continue to dwell on it for the rest of my life. It’s comforting to know how much this affects others and I appreciate how well you put everything into words. I especially appreciate the Midsommar video for how I was going through deconstruction with christianity when it came out. You might not know the extent of how affecting your work can be to your audience, but please know that you’re great at how you do what you do.
@@LDW12887 What a lenghy post to say "I try to stay edgy to hide my disgusting personality and need to attack everyone since I'm a frustrated asshole". I'm honestly sorry that you are like that. Too much red pill?
@@7ngel not everyone is Christian. There’s nothing wrong with paganism. Midsommer isn’t even based off of real pagan culture. The creators of the movie invented a whole culture for the movie. And it’s not even a religion. It’s a cult
No lie, in my car on the way home from seeing The Green Knight, I thought about your essay on The Lighthouse and hoped you'd do one on TGK. You're very good at this. Thank you for taking the time to make these essays!
To me that sentence the Greene Knight says "...my brave knight" seemed to me so effeminate and gentle as if it was almost being said by Gawain's mother herself. The affectionate way it was said and the gentle stroke of the finger on Gawain's cheek... Perhaps it was still Gawain's mother controlling and speaking through the Greene Knight. Showing her pride in her son for finally commitimg an act of honor, but the honor that counts. Not the honor as seen and imposed by his fellow legendary and unrealistic knights, but the honor towards his own self. When he took that green sash off in the last moments it was an act of bravery, but bravery that saves no one. No one would celebrate Gawain for his bold standing up to the Greene Knight, he would be beheaded there, alone in that chapel and perhaps a song would be sung of his resolutness, but what has he out of this when he would be nothing but a dead skeleton with no head. His commitment to this seemingly unnecessary task bears no fruit except his final and complete surrender to the nature of all things: decay and death. And perhaps the ending line of the movie "And now: off with your head!" is quite exactly what it is: Greene Knight announcing the outcome of the quest we all kind of expected. Gawain would simply be beheaded and die in that chapel right then. No matter how "honorable" we live, the end awaits us all, but perhaps we can die knowing that we were fair to ourselves and made peace with the inevitable.
If you look at the scene where the Green Knight was stroking his finger across Gawain's neck. You can see his finger point to the exit of the green chapel when he says "Off with your head".
the fox was also the mother. he was being offered two paths. one where he embraced fear and bacame a knight someone who is honorable and chivalrous and kind. or he regrets fear and becomes dishonorable and cowardly and weak.
As for Gawain and the Lady I think he was definitely attracted to her, but knew of his promise to the Lord, and when she touched his crotch he realised that he didn't want her advances. In that scene I suddenly saw him as a young boy and wanted to protect him from that. Some people argue since he finished it meant he wanted it. I disagree, it was cold and forced and she enjoyed watching him become subdued and wanting it over with. What I saw in when Gawain kissed the Lord, was that I think Gawain would have much preferred a simple kiss compared to what happened, and in that he was sparing the Lord from what the Lady did to him (even if it seemed like the lord was interested in Gawain- in the poem I simply saw it as Gawain living up to his promise and I saw no 'intimate' relation there, I mean it's implied the couple are fae anyway). anyway that's my thoughts
I've been meaning to watch The Green Knight since it was available to rent online but I kept putting it off and putting it off. I had other stuff to watch, I wasn't quite in the mood, etc. But when I saw that you'd made a video, I was like "WELP TIME TO SEE HOW MUCH IT IS ON AMAZON", paid the ten bucks, and as soon as I finished it, I started your video. Totally worth it!
Just discovered your channel this week, binge watched every video; and I already get to see a new one! Your analysis is always fantastic and gives new perspectives on some of my favorite movies.
I agree with everything you said here. I saw this movie with my boyfriend and while I was in awe with how it portraited a very human character, scared, confused and eager to please, all my boyfriend saw was a coward and a failure of a man. Kinda show you how men expect other men and themselves to be more masculine and that expectation often lead to toxic masculinity.
The Green Knight Was his mothers avatar. Thus the maternal speech, "Well done, my brave knight". The Green Man was a traditional character from European culture. Symbol for death and rebirth etc. Often found in and around churches
35:20 I dislike the idea that a movie about non-toxic masculinity would resolve itself in narrative that men need women to guide them. Just like I'd feel uncomfortable about a movie about femininity requiring men. Obviously it's one thing for the narrative to be about balancing the two, but to suggest that Gawain NEEDS his mother or Essell to not make him corrupt is pretty bleak. I think more-so this represents his internalized fear about getting approval from the women in his life. The castle-lady saying "you're no knight" disapprovingly post-sex, seems comically like his worst fear.
Interesting take. Remind me of a statement from, of all people, the current pope, about whenever he discusses a subject with varying groups of people, he'll always get some input from women which he doesn't get from men, and vice versa. Right now, that's really not hard to explain: we still grow up with very different patterns of what how we're supposed to (re)act depending on what set of sex chromosomes we got. Aggression, helpfulness, empathy, competitiveness ... doesn't matter how enlightened our parents are, there are other children, movies, tv-shows, comics, relatives, teachers. _Advertising_, so help us gods. So: some things I am highly unlikely to learn - not get told, not get explained, but _learn_ - from other women. Some things men are unlikely to learn from other men. Add to that: we all need somebody to keep us in line (the whole Lord of the Rings element of corruption stems out of a story about being able to do whatever you want without consequences). And with a young(ish) man who has little responsibilities? Yep, that's in all likelihood going to be his mother. The way I remember his father, he couldn't be much bothered up to the events of the film.
I was bothered by this movie when I first watched it. It seemed to build and build with its strange and intriguing scenes. None of it being tied together in the same storytelling I had typically seen. It was all loose and dancing individually but I was shocked by the ending. All of that buildup without a satisfying conclusion. I think how I felt about the movie is its own metaphor. How meaningless the mythical quests of manhood are. It’s communicating that everything Gawain did in pursuit of manhood was actually acts of immaturity. He had no sense of manhood because it was simply a myth. At least a myth in the sense that his pursuit of it would actually end in conclusion. He wasn’t pursuing maturity, he was pursuing the myth of maturity. One that everyone around him holds up desperately but fails miserably at it. It’s almost as if his meaningless pursuit could’ve been avoided entirely had he been mature from the start. He wants something that doesn’t exist, hasn’t existed for decades, and is willing to forfeit that which he seeks to acquire to obtain this myth. Had he been mature and refused the illusion he would’ve been obtaining it. He could’ve been something had he not went on a quest to become something. Gawain’s pride was the initial catalyst for all the bullshit
The Green Knight is my favorite film of 2021 😭! Thank you for this!!!! I put your video on as background while I slept and proceeded to wake up & spend the morning watching 👀 your Lighthouse, Annihilation & Midsommar videos!!! 🤯 Legitimately some of the best analysis content I've seen in all of RUclips 👑
Really interesting analysis that touches on the push and pull between the "higher ideals" of masculinity (honor, mercy, character) and the social pressures of masculinity (domination, impressing others, violence). Great work as always, Nathan. Love your work!
You aren't being fair to Gawain from 36:00 onwards. Choosing to lay a life on the line, with no guarantees, is no performance. Not to the Green Knight. Not even to the self. There is no refuge in fictions. No solace in continuing progeny. Not even a zealous appeal to heaven. That is the most authentic he could have been.
Thank you for breaking this film down into some of its core elements! It was an interesting challenge and you saying the film keeps us “at an arm’s length” was incredibly accurate.
I've studied the poem somewhat - while the plot is greatly expanded for the movie and the tone is different, it seems clear to me that the writers were keeping a lot of the major themes of the original poem, such as the artificial and contradictory nature of honor. Also the pagan world and the Christian world being in conflict. One major difference is that the poem is set at the beginning of Arthur's reign, when the people at Camelot are all very youthful and full of spirits. In the movie Arthur's character and Gawain's character almost switch personalities because in the poem Arthur is the hothead and Gawain is the more diplomatic one. In the poem the green sash explicitly doesn't do anything (and a different character gives it to him). Gawain has to wear it as more of a sign of his failure and humiliation at the end of the poem. In the poem the old lady at the castle is Morgan Le Faye. Her actual appearance is very short though.
They turned a deep,Allegorical OCCULT legend about Curses,Bargains,Quests and the Journey from Boy to man/King into some modern distillation of 'The Heroes Quest' into a Toxic masculinity parable that maybe 14 people wanted to be made ...visually and sonically Glorious but thats IT
aren't a lot of movies coming out these days non linear, to the point that many people were calling Top Gun Maveric a older type of Hollywood movie because it was a liner story
Okay. Here I am. After three months since this video came out, I’ve finally watched the movie and can bring my own perspective. I apologize for being somewhat long-winded. Circles, (perhaps cycles) are a pretty common motif in this movie, visually-speaking as well as thematically. The crown atop the king’s head, resembling the angelic halos in medieval artwork, is a circle. The shield with the Virgin Mary painted on it that’s almost immediately shattered by the looters is a circle. The round table that all the knight’s sit around is, obviously, a circle. The wheel in the puppet show that depicts the tale of Sir Gawain is a circle, spinning to show the passage of time. The camera spins around Gawain as he envisions dying in the woods, still bound by the looters. The camera spins on its axis as Gawain follows the giants, replacing the sky with the earth and the earth with the sky. There are probably countless other examples that went on in the movie that I either do not remember or cannot articulate as clearly. All of these are circles. Whether still or spinning, broken or unbroken, a year or a moment, they’re there. Following the analysis of Gawain’s tale as one about the uncanny horror of masculinity, this recurring circle motif can stand symbolically of the cycles of gender and gender performance that exist. In submitting to the Green Knight as requested, ultimately still offering himself to die a pointless death, Gawain is still performing…but aren’t we all? Even those who chafe against the toxic social standards of gender, and understands the ways it perpetrates out everyday life still perform it. Some perform in adherence to the gender they are assigned, others do not. Some embrace the expectations of their gender identity, others do not. But they are still performing. WE are still performing. That cannot be changed. It is the HOW and the WHY that is important. Gawain is choosing to ultimately submit to the Green Knight, and technically do everything his uncle, his station, and his culture tell him to do. But he is not doing it for the same reasons. He is moved by his dystopian vision, of the true consequences of not being vulnerable, and he fears it. He’s not choosing to die because it will make him great, he’s choosing to die because it will keep him good. And, really, that’s how a man can be masculine while not being toxic. It isn’t by refusing to perform, because that’s impossible. It’s by choosing to perform in a way that is vulnerable, and respectful.
This is excellent. I normally don’t do too many “The Green Knight - ENDING EXPLAINED” kinds of videos after I see films like this, but I’m glad I watched this; I left it with so many new things to think about. Great work. ✨ I will just say, that I wasn’t quite as unsatisfied as you were by the ending. To me, it seemed like a recognition of the harm he had done the Green Knight - he’s holding to his word and taking accountability for the mistake he made giving into peer pressure and decapitating the Knight, who had clearly explained the rules and had done him no harm. He’s giving up his power in the situation and owning his mistake, and that’s what makes it the brave, knightly choice. (To me)
I liked the ending too. I took it to mean he found that he feels only confused, lost and unlike himself by doing what he thought was "expected of him." That by playing the game fairly, what ever the consequences, with his (maybe even embarrassing) small quiet dignified victory for himself, he made himself acceptable to himself. It was not full of glory but he was able to finally define honor for himself.
I think the point of this video is that when he is “accepting his responsibility”, he is also doing it out of peer pressure. He doesn’t need to play the game at all.
@@Manugon well yes he doesn't need to, in the same way we don't really "need" to do anything in our lives. Though for me the ending is Gawains owning up to his mistake instead of running away. Which usually is a good quality.
Seeing as the Green Knight is also symbolic of the unconquerable power of nature, and by extention death, it is a game everyone must play. By taking the girdle off he is not just going along with what others think he should do and needlessly dying, but instead is approaching life and the inevitable end of it with courage. It doesn't matter if it is right then and there in the chapel, or in 50 years time. @@Manugon
Personally, I’ve had my fill of this deconstruction of masculinity and the attempted redefinition of the hero. Not to say I disliked the film- I thought it was stunning, but I saw it more as a reaffirmation of chivalry. To the point that Han Solo is the antithesis of an Arthurian Knight, I would argue he is…. Until he’s not. Han slowly develops those attributes (as most heroes do) over time. The overall message is a Knight’s quest is not about magical weapons or a clear map of the way and that’s why few ever became knights! That is what growing into adulthood is as well. It’s not Aurtur pointing West and telling you that destiny waits where the two roads cross, it’s someone shrugging their shoulders and saying “I have no idea what you should do or how it will turn out, so good luck with all that” and you still choosing to take those steps.
I'm generation X, we were the first generation to embrace deconstruction and anti-heroes in a big way in culture. It can only go so far before it becomes a parody of itself. We've been doing this for over 30 years now. Masculinity is not all bad. My dad is a Vietnam veteran, and a public school teacher for over 20 years. He has his faults but he lived up to a close approximation of chivalry, and I can't imagine he is the only man who has or still does. I think people who try to redefine what a hero is have lived small sheltered lives, and haven't had to do anything remotely heroic or selfless themselves, so they can't imagine that someone else could work towards living up to those values. Basically I agree with you, and I'm sick to death of these "post-truth", "post-values" people trying to ram their hollow cynicism down everyone else's throats.
The reason we rewrite these stories (politics aside) is because if you only define hero as a certain type of person, then where does that leave the rest of us who weren't fortunate enough to have been born that person? Everyone deserves to be a hero in their own story. Women aren't always wives or/and mothers and they shouldn't have to be. Same for men. They shouldn't have to be big and strong or even hetrosexual. The things that make a hero a hero are not genderd, unless whoever creates it choses to make it so.
@@ladyredl3210 I don't think any of the universal qualities of heroism are dependent on gender or natural ability. It doesn't take a Y chromosome or natural athleticism to make the choice to do the right thing when presented with the opportunity. Honor, self-sacrifice, and bravery are all gender neutral. The acts that signify those values may change with the context of the person and the setting, but the values are universal and "deconstructing" the values themselves as not being worth aspiring to is the problem with many post-modern stories.
OKAY! Addressing the whole “his mom sent the green knight to kill Gawain” at the intro, I’ve been talking about this in my “age of King Arthur class” and we came to the consensus that she was most likely trying to kill Arthur so Gawain could come to power and she’d be the mother of the king, yada yada. Also my name is Nathan too! We’ve been talking about this movie and the original poem a lot in class and I may continue to edit this comment after I watch the video essay!
Man, I LOVED what you did with the ending here. This movie was a godDAMN trip from beginning to end. I loved the performances, the misé-en-scene and the photography! And afterwards I opened the wiki entry on the tale and just tumbled down that hole for A WHILE (so much so I neded up reading a lot about Welsh folklore lmao), it was insane. So, greetings from Venezuela! Keep up the good work and stay real.
Something I noticed is how all the men who are pushing the hypermasulinity, the knights, arther, and garwin, are smaller and meek than the Green Knight. Which is reflective of ironicly our more modern ideas of manliness. Think of the people who focus on their masculinity, it's hardly ever people who feel confident in themselves. And actually confident, not just their showcase. And they are VERY quick to bring other people's apperances up. Hell they now even have the term "chad" and things like that. The Green Knight looks like a manly man, but outside of look is more of what women would call a good man. He's the folly of the idea of the knights of the round table. Yes his strong and big, but he's passive and forgiving. Yes he has the voice that would make many straight/bi/pan women swoon, but he's kind and gentle with his words, and at some points directly stating what the women said. In the eyes of weakly minded men, he should be the posterchild of manly manly man. But he's not, and that what makes him so challenging to the knightly idea of men.
Was Arthur pushing masculinity? He asks Gawain for a story, yes, but he's also the one who cautions Gawain that it's just a game. He is also visibly disappointed when Gawain cheapshots the Green Knight.
I’m so happy you did the second part. The first felt like you went through the expectations of what a video essay would be, conforming to this ideal, making the material fit the form. The second, you let go of that a bit, and your conclusion is the better for it. He never escapes the expectations of honor, there is no conceivable way (in his mind) out of the situation without loosing his head. Till the end, he has not learned to overcome
Commenting for the algorithm gods. Top notch script and editing from the AoH team, as always :D (also lmao @ the ryan cameo. that was a pleasant surprise)
awh man i’d know that irish lilt anywhere lol that was a treat, i love when my fave youtubers work together. love the video, always love hearing your takes !! 💗
Reading the actual legend answers all your questions posed here. His Mom knew he had no purpose so she gave him one, but the sash was to show she utterly doubted him completing it. The couple who detract him are the Green Knight and an illusion the Green Knight plays to detract him from his path. And finally, the Green Knight does NOT kill him but rather commends him for following through and actually being ready to die for the cause, as that Gawain's character arc being fulfilled. He became a man, regardless of even his own doubt. Thus, finally truly WORTHY of the crown.
Wow. That head lopping scene was very Sleepy Hollow! I haven’t seen this film, but it looks very dark and gritty aesthetically. Im really looking forward to this analysis, I’ve heard so many conflicting thoughts about this film, and how it adapts the original text. Good to see you Nathan. Thank you for this!
This is such an interesting and thoughtful take. It makes me want to watch the film myself, I always love Dev Patel! I particularly appreciate how you talked about gender as a performance, and even the trailer as a performance - it's not something I've thought deeply about before but I think you're absolutely right.
Fun fact: the second shot is not of Camelot on fire, it's the sacking of Troy. In the end credits, you can see the mentioning of Helen and Paris. This is because the manuscript begins "when the siege and assault were ceased at Troy".
The entire movie is Peter Pan making the dangerous journey out of Never Never Land & learning what it means to be a man and taking your place among other men (knighthood). Courage in the face of fear, adventure, risk taking, fight over flight, and above all...living an honorable life since that's all you have in the end as a man. Rising to the challenge of your 'father' because of his faith in you as his son and separating from the mother and perpetual boyhood (the sash & mothers protection). The Green Knight is one of the greatest movies calling forth aimless men to embrace traditional masculinity.
I absolutely love this film and fiercely hate parts of it. I love how it feels medieval in its uncanny, unsettling glory where ingerpretation is slipperyat best (medievalist here), how it is a dreamscape and doesn't avoid devotion. But I also hate how it short changes Bertilak and the inherent queerness of the original poem, cutting down the masculinity to something modern and narrow, very straight and not at all fluid. The second conclusion is marvellous and I want to think about it, to really get it. Thank you so much for covering this film. A few random points: 1) I like to think that the bandit rides on ahead of Gawain, bearing the axe, the belt and his horse. That he arrives at St Winifred's ahead (ahaha) of Gawain and kills her, and then appears at Bertilak's and fails the test set for him as a knight, leaving the girdle there to be returned to Gawain. He is the mirror image of Gawain in a lot of ways - merciless, searching for glory and violence. Thus all the comments about 'was this you or someone else?', etc. 2) The role of the Virgin Mary here. His mother makes him the girdle from pagan power, but a girdle is first and foremost a tool of Mary and blessed to provide protections. As a relic it is paraded around towns. And this is CHRISTMAS, where Mary is at peak Mary. But as he enters the pagan land, we have the bandit shattering the image of the Virgin Mary on the shield, and then Gawain orgasms on the girdle both sullying it completely, but also fertilising it so to speak. There is a balance between the pagan and the Christian here, as well as what sort of man he will be. 3) Then of course the fact that his mum here is Morgan le Fay, which is an upgrade from the myths where she is Morgause and so she is his mother, the blind woman, the fox and also in the end the one playing the 'trick' with the Green Knight and Bertilak. Such a lovely plot twist, because then his two main influences are both the pagan and the civilising force of Arthur, but also the inverse of the virgin Mary while kinda playing the same role. So good. 4) I love Arthur and Guinevere so much here. So, so, so much. Their gaunt, grey fragility. The scene in his dream when Arthur hands the sword to him and retires to bed all worn through but in a shower of light. The dying kingdom and the dying king. So, so, so, so beautiful and precisely the end of Arthur when the decay of the world had set in and forced him to return to the lake. 4) the puppet show! So terrifying and divorced from all reality. As the rumours catch fire and burn out. The escalating stories so detached from reality. Yes. 5) Winifred being forced to marry and not become a saint Gawain's dream ending. To bear children and sacrifice herself, to also be ground down, along with Essel. 4) The knightly virtues are often tied in with the classic virtues of Christianity (and Islam) than we give credit too. Out of the ones you have listed here, they are by and large the classical virtues. Fides (faithfulness), caritatis (divine love as well as charity), justitia (justice or honour). Even the rest are related to subsets of these most complex ideas (honour and humility, And these are complex ideas at best, let alone in terms of Arhurian material, where the 'secular' and the religious often collide.
It's pretty impressive that videos uploaded to this channel relate in meticulous detail the plots of movies I haven't watched yet and even so I'm left wanting to watch the movies much more than I did before getting the full spoilers, rather than less
I'm so happy you gave a shoutout to Kaz Rowe. They were my introduction to this topic, and their videos are so well researched and engaging. Also, seeing them in that armour... 🥵
One thing that stood out to me after looking into the myths surrounding Gawain was about the scene where saint Winifred asks him if he's sure he didn't kill her. In the tale of the questing beast Gawain plays a somewhat big part... where he acts un chivalrously and accidentally kills a lady who'd been throwing herself on his opponent to beg for mercy. Really felt like that line was a reference to that other Gawain myth... He is a killer of women in at least one version of his story. He eventually begs the pardon of the ladies of the court and becomes sworn to become their champion later in that version of his story.
I watch your videos while I'm driving and respond to your rhetorical questions so I can pretend we're friends discussing a movie we just watched. I drive a lot, so it's nice to have someone to "talk" to. I watch a LOT of video essays, both because I love looking at the deeper meanings in media, but also to pretend I have smart friends who are willing to spend hours talking to me. You're my favorite "friend" because it seems like you always watch movies around the same time I do, and if I haven't seen a movie you talk about, I immediately watch it so I can watch your video. Lol. I'm not a stalker, I swear.
I don't know if I'd go so far as to bring up gender identity. The tale (i've read Tolkien's version) is the story of a man who wants to become a knight, but only sees the status attached. He is unable to make the sacrifices necessary to be a true knight. And the previous generation is unable to notice that lack of content in him. They are old and enjoying the end of their lives now that some kind of order has been established in the kingdom. And this pacified structure is where Sir Gawain was raised, for he lives without challenges, without a story and without honor. He is the odd man that can bring times of crisis again. Now the movie is keeping these themes, but develops further on death and the passage of time. Here, honor is presented as the antidote to death. This subject seems to weigh more heavily for the movie's director, so despite the main character failing several "tests", the moment he accepts the logos is when he achieves redemption. So i think you are right, his future is still open for interpretation but with a clearer indication that he will be a good king. It doesn't look to me that the movie drifts too far from the original themes. It only expands on a specific one as it downplays the importance of the other ones in the process. A more modern perception key would not be the most appropriate for understanding this tale.
I don't know, if the movie's as cryptic as you make it out to be. The conundrum is relatively simple, which you lay out ofc. The Green Knight wants to test the chivalry of Arthus' knights and Gawain simply fails. He does not understand the rules. He doesn't even display any sense of wit (which was oftentimes an important characteristic in many chivalric tales, the hero outwitting the opponent through an oftentimes supernatural item). He doesn't see the ruse for what it is and he just straight-up beheads a man on Christmas in the courtroom of the King. Sure, the knights are raucously clapping, but that's more a testimony to your buddies going "lmao damn, he really did that", than outright approval. I think if one of the more esteemed knights would've taken the challenge we might've seen a different reaction to it, like demanding the Green Knight to take up arms and give him a duel, or to lay down the weapon as well, as a sign of mutual respect, or to simply prod the man and claim victory. It was a GAME after all. Even Arthur says so. But Gawain in his quest for false manhood simply ignores all the courtesy and straight up murders a guy. And at the end, the sash is simply his last line of defence. Here he finally wants to employ wit (a band that makes him invulnerable as long as he wears it vs. a mortal blow), but it's simply the wrong choice. He has already failed before and it is about the courage to admit your own wrongdoing. The Knight doesn't wait for Gawain, because he wants to exact revenge or anything. It is still a test of valor. It is a twice-layered test. The first correct answer would've been to, well, not mortally wound the Knight and the second correct answer would've been to man up to the crime and receive the punishment. It is here then that the Knight would've (or does) show Gawain how a Knight properly behaves at the end. He shows mercy to a surrendering foe, who has displayed honour and courage in the face of death. Yes, the masculinity and wanting to live up to ideals is very much a core theme, but I don't think the second ending of your analysis really makes sense in that regard. It was a wrong thing for Gawain to effectively execute a man like that. Taking the punishment in stride is the test as it puts death as the outcome and the only security would be that the Knight himself would be chivalrous enough to not go for a killing blow. It is, in a way, hope to uphold those knightly codes of conduct and we, ultimately, do see what happens when Gawain would shirk away from them. He would devolve into a horrible king and a brutal man. That is a common thing in medieval literature by the way. In German medieval literature theory there's the concept of the "verligen" (medieval German for "lazying about" of sorts). Oftentimes that is one of the cardinal sins a knight can commit and oftentimes it is committed by having fully given up on their duties and just living in revelry with a woman, having a lot of sex and ignoring their job. Gawain's constantly on the verge of the verligen. He's seen early on as a man frequenting brothels and ignoring mass, he takes an extended break at the lord's manor and at the end he nearly chooses the coward's way out, which would ultimately corrupt him completely. However, he doesn't. He takes off the sash and like you correctly point out it's one of the first things he actively does without anyone telling him to do it. Earlier on the Knight even scolds him for flinching and so on. It would be very possible that in a "bad ending" the disappointed Knight would've asked him to strip bare, or to take off the sash, as he probably knows it's enchanted (given how the same sash is made by the mother), as a final gesture that would cement Gawain's cowardice. But alas, he chooses to prefer an honorable death over a horrible life and as such he has passed the Green Knight's game. He has shown the Green Knight that Arthus' knights are chivalrous in one way or another.
I hated, absolutely *HATED* this movie. On account that *GAWAIN* was one of Arthur's most loyal knights. In the original poem and stories of Gawain and the Green Knight, he took up this challenge not to "discover" himself, but to prove to his uncle and his peers (as well as himself) that he deserved his seat at the Round Table. Before that, he had never been tested, and most thought he got the position out of nepotism. And what happens? He *RESISTED* every temptation presented to him, proving he was an honorable and worthy knight. This movie is more like a revision made by an insecure, man hating 20 year old college student with an age to grind (pun totally intended). Furthermore: It dragged on waaaay too long and butchered the legend. The legend was intended to highlight the *BEST* qualities of masculinity and knightly nobility. In short: This movie is trash!
Fantastic analysis. All I did the whole movie was question my manhood and masculinity. It was truly unsettling. I loved it so much. The one thing I wish you mentioned was the scene after the credits. I’m curious on your thoughts of that little girl playing with the crown, as if it were nothing but another toy. Its insignificance, as it were.
this is an excellent video. i adored your first ending conclusion. That honour is undefinable. The true gift is understanding one's self. Then the "fanfic" was awesome ngl. (im a sap for two people connecting and understanding one another). Your final point of understanding that perhaps the ambigous ending comments on how constently life strays away from patterns, trops, or predictable endings, is genius. I do think there are some flaws in the film itself? Just in how it handles that thematic statement of "there are no rules to life". But your analysis truly highlights all the film's amazing complexities and insights while adding so many of your own thought provoking ideas. I love this video! Well done.
24:27 The shot that happens from this point, the inversion of ground and sky, feels like it embodies the otherness and uncanny quality of the narrative and Gawain's journey in a perfectly metaphorical sense. It is probably my favorite shot in the film. The fact that the earth Gawain is walking on and the sky switch positions communicates to me that the ethereal and uncertain sky, the entity that is above and out of reach, which represents the abstract and conceptual, changes to assume the role of the earth, the grounded and familiar, the concrete and the real, is so potently emblematic of the theme of ambiguity and uncertainty. That shot tells the audience that this world and this story is not primarly focused on any sort of objectivity or certainty, but that this journey, much like many facets of our own lives and our own personal journeys outside of this film, is going to be full of interpretable curiousities which are grey and unclear. It's such a meaningfully broad and profound implication that can go beyond the scope of the film's narrative, if one desires it to.
Very interesting analysis, and thank you for the extra part, the "Essel alternative" and the honesty about the ambiguity: I also think that his step towards vulnerabily, by taking off the magic shash, is a performance looking for the father-figure aproval. In my own view, he is in fact surrendering himself to the "manhood" and the toxic concept of honor. And this depicted as a stupid idea, because the "father" in the myths is found in sacrifice his childs, being the young warriors and soldiers of history, and yet today, the most archetypical example of "sending the childs of" that kingdom or country to their certain death by desing of an older generation of more powerful men. "You are a brave, worthy man now. So, die honorably insted of living a life of dishonour and ruin", seems to say the Green Knight with his last words and warmer attitude. It can be more simple, though, an acceptance of the superior force of nature and time, and back to the theme of insignificance so well pointed in your video, and in the words of the Lady. Women's role is indeed a powerful one: he seems more confortable and vulnerable in the company of women, lacks of a true father figure, and is clear that, even being Arthur that kind of inspiring reference, they haven't a close relationship. The Green Knight is summoned by the mother, speeks through the queen, and presents the quest for manhood and greatness that a father would request. The mother knows that his child will survive because is protected by the same magic which brought the Knight in the first place, and so the same "green" aspect, the cicles of nature. More confussing are the Lady's role. The theme of social position? - she is acceptable because is rich, cultivated, a true "lady", as a contrast with Essel. Also the Oedipical aspect of her being the one who gives him the shash, using the same words of the mother. She claims to have made it herself, but we know is that her mother and the rest of the coven are the ones who created it The epilogue seems to be placed in the "dytopian" timeline, to me: the girl is the only heir, since the the prince is dead, and she takes the crown from the floor, I didn't felt a sign of a possible happy return after the final scene in the Green Chapel, but more like the dystopian outcome is more real than the "honorable" one. A great movie , and great review!
there's a poem called "If-" by Rudyard Kipling which I think is relevant to the plot of the movie. It's from a father to a son on what it means to a man. Stanza by stanza it increasingly gets more drastic and stacks on a ton of virtues and impossibilities, and at the final stanza resolves itself by declaring anyone who follows it's guidance both a "man" and the ruler of the world. I think it's supposed to be motivational but I always thought it felt a little uncanny.
there's something to be said about gender as performance here!!! judith butler writes a lot about how everyone performs their given gender based on societal expectations, and that no one's behavior is actually influenced by if they were born with certain parts or not. just as you supposedly act your wife's idealized version of your masculine self in this video, you are also acting your own idealized version of your masculine self every day to others, even yourself. gender is a feeling, not anything actually concrete. you FEEL masculine, you FEEL feminine. but it's all in your brain, and no one can- or should- tell you how to feel. women do masculine things all the time, just as men do feminine things, and neither of these actions change said person's gender. in the movie, gawain is influenced by the thoughts, actions, and feelings of those around him. they are, as you said in the video, the only reason he even goes on this suicidal quest in the first place. he doesn't want to die, clearly, but goes anyway, because everyone is expecting that of him. this feels, to me at least, a lot like my experience growing up as a young transgender person. i did not feel, nor did i want to feel, like the girl everyone kept telling me I was, yet i continued to act as if this was the case because, well, it's what everyone expected of me. my first decision to be truly myself was when i came out in high school. i want to argue that the first (and last) real decision gawain makes on his own in the movie, the choice to face his fate, is a similar one. and i think that's really beautiful. that when he's alone, when no one else is around but him and the green knight, he chooses /against/ his fear, despite the glory and "honor" his vision shows him. as the audience, even we see that the vision of gawain-as-king has this kind of...emptiness to it. that "uncanny" you were talking about. gawain feels it too. he knew that running away would only lead to a holllow-ness that follows at his heels his entire life. and to choose against that....it feels like that's gawain choosing to be.....himself. it's not the uncanny horror of masculinity- it's the uncanny horror of gender expectations. other people's idea of gawain is not gawain. at the end of the day, no one is there to tell gawain to stay- to face his fate and potentially die at the hands of the green knight. but he stays anyway. because he saw what happens if he didn't and it was empty. i came out, because i saw a life where i was female forever, and it was empty too. forgive me, if you must, for seeing similarities there. this is mostly word throw-up and isn't quite as articulated as i want it to be (seriously, i could write a whole book on gender as a performance) but i'm sending it off anyway, because if i futz with it anymore i'm gonna go insane. thanks for the video, Nathan, it really sparked my brain :-)
Came here from a reddit post from the community MensLib and I'll be forever thankful to the guy who posted your video there because I absolutely loved your channel.
Your voice, tone, and pacing for these videos are all lovely. It's a personal bonus to intelligent analysis videos which is very dear to me - vocal delivery is something I've been fascinated with all my life - and to hear these horror narratives delivered in this way is an absolute pleasure and intellectual treat. This is coming from someone who normally cannot stomach horror and is too scared for much of its content. You've made this genre perfectly palatable for me. Keep up the good work!!
Hey man, my girlfriend and I saw this in theaters and came out of enjoying it but sorta ambivalent on how we felt about it. Because of your video, we put more thought into it, had some great conversation over it, and we both enjoy the movie more because of your take on it. So, thank you. Really appreciate your work.
One thing I've learned over the course of examining my relationship to gender which helped me find a more solid comfort in my own identity (I'm a trans woman, but I feel like this could be helpful to anyone) was to decide that, my gender identity is a separate thing from gender roles others put on me or my own gender performance. And that as a member of my gender, I see myself as an active participant in defining what the gender I am is like. Rather than always looking to and copying others, who are often just copying others. I still copy stuff obviously, that I personally appreciate or like, but with say, fashion, I try to copy what I think looks good or maybe goes with what else I'm wearing in some way, regardless of the gender of the person who is doing it. I still have a lot of anxieties, but I do my best to like, just look well-kempt and wear adequate clothing to satisfy basic local mores, and otherwise leave other people's negative judgements about gender roles where they came from rather than bearing them with me.
I guess to simplify - if I chose to wear jeans, even if they were labeled as men's jeans, they wouldn't to me be men's jeans. If it bothered me I'd cut the label off. They'd be women's jeans because *I'm* wearing them and I'm a woman. As far as how I know which gender identity - I know what feels right and what feels like a lie, and in my case I've never been a 'man' despite that society had picked that role out for me and going along with it always felt like lying. I came out as trans approximately when I was too tired to keep lying to people anymore about being cis. If the one you've been going with maybe seems in question but doesn't feel like a lie, it's probably just fine. It's when it really rubs you the wrong way that it is probably worth examining. It's also very much fine not to know - people feel a lot of pressure to fall into a category. I feel like whatever label makes sense it's more a product of knowing yourself over the years than anything else.
So...if Gawain didn't lob the Green Knight's head clean off, then the Green Knight wouldn't have to behead Gawain in return? Like, if Gawain showed mercy, then the Green Knight would show mercy in return? Is that how the game works?
yes it’s about thinking. Gawain bowed into peer pressure and lobbed his head off. it was dishonorable and unknightly. if he just listened and nicked him he would’ve won
Since originally this was a narrative that was first told before Christianity was a thing, the pagan influences made sense to me. The gender fluidity isn't modern or anti male, it's just different, but that fluidity is also pagan. When you don't have muscular Christian in the way, you can experience gender differently. But everyone has to be all "there's only one way to be a man, gender is being attacked!" It's bs. Third genders have existed in many cultures forever. On a completely different note, I interpreted the identity confusion as literal. All of these people are repeating a story over and over, there have been others before and will be others later. As the turning of the seasons.
Everything you just said is pretty much wrong. Christianity came to England in about the year 600. Arthurian legend was first written about in around 1100. So it's not pre-Christian. Pegan traditions of masculinity were even more restrictive than Christian ones. Thor was the ultimate man in Norse mythology. (You're not meant to like Loki don't bring up that story.) Who accepted his death stoticly without reservation. Because that's what Norse men did. It was super important to their religion.Where as Christianity had Jesus whose main thing was dying, and then crying about it. Well, also being a healer, a thing that historically was seen as feminine. And notable, not a warrior in any sense. As far as not being traditionally masculine, Jesus kind takes the cake compared to Thor or Hercules. (Who did not have a gay friend.) "Third genders" only existed as a way to say a man wasn't a "real man." It was the equivalent of calling a guy a "sissy boy." Or a gal a tomboy at best.
Your description of the uncanny suddenly brought the movie "Parents" to mind. Which is either about eating human flesh or discovering that your parents have sex.
reading the original poem felt like a fun romp through a kind of goofy, (VERY bisexual) fairytale. watching the movie gave me the same feeling as a particularly strange recurring nightmare i've had for years. (I say both of these things with love)
This whole review of The Green Knight basically demonstrates that the reviewer has no idea what the story is about, but that's not stopping him from reviewing it, because hey! it's his opinion and so it must be right. And I mean, who says Essel is a prostitute? Male projection.
1 - Look. I know it’s not pronounced “Garwin.” YOU know it’s not pronounced “Garwin.”
But that’s how everyone says Gawain’s name in this movie, and I figured it would be confusing for me to be calling him one thing while the footage calls him another.
2 - It’s weird that the movie arguably blames Gawain for being sexually assaulted, right? I say arguably because you can make a case for it not quite being that. She does get his audible consent, and later when the Lord kisses Gawain, you could argue that he makes his move slowly enough that Gawain could have said something before the kiss, but there is also a definite power imbalance in both of these cases, right? Gawain seems pretty scared during these encounters.
The Lord and Lady read to me as like friendly-but-menacing. Uncanny nightmares of the psyche. Their sex/smooch scenes seemed steeped in that dreamy sort of vibe, the kind of dreams where you behave in a way that you hopefully wouldn’t in real life and then you wake up and go “oh my god, why did I do that?”
But most critics I read seemed to feel that the narrative is blaming Gawain the most here. That the scorn of the Lady and the Lord after Gawain did or didn’t submit to them is how the audience should feel. “Gawain has failed the test of chastity and fellowship” and so on. As if we should agree when the Lady says “You are no knight” and that we too are sad that Gawain doesn’t hook up with the Lord.
Me, I felt like these were more ambivalent touches, tying back to my comments in the video about how there is no consistent narrative karma to give us that kind of moral guidance.
Either way, that blindfolded old lady is there too, who I guess is supposed to either be Gawain’s Mom or some extension of her magic/coven? Sooo that’s just a whole of layer of WTF that I can’t even begin to penetrate.
These events are also in the original poem, and I guess a story about sex-obsessed temptress harassing a man who has explicitly said no multiple times I some rough source material to have to adapt, but it feels like it feels like it plays out LESS consensually in the movie than in the original text. Bizarre, imo
3 - There’s a vague scene after the credits which features a hint that Gawain became king and had a daughter. I guess the implication of her putting on the crown suggests that Gawain maybe possibly hopefully won’t ignore his daughter’s wishes the way he previously ignored Essel and I guess his mother’s?
It stops short of being a happy epilogue and settles for a hopeful one.
4 - So Gawain IS going to live at the end, I think? That moment where the Green Knight runs his thumb across Gawain’s neck, that’s him “returning the blow that was given to me,” right?
5 - For some reason, this exchange always cracks me up:
“Are you ready?”
(Long pause)
“Are you ready?”
(Long pause) “Yes.”
“Then I shall get to hacking.”
I dunno, he seems so bla·sé about it, it’s great
6 - I say fantasy is about empowerment, but I wanted to clarify that I don’t JUST mean individual empowerment. It’s also often about the empowerment of a group of friends or community.
7 - I am mildly paranoid that Gawain’s original portrait does not, in fact, portray him as white. That maybe it’s just lit weird or the brown paint is just faint. I asked a bunch of people and they all thought it looked white, so uh… that’s about as scientific as I knew how to get with that.
Even if it’s accidental, I still prefer my version lol
8 - Okay so last thing I had this fun speculation thing that I at least haven’t seen anywhere else, but like…
I think it’s really interesting that a lot of Gawain’s dystopian future seems to play out from the POV of his Mom. Gawain himself becomes an uncanny character, defined by his own kind of weird ambiguous distance from us. We see a lot of these developments through the eyes of his Mom, who is also the final person to leave Gawain at the end of the sequence.
It’s fun to think about how maybe not only is the Mom still controlling the Green Knight at the end, making the whole dilemma secretly toothless (probably), but that even the vision might be some sort of divination enchantment or memory spell or whatnot. Talk about a big payoff to the “women telling Gawain when he’s screwing up” pattern.
But also interesting to just think that maybe this is all organically going through Gawain’s head, and as his life flashes before his eye… he sees himself through his mother’s eyes, realizes he didn’t want to disappoint her most of all.
Are they saying garwin? I heard gaawin, as in a long "a" sound like in "all". Doesn't really matter, but still, seems more faithful to how it's written
@@michaelhird432 Wiki gives two variants of pronunciation, the Welsh one is closer to how they pronounce it in the film.
@@malicewonder8345 I see, but a more accurate American English translation of the movie's pronunciation (and arguably the welsh as well) would probably be [ˈɡɑːwən], as opposed to [ˈɡʌɹwən]
well, at least you're not hung up on it, that's the important thing. Kinda sounds cool as Garwin
Well, considering they spelled honour "honor", I suppose you can't expect much from the pronunciation either. Anyhoo, I love your videos, I look forward to every one of them.
Arthur's vague confidence that Gawain will figure it out and save his ailing kingdom reminds me so much of so many conversations I have had with older people who take comfort in their belief that I and my generation can sort the world out in a way that they never could. They offer no advice, no counsel, just trust that I can handle this. they do this to make themselves feel better, not for my sake or really for the sake of the world they feel unable to help save.
they will give you only what they once received, and you will give to those who come after you
Are they right?
Or…. they tell you that because they think you’re smarter or just have better traits and therefore more qualified to handle such tasks.
What a weird way you have to interpret someone’s confidence in your generation into simply a lousy cop-out 😂😂😂
Clearly not
Get bloodwork done. This is an alarming way to think.
I believe it is the fox who represents friendship and fellowship. Gawain falls short of that chivalric ideal in the end when he shouts and drives away the fox who has been nothing but a fine companion to him, angrily insisting ,"[He] never asked for your help!". This is an explicit rejection of friendship and fundamental misunderstanding of fellowship; very rarely does anyone explicitly ask for friendship from someone, it is merely something that develops naturally to the mutual benefit of both. In the end when the fox says things to Gawain that he doesn't want to hear, he wants to pretend that the fox means nothing to him.
Hey I really liked your analysis of the fox!
@@Rohini1993 thanks so much!
good point. I am reminded that the Fox asks Gawain to leave his green sash at the river bank.
Great analysis! Makes me watch the film again. There is a lotto decipher.
nice analysis
In regards to Camelot being in flames and pestilent, it ties back into the concept of the Fisher King, where the land falls ill when the king is ill. Arthur is still in high spirits because he knows it's the end of his reign but soon to be the beginning of another bright-eyed young man and that the misery of winter will be blossoming into spring again.
Having said that, great analysis!
That is a general theme of Irish, Scottish, and Welsh folklore, actually! That the soverign is king because he's best suited to protect the land and his fertility is a literal reflection of the fertility of the land. If the land is failing it's the king's fault, and if the king is failing, well...
But it's not just his physical fertility, it's the king's worthiness to lead. It's gotta be both. If you have a fertile but wicked king (like Gawain) the land won't change much...
I just watched Excalibur the other day, and it’s incredible how pervasive this theme is in Arthurian legend. “The land and the king are one” is basically the overriding ideology of the entire film.
Going from the Arthurian lore perspective, I think it's interesting that this Gawain is essentially a portrayal of Gawain from the Prose Tristan and Post-Vulgate eras of Gawain. It has been noted that there's a shift in portrayal of Gawain over time as Lancelot, Tristan, and Galahad become more prominent characters, all functioning to make Gawain essentially serve as a demonstrator of how good these greater knights are. Gawain is weaker than they are, shorter than they are, less courteous, and less noble. He becomes essentially the embodiment of a knight who is always second-best, and is portrayed as an ignoble brute quite often in these tales. The movie to me felt like it took a sympathetic view towards such a version of Gawain; what would happen to a man who felt like he was so lesser to his peers and how did he get that way.
Gawain is selfish and cowardly, but it is easy to see how he would become that way. How could he be anything but, when he has been forced to live in the shadow of great men. It doesn't matter that they are great for reasons that aren't martial (see Arthur being the one to tell Gawain that he shouldn't play the game) or that some of them aren't great at all (the clapping knights), Gawain sets a self-fulfilling prophecy for himself that he cannot live up to this standard. It think it's worth noting that in these later characterizations of Gawain, he is often melded with the character of Mordred, and the dystopian future fantasy feels almost like due to his shame and inability to accept being a big, strong man, Gawain will inevitably become a Mordred figure. A tyrant who will consume the kingdom because what he has will never be enough to satisfy him and who will try to achieve greatness without actually going through the work for it (literally running from his responsibilities and his obsession wit hthe sash as a safety net).
When Gawain yields at the end to his fate, what he is essentially doing is realizing that what makes someone great is not being a big man and killing dudes harder. And from the Arthurian lore perspective, it rehabilitates the Gawain of earlier tales in the Vulgate cycle, where he may not be the best knight, but it did not matter. He was still a good man even if he was not the strongest, and he can be forgiven for not being the strongest.
I like this
So could we say in theory that Gawain upset the wrong monks so they changed his story or something along those lines? Funny to think for me anyhow 😂
@@TehPompkinHead It was more that as the de facto 'best knight', the authors needed to tear him down to bump up their own favorites.
@@klikssiikubra314 ah thats more sad than funny...
An interesting take on it no less
No one will see this: I thought this movie was about meaning vs nihilism
Gawain goes on the quest because the quest feels like a fairytale, an epic legend with a “good ending” and maybe a “moral of the story”, which represent the meaning that he looks for in life.
I didn’t interpret his interaction with Winifred as him asking for sex as much as it was him asking for a reward, maybe magical assistance, for his good deed like characters in story would get, because he still believes that the world in general and his quest in particular worked like a fairytale story.
When he faced the green knight and asked “is this all there is?” He is asking “is my story going to just end with me dying? Where is the happy ending? Where is the moral of the story?” -and the green knight essentially tells him: “there is no meaning, your life isn’t a story at all”
After being given this answer, Gawain flees from the chapel with a kind of fear that I thought was more than just the fear for his life, but existential terror in realizing that the meaning he sought does not exist at all. He lives the rest of his life unable to escape that terror, he goes through the motions of raising a child, being king, marrying, fighting wars looking but is emotionally numb throughout because he can’t find the idealistic, fairytale meaning of life.
In the end, he takes off the sash which I take to represent his belief that magic is real and by extension that the world works like fairytales say it does, and the green knight praises him for confronting the essential meaninglessness of existence. Whether he kills Gawain or not no longer matters, since death will find him sooner or later. “Off with your head” could mean “now I will kill you” or “you can now leave and take your head with you”-“off” meaning “go away” in this case.
Nice interpretation... to me it feels like you found meaning in the film I did not. Different lives I suppose. By the end of the film any meaning, intrigue, and pleasure I had from the story was dead due to the clumsy telling, had it not been for that I would have re-watched it with your input in mind.
fantastic analysis
This was mostly my takeaway, too. I personally think some of his rudderless behavior was because of his own waning belief in the fairytales he was told as he became an adult; the faded glory of Camelot seems to exist to drive that point home to both Gawain & the audience. We've all seen fantasy characters who make clearly wrongheaded choices due to unwavering belief in the dominant ideologies of the worlds they inhabit, but this wasn't that. Gawain is pathologically indecisive through most of the film's runtime, which felt more like a conscious artistic choice than it did an example of "bad writing". He doesn't FULLY believe in anything... he does a little bit of everything, just in case. He's Christian but clearly lapsed, he's a boyfriend(ish) but selfish and hardheaded, ditto with his relationship with his mom. He's constantly in flux. His journey to and encounter with the Knight totally obliterates his last few touchstones for "goodness", "honor" or even "reality". Like you said, his desire to find meaning at the end of his quest is met with nihilistic indifference and he breaks down, running away. Removing the sash felt like the final step toward choosing to wholeheartedly subscribe to a single course of action, without in some way hedging his bets.
Exactly my thoughts. The dude in the video is just blabbing all over in my opinion. People take the 'off with your head' line too literally and throw all sorts of stuff at the wall. The movement of the finger at the neck is maybe just some playfulness. IMO the story is more about the knight realizing what truly makes a knight vs what he thinks a knight is vs what the world around him thinks what a knight is.
This is basically my reading, with the core theme of the film being one of myth-making. It's essentially a film about a confused young boy struggling to reconcile myth and reality - being pressured by the world around him to pursue some vague notion of "greatness", while constantly being thwarted by harsh realities at every turn. Given this is a further twisting of a tale mangled by time and history, it's easy to read the film as a critique of how such storytelling is deployed, and most of the takes in this video could be seen as an extension of that.
Likewise though, the one major place I diverge is in the interpretation of the ending. I didn't see it as submission to some hazily defined code of honour, but as a rejection of his quest for greatness. After facing the existential horror that is the dystopian reality of becoming the myth, he chooses to accept his ultimate insignificance and the futility of living on as a genuine legend. I think this fits in neatly with the somewhat quieter themes of man/society vs nature/death. As with all coming of age stories, he struggles to balance living up to society's expectations and living something more real. In the closing moments he rejects the falsity of societal narratives of great men, and submits to the embodiment of the natural inevitability of death - with the final shot deliberately ambiguous, to leave the audience with the same uncertainty he has finally embraced.
But the beautiful thing about transcendental film - as perfectly captured by David Lowery in the quote at 24:45 - is that it invites the audience in to the process of creating meaning, allowing us to make our own connections rooted in our personal experience. The interpretation I'm offering suits me the best, but I think it is no more valid than any other presented here, and they all have value in encouraging us to reflect on our broader worldviews.
He’s not performing for the green knight at the end. He is doing what is honorable under his own standards . He is listening to himself for the first time. .
Yes. I don’t know where this masculinity stuff comes in.
@@violatorut2003 Well, the masculinity is talked about the typical Chosen One motif. The Most Important Guy in The Kingdom, who has a legend of his awesomeness that everyone knows like King Arthur. And that it’s also typically Masculine behavior to tell Larger than Life stories to demonstrate how more awesome a guy is. We likely have had the same experience with our guy friends.
@@CephalonAxii You need to read more. There are tons of female warriors in folklore/myths.
@@solokom And notice how my comment said nothing about how female warriors don’t exist, nor did my comment say ANYTHING about females in any way shape or form. My comment, is about the very much Masculine behavior that men have, to tell stories of their own achievements to increase their status or social standing even if said stories are exaggerated. You made the conversation about something my comment doesn’t even mention. You should read less, touch more grass.
@@CephalonAxii "Well, the masculinity is talked about the typical Chosen One motif." - which I challenged with my statement. You lack reading skills.
I feel like at the end Gawain, by removing the belt, refuses to live the life, imposed on him by the people who surround him - the one that he envisioned earlier. Because this is the life that he will have to live if he returns as a heroic liar. Thus, he refuses to meet the social expectation - to return home as a hero, also refusing to follow the masculine 'knight's path'. He basically decides that he does not want to continue this game of masculinty, and if there are just two alternatives - death and this, he would rather choose death. However, the Green Knight spares him, opening the third option - to lvie outside the masculine game. This is why the ending is open - this is a new path that is yet to be discovered.
Better analysis than the video
yeah this was more or less my take, I very much liked the video but I took Gawain's act of removing the belt as one rejecting the life imposed on him, not because he realized it was what the Green Knight wanted, but because he finally had made a choice for himself
U r very big brained for this analysis omg !! So good !!
i respect this interpretation but i think it is a little too neat. I don't think we should assume gawain survives. nature cannot choose to be merciful. death comes for all of us. we can accept that, and reject our egoistic selfish values and goals, but none of that will ultimately save us.
Sure more so about his ego…and him having it destroyed and realizes what he could be come.
I was not born a man, but I've always wanted to be one. What I loved about this movie was the constant question of 'what would you do then' with every step we take with the protagonist. Yes, I have an idea as to what a man is supposed to be, what nobility should be like, but when the chips are down- wouldn't I flail for my life? yell at a friend while upset? ask what there would be for me if I did something good? Would doing any of these make me a failure, of simply human? Is one lone act going to make your whole life better, even the parts of yourself you hate?
I felt like it was a lot of questions that boiled down to "in the end, if life and death will continue without you, does it matter enough for you to cling like this?" And I sure as hell haven't given myself an answer but I truly love these questions.
great comment
Never ever baby girl
No one was ever born a man except teddy Roosevelt. He slipped out his momma with a cigar in his mouth, a rifle in hand and a skinning knife in the other before he slapped the doctor and left the hospital to go hunting.
This movie left me and my friend completely winded and speechless. It is ludicrously creative, bold, and skillfully made.
But the dominant thing for me, is that I've never seen a movie that felt as...pagan as this. And by 'pagan' I mean it captures a feeling I've experienced but never seen captured in a bottle. That the earth is old. And powerful. Not strictly threatening, but profoundly unknown. And while not the exact sensation of 'being watched' at this moment, the distinct sense that something IS there, that could begin watching at any time.
....I have this photo, that I took the last time my family was in England. We were hiking in a forest that looks altogether too much like the ones in this movie, when we came upon a tree in a small clearing. It was a different species than all the ones around it, deciduous where the rest were pines. It must have been 150 feet tall. It was stripped of bark, smooth, but it was alive. And I was overwhelmed by the feeling I got from it. It felt foreign, ancient, alien. I was suddenly seized by a gut certainty that this...was not a normal tree in any way a modern person like me could fully understand. I both wanted to get closer, and also distinctly felt like I shouldn't. I took several good pictures, and we hiked on. And even now, that picture blown up onto posterboard and hung in my living room, I still feel strange when I look at it. It's calming, grounding, AND vaguely unsettling. It still has some strange power.
The Green Knight feels like that.
Can you share the photo (of you don't mind , of course)
Yeah. Share the photo,
Can we see it? The photo? The tree?
I completely agree and the imagery of his shield bearing Catholic symbols being crushed and smashed juxtaposed with the vision of his body rotting and returning to the earth definitely supports your point.
IMHO the northman does a better job at pagan visualizations, especially capturing the mysteries & irrationalities as they would've been to the people then rather than just mysterious to us, the viewers.
from the moment i discovered your channel, i've slapped every single one of your videos in a playlist of videos with jacob geller, acolytes of horror, and fredrik knudsen, for when i'm in... *_this_* mood. i think you're absolutely wonderful, and i hope you're having a nice day. whatever it is you're "performing," i'm a big fan of it.
Right, this is a mood, where you just sit back and go with the flow to learn something about the cinema, the world and about yourself in a way
I rarely ever comment on youtube videos but ever since we found you, your videos have become the “drop everything you’re doing and watch” kind of videos for my best friend and I. Keep up the awesome work!
I feel better knowing that everyone has that one mug with a broken handle.
Pen pot.
... I'm genuinely sorry to crush this realization but I've never owned a mug
not me hahahaaha you loser!
almost every mug i own is either missing the handle, broken in some areas or been clued together after fallen to the ground, shattering, but for some reason i never want to throw them out
Only one?
The way I interpreted the "dystopian future" scene was that it was Gawain having a moment similar to a life flashing before his eyes. He explores the possibility of the choice of running away and ultimately finds himself unhappy and therefore finds peace in the possible death that awaits him. Of course, in hindsight, this wouldn't make much sense given his character.
Another theory I had is that Morgana sends the Green Knight for Arthur, and needs to find a way to protect her son after he takes the challenge instead. The sash is her way of doing so without his knowledge, maybe similar to how (grand)mothers let their children win at games to make them feel confident. I don't know about the level of control she has over the Green Knight as the story progresses, nor about the challenges that lie in between, but my thoughts were that he keeps making the decisions that he, according to her, shouldn't because he never seems to learn. I interpreted the fox as some sort of version of her to communicate with Gawain and guide him. But with her/it's cryptic messages Gawain only becomes frustrated and eventually pushes the fox (his mother) away.
Mothers want to protect their sons, but sometimes it may be best to let them make their own mistakes.
I honestly feel the line, "Well done, my brave knight," as spoken to an adult is more something a mother might say to her son, which would be in line with the film.
You're not wrong that a father might say to his child, but only a young one, not an adult son.
Exactly! The cheek caress was so gentle and tender like a motherly gesture, not a typical shoulder or back pat that a stereotypical father figure would give.
I agree, “my brave knight” is totally the kind of thing a 14th century mother would say to her little boy that scraped his knee or played pretend crusades with sticks. 🖤
@@Rachel-og8jy While thats true, I dont think we should be categorising how a mother versus a father should show affection to their children. Saying the Green Knights words are more motherly than fatherly, despite the Green Knight being coded as very masculine, feels like its conforming to those toxic ideals of the distant father and the close mother, rather than recognising and critiquing them. We shouldnt be expecting fathers to grow distant to their sons while mothers get to stay close.
@@somethingblabla5720 I agree. The line felt natural and fatherly to me personally, even with the ages of the characters. Just because we aren't shown a lot of fathers doing this does not mean it's any less of a fatherly thing
I totally agree.
His mother controlled the Green Knight. His mother WAS the Green Knight
I am genuinely looking forward to your new releases! I actually can't handle horror movies, but I'm deeply fascinated by them, so you let me vicariously experience them through these videos. Please continue to keep making these gems!
Fascination is the gateway drug. 😜
I get the feeling. I can't handle horror games if I play them by myself or horror movies normally but dissecting them is really fun
TBH I feel like this essay assumes that the movie is adhering to modern beliefs, and I always got the impression it was trying to frame things in the perspective of the characters in it. Gawain submitting himself to seeming death may be a foolish decision to a modern man, but to Gawain, he’s finally found what he considers ‘honor’. And he wants to stand by it, even if it means dying, because it will at least be on his own terms
Wow this is one of the best video essays i've ever seen. 11/10
This reminds me a lot of the poem "A Generic Husband" by Rebecca Hazelton, she describes a man who fits incredibly specific cliches for the expectation of a middle aged white suburban father. A guy who plays golf, drinks beer, plays the stock market, is into war history, has a bad tattoo, wears whimsical socks, and "who does not dream."
The whole description is incredibly uncanny and even creepy with both it's syntax and repeated mentions that the man "has no questions." It feels like the narrator is trying desperately to convey that something is deeply wrong with this man but instead the whole poem is a list of benign facts. Most of which are regular and okay. The husband is so impossibly archetypical that I began to wonder if a person who is only perfectly what they were expected to be could even be considered human. He is only what he was supposed to be, which eventually culminates in a strange creature that exists more as a vessel than a person.
Also my favorite part at the end:
"Who clips a dog with his car and keeps driving. Who adjusts the mirror."
Oh shit this poem sounds awesome. Thank you for exposing me to that.
@@maxwellbarnhart1375 You're welcome my dude B) I'm happy my comment has reached people
Just read it, and thanks to you I now have a poem I can analyse for my winter holiday homework :)!
@@nootdraws BRO hell yes I'm actually so touched that this helped you with your homework hahaha
Nah it’s painfully faux woke and devoted too much time to simping for current ideologies lol
This movie hits close to home. I only recently realized the hollowness of my narcissist father's expectations for me.
"What else ought there be?" Truly a question that one must ask before they become their own person.
A very interesting essay. Thought provoking. I loved the film despite it being very different from the poem. It is a poem in itself. I particularly liked your comment on how the film subverts the action hero movie tropes. It sparked the idea that so many young men today, like Gawain, are pretty much directionless. They see depictions of heroes in film like Gawain sees King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but cannot find a way to match them. He has no story to tell and neither do many young men today. “Is this all there is?” He asks. You go to school, get a job, a career, start a family, check all the boxes of expectation and in the end, what?
Death, all endings are death. The screen goes black forever.
I love how this movie completely breaks the mold of a male story. For all the talk of female empowerment in media the complete curve ball of a realistic male reality but in the opposition of men needing to be the knight in shining armor. In the end 95+% of any group just want to enjoy life and not lead it.
but at the end of the movie he becomes someone worthy of being a knight even though he failed every other test he passed the only one that counted overcoming fear.
what
@@femto7579 He passed overcoming not only fear of physical destruction, but fear of the annihilation of his ego. The fear that comes from submission to the world and acting as you feel is right regardless is the thing he conquered most importantly, imo
These videos are such a safe space. I overthink about everything, especially art that I love. Green Knight blew me away and I could continue to dwell on it for the rest of my life. It’s comforting to know how much this affects others and I appreciate how well you put everything into words. I especially appreciate the Midsommar video for how I was going through deconstruction with christianity when it came out. You might not know the extent of how affecting your work can be to your audience, but please know that you’re great at how you do what you do.
What a lengthy post just to say "im a basic bìtch that cant handle reality and entiteled for attention"
@@LDW12887 What a lenghy post to say "I try to stay edgy to hide my disgusting personality and need to attack everyone since I'm a frustrated asshole".
I'm honestly sorry that you are like that. Too much red pill?
Midsommar is a pagan movie. Sad you ‘deconstructed’ your Christianity.
@@7ngel not everyone is Christian. There’s nothing wrong with paganism. Midsommer isn’t even based off of real pagan culture. The creators of the movie invented a whole culture for the movie. And it’s not even a religion. It’s a cult
@@Bizzyb33z lol
No lie, in my car on the way home from seeing The Green Knight, I thought about your essay on The Lighthouse and hoped you'd do one on TGK. You're very good at this. Thank you for taking the time to make these essays!
To me that sentence the Greene Knight says "...my brave knight" seemed to me so effeminate and gentle as if it was almost being said by Gawain's mother herself. The affectionate way it was said and the gentle stroke of the finger on Gawain's cheek... Perhaps it was still Gawain's mother controlling and speaking through the Greene Knight. Showing her pride in her son for finally commitimg an act of honor, but the honor that counts. Not the honor as seen and imposed by his fellow legendary and unrealistic knights, but the honor towards his own self. When he took that green sash off in the last moments it was an act of bravery, but bravery that saves no one. No one would celebrate Gawain for his bold standing up to the Greene Knight, he would be beheaded there, alone in that chapel and perhaps a song would be sung of his resolutness, but what has he out of this when he would be nothing but a dead skeleton with no head.
His commitment to this seemingly unnecessary task bears no fruit except his final and complete surrender to the nature of all things: decay and death. And perhaps the ending line of the movie "And now: off with your head!" is quite exactly what it is: Greene Knight announcing the outcome of the quest we all kind of expected. Gawain would simply be beheaded and die in that chapel right then. No matter how "honorable" we live, the end awaits us all, but perhaps we can die knowing that we were fair to ourselves and made peace with the inevitable.
If you look at the scene where the Green Knight was stroking his finger across Gawain's neck. You can see his finger point to the exit of the green chapel when he says "Off with your head".
the fox was also the mother.
he was being offered two paths.
one where he embraced fear
and bacame a knight someone who is honorable and chivalrous and kind.
or he regrets fear and becomes dishonorable and cowardly and weak.
As for Gawain and the Lady I think he was definitely attracted to her, but knew of his promise to the Lord, and when she touched his crotch he realised that he didn't want her advances. In that scene I suddenly saw him as a young boy and wanted to protect him from that. Some people argue since he finished it meant he wanted it. I disagree, it was cold and forced and she enjoyed watching him become subdued and wanting it over with.
What I saw in when Gawain kissed the Lord, was that I think Gawain would have much preferred a simple kiss compared to what happened, and in that he was sparing the Lord from what the Lady did to him (even if it seemed like the lord was interested in Gawain- in the poem I simply saw it as Gawain living up to his promise and I saw no 'intimate' relation there, I mean it's implied the couple are fae anyway).
anyway that's my thoughts
I've been meaning to watch The Green Knight since it was available to rent online but I kept putting it off and putting it off. I had other stuff to watch, I wasn't quite in the mood, etc. But when I saw that you'd made a video, I was like "WELP TIME TO SEE HOW MUCH IT IS ON AMAZON", paid the ten bucks, and as soon as I finished it, I started your video. Totally worth it!
Just discovered your channel this week, binge watched every video; and I already get to see a new one! Your analysis is always fantastic and gives new perspectives on some of my favorite movies.
Him: I just described Han Solo
Me: I was going to say Iron Man, but I respect your opinion
I agree with everything you said here. I saw this movie with my boyfriend and while I was in awe with how it portraited a very human character, scared, confused and eager to please, all my boyfriend saw was a coward and a failure of a man. Kinda show you how men expect other men and themselves to be more masculine and that expectation often lead to toxic masculinity.
The Green Knight Was his mothers avatar.
Thus the maternal speech, "Well done, my brave knight".
The Green Man was a traditional character from European culture. Symbol for death and rebirth etc. Often found in and around churches
The last line "Now off with your head" was TGK telling Gawain to leave with his head still attached.
35:20 I dislike the idea that a movie about non-toxic masculinity would resolve itself in narrative that men need women to guide them. Just like I'd feel uncomfortable about a movie about femininity requiring men. Obviously it's one thing for the narrative to be about balancing the two, but to suggest that Gawain NEEDS his mother or Essell to not make him corrupt is pretty bleak. I think more-so this represents his internalized fear about getting approval from the women in his life. The castle-lady saying "you're no knight" disapprovingly post-sex, seems comically like his worst fear.
Interesting take.
Remind me of a statement from, of all people, the current pope, about whenever he discusses a subject with varying groups of people, he'll always get some input from women which he doesn't get from men, and vice versa. Right now, that's really not hard to explain: we still grow up with very different patterns of what how we're supposed to (re)act depending on what set of sex chromosomes we got. Aggression, helpfulness, empathy, competitiveness ... doesn't matter how enlightened our parents are, there are other children, movies, tv-shows, comics, relatives, teachers. _Advertising_, so help us gods.
So: some things I am highly unlikely to learn - not get told, not get explained, but _learn_ - from other women. Some things men are unlikely to learn from other men.
Add to that: we all need somebody to keep us in line (the whole Lord of the Rings element of corruption stems out of a story about being able to do whatever you want without consequences). And with a young(ish) man who has little responsibilities? Yep, that's in all likelihood going to be his mother. The way I remember his father, he couldn't be much bothered up to the events of the film.
I was bothered by this movie when I first watched it. It seemed to build and build with its strange and intriguing scenes. None of it being tied together in the same storytelling I had typically seen. It was all loose and dancing individually but I was shocked by the ending. All of that buildup without a satisfying conclusion. I think how I felt about the movie is its own metaphor. How meaningless the mythical quests of manhood are. It’s communicating that everything Gawain did in pursuit of manhood was actually acts of immaturity. He had no sense of manhood because it was simply a myth. At least a myth in the sense that his pursuit of it would actually end in conclusion. He wasn’t pursuing maturity, he was pursuing the myth of maturity. One that everyone around him holds up desperately but fails miserably at it. It’s almost as if his meaningless pursuit could’ve been avoided entirely had he been mature from the start. He wants something that doesn’t exist, hasn’t existed for decades, and is willing to forfeit that which he seeks to acquire to obtain this myth. Had he been mature and refused the illusion he would’ve been obtaining it. He could’ve been something had he not went on a quest to become something. Gawain’s pride was the initial catalyst for all the bullshit
The Green Knight is my favorite film of 2021 😭! Thank you for this!!!! I put your video on as background while I slept and proceeded to wake up & spend the morning watching 👀 your Lighthouse, Annihilation & Midsommar videos!!! 🤯 Legitimately some of the best analysis content I've seen in all of RUclips 👑
Loved this film. He was trapped by the culture he grew up in rather than anything else. It drove him to his death as surely as an arrow in the eye.
Really interesting analysis that touches on the push and pull between the "higher ideals" of masculinity (honor, mercy, character) and the social pressures of masculinity (domination, impressing others, violence). Great work as always, Nathan. Love your work!
cat lady who has zero clue about masculinity, check.
You aren't being fair to Gawain from 36:00 onwards. Choosing to lay a life on the line, with no guarantees, is no performance. Not to the Green Knight. Not even to the self. There is no refuge in fictions. No solace in continuing progeny. Not even a zealous appeal to heaven. That is the most authentic he could have been.
Thank you for breaking this film down into some of its core elements! It was an interesting challenge and you saying the film keeps us “at an arm’s length” was incredibly accurate.
I've studied the poem somewhat - while the plot is greatly expanded for the movie and the tone is different, it seems clear to me that the writers were keeping a lot of the major themes of the original poem, such as the artificial and contradictory nature of honor. Also the pagan world and the Christian world being in conflict.
One major difference is that the poem is set at the beginning of Arthur's reign, when the people at Camelot are all very youthful and full of spirits. In the movie Arthur's character and Gawain's character almost switch personalities because in the poem Arthur is the hothead and Gawain is the more diplomatic one.
In the poem the green sash explicitly doesn't do anything (and a different character gives it to him). Gawain has to wear it as more of a sign of his failure and humiliation at the end of the poem.
In the poem the old lady at the castle is Morgan Le Faye. Her actual appearance is very short though.
They turned a deep,Allegorical OCCULT legend about Curses,Bargains,Quests and the Journey from Boy to man/King into some modern distillation of 'The Heroes Quest' into a Toxic masculinity parable that maybe 14 people wanted to be made ...visually and sonically Glorious but thats IT
I was just pleased as hell to have such a nonlinear story in theaters. It made it feel like the ancient story that it is.
aren't a lot of movies coming out these days non linear, to the point that many people were calling Top Gun Maveric a older type of Hollywood movie because it was a liner story
Okay. Here I am. After three months since this video came out, I’ve finally watched the movie and can bring my own perspective. I apologize for being somewhat long-winded.
Circles, (perhaps cycles) are a pretty common motif in this movie, visually-speaking as well as thematically. The crown atop the king’s head, resembling the angelic halos in medieval artwork, is a circle. The shield with the Virgin Mary painted on it that’s almost immediately shattered by the looters is a circle. The round table that all the knight’s sit around is, obviously, a circle. The wheel in the puppet show that depicts the tale of Sir Gawain is a circle, spinning to show the passage of time. The camera spins around Gawain as he envisions dying in the woods, still bound by the looters. The camera spins on its axis as Gawain follows the giants, replacing the sky with the earth and the earth with the sky. There are probably countless other examples that went on in the movie that I either do not remember or cannot articulate as clearly.
All of these are circles. Whether still or spinning, broken or unbroken, a year or a moment, they’re there. Following the analysis of Gawain’s tale as one about the uncanny horror of masculinity, this recurring circle motif can stand symbolically of the cycles of gender and gender performance that exist.
In submitting to the Green Knight as requested, ultimately still offering himself to die a pointless death, Gawain is still performing…but aren’t we all?
Even those who chafe against the toxic social standards of gender, and understands the ways it perpetrates out everyday life still perform it. Some perform in adherence to the gender they are assigned, others do not. Some embrace the expectations of their gender identity, others do not. But they are still performing. WE are still performing. That cannot be changed. It is the HOW and the WHY that is important.
Gawain is choosing to ultimately submit to the Green Knight, and technically do everything his uncle, his station, and his culture tell him to do. But he is not doing it for the same reasons. He is moved by his dystopian vision, of the true consequences of not being vulnerable, and he fears it. He’s not choosing to die because it will make him great, he’s choosing to die because it will keep him good.
And, really, that’s how a man can be masculine while not being toxic. It isn’t by refusing to perform, because that’s impossible. It’s by choosing to perform in a way that is vulnerable, and respectful.
Green Knight at the end of the film: "T'was but a prank, good sir"
so excited to sit down for the full essay. i really loved the atmosphere this movie produced and am hyped for the takes. let's goooo
This is excellent. I normally don’t do too many “The Green Knight - ENDING EXPLAINED” kinds of videos after I see films like this, but I’m glad I watched this; I left it with so many new things to think about. Great work. ✨
I will just say, that I wasn’t quite as unsatisfied as you were by the ending. To me, it seemed like a recognition of the harm he had done the Green Knight - he’s holding to his word and taking accountability for the mistake he made giving into peer pressure and decapitating the Knight, who had clearly explained the rules and had done him no harm.
He’s giving up his power in the situation and owning his mistake, and that’s what makes it the brave, knightly choice. (To me)
I liked the ending too. I took it to mean he found that he feels only confused, lost and unlike himself by doing what he thought was "expected of him." That by playing the game fairly, what ever the consequences, with his (maybe even embarrassing) small quiet dignified victory for himself, he made himself acceptable to himself. It was not full of glory but he was able to finally define honor for himself.
I think the point of this video is that when he is “accepting his responsibility”, he is also doing it out of peer pressure. He doesn’t need to play the game at all.
@@Manugon well yes he doesn't need to, in the same way we don't really "need" to do anything in our lives.
Though for me the ending is Gawains owning up to his mistake instead of running away. Which usually is a good quality.
Seeing as the Green Knight is also symbolic of the unconquerable power of nature, and by extention death, it is a game everyone must play. By taking the girdle off he is not just going along with what others think he should do and needlessly dying, but instead is approaching life and the inevitable end of it with courage. It doesn't matter if it is right then and there in the chapel, or in 50 years time. @@Manugon
Personally, I’ve had my fill of this deconstruction of masculinity and the attempted redefinition of the hero. Not to say I disliked the film- I thought it was stunning, but I saw it more as a reaffirmation of chivalry. To the point that Han Solo is the antithesis of an Arthurian Knight, I would argue he is…. Until he’s not. Han slowly develops those attributes (as most heroes do) over time.
The overall message is a Knight’s quest is not about magical weapons or a clear map of the way and that’s why few ever became knights! That is what growing into adulthood is as well. It’s not Aurtur pointing West and telling you that destiny waits where the two roads cross, it’s someone shrugging their shoulders and saying “I have no idea what you should do or how it will turn out, so good luck with all that” and you still choosing to take those steps.
I'm generation X, we were the first generation to embrace deconstruction and anti-heroes in a big way in culture. It can only go so far before it becomes a parody of itself. We've been doing this for over 30 years now. Masculinity is not all bad. My dad is a Vietnam veteran, and a public school teacher for over 20 years. He has his faults but he lived up to a close approximation of chivalry, and I can't imagine he is the only man who has or still does. I think people who try to redefine what a hero is have lived small sheltered lives, and haven't had to do anything remotely heroic or selfless themselves, so they can't imagine that someone else could work towards living up to those values. Basically I agree with you, and I'm sick to death of these "post-truth", "post-values" people trying to ram their hollow cynicism down everyone else's throats.
The reason we rewrite these stories (politics aside) is because if you only define hero as a certain type of person, then where does that leave the rest of us who weren't fortunate enough to have been born that person? Everyone deserves to be a hero in their own story. Women aren't always wives or/and mothers and they shouldn't have to be. Same for men. They shouldn't have to be big and strong or even hetrosexual. The things that make a hero a hero are not genderd, unless whoever creates it choses to make it so.
@@ladyredl3210 I don't think any of the universal qualities of heroism are dependent on gender or natural ability. It doesn't take a Y chromosome or natural athleticism to make the choice to do the right thing when presented with the opportunity. Honor, self-sacrifice, and bravery are all gender neutral. The acts that signify those values may change with the context of the person and the setting, but the values are universal and "deconstructing" the values themselves as not being worth aspiring to is the problem with many post-modern stories.
@@rakusoverthecoals861 first, love the username. Second, I guess it depends on why you're deconstructing those tropes.
I personally don't see The Green Knight as a deconstruction. I see it moreso as an explanation. Or an attempt at an explanation.
Not gonna lie, the part where you tongue-in-cheek repeat the "moral of the story" with your wife was super cute and funny lol
OKAY! Addressing the whole “his mom sent the green knight to kill Gawain” at the intro, I’ve been talking about this in my “age of King Arthur class” and we came to the consensus that she was most likely trying to kill Arthur so Gawain could come to power and she’d be the mother of the king, yada yada. Also my name is Nathan too! We’ve been talking about this movie and the original poem a lot in class and I may continue to edit this comment after I watch the video essay!
Man, I LOVED what you did with the ending here. This movie was a godDAMN trip from beginning to end. I loved the performances, the misé-en-scene and the photography! And afterwards I opened the wiki entry on the tale and just tumbled down that hole for A WHILE (so much so I neded up reading a lot about Welsh folklore lmao), it was insane.
So, greetings from Venezuela! Keep up the good work and stay real.
39:11 Ryan's voice!
Hoyever...
Something I noticed is how all the men who are pushing the hypermasulinity, the knights, arther, and garwin, are smaller and meek than the Green Knight. Which is reflective of ironicly our more modern ideas of manliness. Think of the people who focus on their masculinity, it's hardly ever people who feel confident in themselves. And actually confident, not just their showcase. And they are VERY quick to bring other people's apperances up. Hell they now even have the term "chad" and things like that. The Green Knight looks like a manly man, but outside of look is more of what women would call a good man. He's the folly of the idea of the knights of the round table. Yes his strong and big, but he's passive and forgiving. Yes he has the voice that would make many straight/bi/pan women swoon, but he's kind and gentle with his words, and at some points directly stating what the women said. In the eyes of weakly minded men, he should be the posterchild of manly manly man. But he's not, and that what makes him so challenging to the knightly idea of men.
Was Arthur pushing masculinity? He asks Gawain for a story, yes, but he's also the one who cautions Gawain that it's just a game. He is also visibly disappointed when Gawain cheapshots the Green Knight.
"Passive"
The projection is so strong in this one
I’m so happy you did the second part. The first felt like you went through the expectations of what a video essay would be, conforming to this ideal, making the material fit the form.
The second, you let go of that a bit, and your conclusion is the better for it.
He never escapes the expectations of honor, there is no conceivable way (in his mind) out of the situation without loosing his head. Till the end, he has not learned to overcome
The Mystery of the Grail: Initiation and Magic in the Quest for the Spirit should be read by all who are interested to understand.
Commenting for the algorithm gods. Top notch script and editing from the AoH team, as always :D
(also lmao @ the ryan cameo. that was a pleasant surprise)
awh man i’d know that irish lilt anywhere lol that was a treat, i love when my fave youtubers work together. love the video, always love hearing your takes !! 💗
No 'Hoyever' included, sadly. 😂
@@JohnSmith-mk1rj lol !!
Reading the actual legend answers all your questions posed here.
His Mom knew he had no purpose so she gave him one, but the sash was to show she utterly doubted him completing it.
The couple who detract him are the Green Knight and an illusion the Green Knight plays to detract him from his path.
And finally, the Green Knight does NOT kill him but rather commends him for following through and actually being ready to die for the cause,
as that Gawain's character arc being fulfilled.
He became a man, regardless of even his own doubt. Thus, finally truly WORTHY of the crown.
If anything The Green Knight is pro-masculinity and shows the horrors of being unmasculine.
Wow. That head lopping scene was very Sleepy Hollow! I haven’t seen this film, but it looks very dark and gritty aesthetically. Im really looking forward to this analysis, I’ve heard so many conflicting thoughts about this film, and how it adapts the original text. Good to see you Nathan. Thank you for this!
This is such an interesting and thoughtful take. It makes me want to watch the film myself, I always love Dev Patel! I particularly appreciate how you talked about gender as a performance, and even the trailer as a performance - it's not something I've thought deeply about before but I think you're absolutely right.
you’re such an underrated creator
Joseph Campbell has his hero's journey, David Lowerey has his cowards journey.
Fun fact: the second shot is not of Camelot on fire, it's the sacking of Troy. In the end credits, you can see the mentioning of Helen and Paris. This is because the manuscript begins "when the siege and assault were ceased at Troy".
The entire movie is Peter Pan making the dangerous journey out of Never Never Land & learning what it means to be a man and taking your place among other men (knighthood). Courage in the face of fear, adventure, risk taking, fight over flight, and above all...living an honorable life since that's all you have in the end as a man. Rising to the challenge of your 'father' because of his faith in you as his son and separating from the mother and perpetual boyhood (the sash & mothers protection). The Green Knight is one of the greatest movies calling forth aimless men to embrace traditional masculinity.
Hearing Hollingers voice near the end was a fun surprise. Love the content dude
Amazing content as always. Keep them coming! 🔥🔥
Great vid. I really enjoyed the ambiguity of _The Green Knight._ Also, when The Green comes for me, I hope it sounds like cheerful Irish vlogger.
It's criminal that you are not more well known. I absolutely enjoy your videos and really like your perspective on these types of films.
I’ve literally been thinking about this movie since I saw it in July. This is one of the coolest and best takes I’ve seen on it.
Apparently the screaming mass of patels have even taken over Arthurian legends. Ridiculous.
I absolutely love this film and fiercely hate parts of it. I love how it feels medieval in its uncanny, unsettling glory where ingerpretation is slipperyat best (medievalist here), how it is a dreamscape and doesn't avoid devotion. But I also hate how it short changes Bertilak and the inherent queerness of the original poem, cutting down the masculinity to something modern and narrow, very straight and not at all fluid.
The second conclusion is marvellous and I want to think about it, to really get it. Thank you so much for covering this film.
A few random points:
1) I like to think that the bandit rides on ahead of Gawain, bearing the axe, the belt and his horse. That he arrives at St Winifred's ahead (ahaha) of Gawain and kills her, and then appears at Bertilak's and fails the test set for him as a knight, leaving the girdle there to be returned to Gawain. He is the mirror image of Gawain in a lot of ways - merciless, searching for glory and violence. Thus all the comments about 'was this you or someone else?', etc.
2) The role of the Virgin Mary here. His mother makes him the girdle from pagan power, but a girdle is first and foremost a tool of Mary and blessed to provide protections. As a relic it is paraded around towns. And this is CHRISTMAS, where Mary is at peak Mary. But as he enters the pagan land, we have the bandit shattering the image of the Virgin Mary on the shield, and then Gawain orgasms on the girdle both sullying it completely, but also fertilising it so to speak. There is a balance between the pagan and the Christian here, as well as what sort of man he will be.
3) Then of course the fact that his mum here is Morgan le Fay, which is an upgrade from the myths where she is Morgause and so she is his mother, the blind woman, the fox and also in the end the one playing the 'trick' with the Green Knight and Bertilak. Such a lovely plot twist, because then his two main influences are both the pagan and the civilising force of Arthur, but also the inverse of the virgin Mary while kinda playing the same role. So good.
4) I love Arthur and Guinevere so much here. So, so, so much. Their gaunt, grey fragility. The scene in his dream when Arthur hands the sword to him and retires to bed all worn through but in a shower of light. The dying kingdom and the dying king. So, so, so, so beautiful and precisely the end of Arthur when the decay of the world had set in and forced him to return to the lake.
4) the puppet show! So terrifying and divorced from all reality. As the rumours catch fire and burn out. The escalating stories so detached from reality. Yes.
5) Winifred being forced to marry and not become a saint Gawain's dream ending. To bear children and sacrifice herself, to also be ground down, along with Essel.
4) The knightly virtues are often tied in with the classic virtues of Christianity (and Islam) than we give credit too. Out of the ones you have listed here, they are by and large the classical virtues. Fides (faithfulness), caritatis (divine love as well as charity), justitia (justice or honour). Even the rest are related to subsets of these most complex ideas (honour and humility, And these are complex ideas at best, let alone in terms of Arhurian material, where the 'secular' and the religious often collide.
It's pretty impressive that videos uploaded to this channel relate in meticulous detail the plots of movies I haven't watched yet and even so I'm left wanting to watch the movies much more than I did before getting the full spoilers, rather than less
I'm so happy you gave a shoutout to Kaz Rowe. They were my introduction to this topic, and their videos are so well researched and engaging. Also, seeing them in that armour... 🥵
they ROCKED it
You are one of the best channels on RUclips, your editing, organization, and delivery rival famous TV documentarians.
One thing that stood out to me after looking into the myths surrounding Gawain was about the scene where saint Winifred asks him if he's sure he didn't kill her. In the tale of the questing beast Gawain plays a somewhat big part... where he acts un chivalrously and accidentally kills a lady who'd been throwing herself on his opponent to beg for mercy. Really felt like that line was a reference to that other Gawain myth... He is a killer of women in at least one version of his story. He eventually begs the pardon of the ladies of the court and becomes sworn to become their champion later in that version of his story.
I watch your videos while I'm driving and respond to your rhetorical questions so I can pretend we're friends discussing a movie we just watched. I drive a lot, so it's nice to have someone to "talk" to. I watch a LOT of video essays, both because I love looking at the deeper meanings in media, but also to pretend I have smart friends who are willing to spend hours talking to me. You're my favorite "friend" because it seems like you always watch movies around the same time I do, and if I haven't seen a movie you talk about, I immediately watch it so I can watch your video. Lol. I'm not a stalker, I swear.
I don't know if I'd go so far as to bring up gender identity. The tale (i've read Tolkien's version) is the story of a man who wants to become a knight, but only sees the status attached. He is unable to make the sacrifices necessary to be a true knight. And the previous generation is unable to notice that lack of content in him. They are old and enjoying the end of their lives now that some kind of order has been established in the kingdom. And this pacified structure is where Sir Gawain was raised, for he lives without challenges, without a story and without honor. He is the odd man that can bring times of crisis again.
Now the movie is keeping these themes, but develops further on death and the passage of time. Here, honor is presented as the antidote to death. This subject seems to weigh more heavily for the movie's director, so despite the main character failing several "tests", the moment he accepts the logos is when he achieves redemption. So i think you are right, his future is still open for interpretation but with a clearer indication that he will be a good king.
It doesn't look to me that the movie drifts too far from the original themes. It only expands on a specific one as it downplays the importance of the other ones in the process. A more modern perception key would not be the most appropriate for understanding this tale.
I don't know, if the movie's as cryptic as you make it out to be. The conundrum is relatively simple, which you lay out ofc. The Green Knight wants to test the chivalry of Arthus' knights and Gawain simply fails. He does not understand the rules. He doesn't even display any sense of wit (which was oftentimes an important characteristic in many chivalric tales, the hero outwitting the opponent through an oftentimes supernatural item). He doesn't see the ruse for what it is and he just straight-up beheads a man on Christmas in the courtroom of the King. Sure, the knights are raucously clapping, but that's more a testimony to your buddies going "lmao damn, he really did that", than outright approval. I think if one of the more esteemed knights would've taken the challenge we might've seen a different reaction to it, like demanding the Green Knight to take up arms and give him a duel, or to lay down the weapon as well, as a sign of mutual respect, or to simply prod the man and claim victory. It was a GAME after all. Even Arthur says so. But Gawain in his quest for false manhood simply ignores all the courtesy and straight up murders a guy.
And at the end, the sash is simply his last line of defence. Here he finally wants to employ wit (a band that makes him invulnerable as long as he wears it vs. a mortal blow), but it's simply the wrong choice. He has already failed before and it is about the courage to admit your own wrongdoing. The Knight doesn't wait for Gawain, because he wants to exact revenge or anything. It is still a test of valor. It is a twice-layered test. The first correct answer would've been to, well, not mortally wound the Knight and the second correct answer would've been to man up to the crime and receive the punishment. It is here then that the Knight would've (or does) show Gawain how a Knight properly behaves at the end. He shows mercy to a surrendering foe, who has displayed honour and courage in the face of death.
Yes, the masculinity and wanting to live up to ideals is very much a core theme, but I don't think the second ending of your analysis really makes sense in that regard. It was a wrong thing for Gawain to effectively execute a man like that. Taking the punishment in stride is the test as it puts death as the outcome and the only security would be that the Knight himself would be chivalrous enough to not go for a killing blow. It is, in a way, hope to uphold those knightly codes of conduct and we, ultimately, do see what happens when Gawain would shirk away from them. He would devolve into a horrible king and a brutal man.
That is a common thing in medieval literature by the way. In German medieval literature theory there's the concept of the "verligen" (medieval German for "lazying about" of sorts). Oftentimes that is one of the cardinal sins a knight can commit and oftentimes it is committed by having fully given up on their duties and just living in revelry with a woman, having a lot of sex and ignoring their job. Gawain's constantly on the verge of the verligen. He's seen early on as a man frequenting brothels and ignoring mass, he takes an extended break at the lord's manor and at the end he nearly chooses the coward's way out, which would ultimately corrupt him completely.
However, he doesn't. He takes off the sash and like you correctly point out it's one of the first things he actively does without anyone telling him to do it. Earlier on the Knight even scolds him for flinching and so on. It would be very possible that in a "bad ending" the disappointed Knight would've asked him to strip bare, or to take off the sash, as he probably knows it's enchanted (given how the same sash is made by the mother), as a final gesture that would cement Gawain's cowardice. But alas, he chooses to prefer an honorable death over a horrible life and as such he has passed the Green Knight's game. He has shown the Green Knight that Arthus' knights are chivalrous in one way or another.
I hated, absolutely *HATED* this movie. On account that *GAWAIN* was one of Arthur's most loyal knights. In the original poem and stories of Gawain and the Green Knight, he took up this challenge not to "discover" himself, but to prove to his uncle and his peers (as well as himself) that he deserved his seat at the Round Table. Before that, he had never been tested, and most thought he got the position out of nepotism. And what happens? He *RESISTED* every temptation presented to him, proving he was an honorable and worthy knight. This movie is more like a revision made by an insecure, man hating 20 year old college student with an age to grind (pun totally intended). Furthermore: It dragged on waaaay too long and butchered the legend. The legend was intended to highlight the *BEST* qualities of masculinity and knightly nobility. In short: This movie is trash!
*are, not age. Damn auto correct!
*Axe
It's just the usual suspects taking a shit on European culture, don't worry about it.
Oh wow, I wasnt expecting this kind of video! Interesting essay as well. Your uploads always feel like Christmas came early!
Fantastic analysis. All I did the whole movie was question my manhood and masculinity. It was truly unsettling. I loved it so much.
The one thing I wish you mentioned was the scene after the credits. I’m curious on your thoughts of that little girl playing with the crown, as if it were nothing but another toy. Its insignificance, as it were.
39:11
"I've seen so many men over the years who think they're running at other men. HOYEVER."
this is an excellent video. i adored your first ending conclusion. That honour is undefinable. The true gift is understanding one's self. Then the "fanfic" was awesome ngl. (im a sap for two people connecting and understanding one another). Your final point of understanding that perhaps the ambigous ending comments on how constently life strays away from patterns, trops, or predictable endings, is genius. I do think there are some flaws in the film itself? Just in how it handles that thematic statement of "there are no rules to life". But your analysis truly highlights all the film's amazing complexities and insights while adding so many of your own thought provoking ideas. I love this video! Well done.
24:27
The shot that happens from this point, the inversion of ground and sky, feels like it embodies the otherness and uncanny quality of the narrative and Gawain's journey in a perfectly metaphorical sense. It is probably my favorite shot in the film.
The fact that the earth Gawain is walking on and the sky switch positions communicates to me that the ethereal and uncertain sky, the entity that is above and out of reach, which represents the abstract and conceptual, changes to assume the role of the earth, the grounded and familiar, the concrete and the real, is so potently emblematic of the theme of ambiguity and uncertainty.
That shot tells the audience that this world and this story is not primarly focused on any sort of objectivity or certainty, but that this journey, much like many facets of our own lives and our own personal journeys outside of this film, is going to be full of interpretable curiousities which are grey and unclear.
It's such a meaningfully broad and profound implication that can go beyond the scope of the film's narrative, if one desires it to.
I've read the poem in it's original form for my middle English literature courses. It's such a good read.
"Now. Off with your head."
"Now. Off, with your head."
Could be ;)
Very interesting analysis, and thank you for the extra part, the "Essel alternative" and the honesty about the ambiguity: I also think that his step towards vulnerabily, by taking off the magic shash, is a performance looking for the father-figure aproval. In my own view, he is in fact surrendering himself to the "manhood" and the toxic concept of honor. And this depicted as a stupid idea, because the "father" in the myths is found in sacrifice his childs, being the young warriors and soldiers of history, and yet today, the most archetypical example of "sending the childs of" that kingdom or country to their certain death by desing of an older generation of more powerful men. "You are a brave, worthy man now. So, die honorably insted of living a life of dishonour and ruin", seems to say the Green Knight with his last words and warmer attitude.
It can be more simple, though, an acceptance of the superior force of nature and time, and back to the theme of insignificance so well pointed in your video, and in the words of the Lady.
Women's role is indeed a powerful one: he seems more confortable and vulnerable in the company of women, lacks of a true father figure, and is clear that, even being Arthur that kind of inspiring reference, they haven't a close relationship. The Green Knight is summoned by the mother, speeks through the queen, and presents the quest for manhood and greatness that a father would request. The mother knows that his child will survive because is protected by the same magic which brought the Knight in the first place, and so the same "green" aspect, the cicles of nature. More confussing are the Lady's role. The theme of social position? - she is acceptable because is rich, cultivated, a true "lady", as a contrast with Essel. Also the Oedipical aspect of her being the one who gives him the shash, using the same words of the mother. She claims to have made it herself, but we know is that her mother and the rest of the coven are the ones who created it
The epilogue seems to be placed in the "dytopian" timeline, to me: the girl is the only heir, since the the prince is dead, and she takes the crown from the floor, I didn't felt a sign of a possible happy return after the final scene in the Green Chapel, but more like the dystopian outcome is more real than the "honorable" one.
A great movie , and great review!
How is honor as a concept toxic?
This is one of the better video essays I’ve seen on RUclips. You put a unique perspective on the more subtle motifs.
there's a poem called "If-" by Rudyard Kipling which I think is relevant to the plot of the movie. It's from a father to a son on what it means to a man. Stanza by stanza it increasingly gets more drastic and stacks on a ton of virtues and impossibilities, and at the final stanza resolves itself by declaring anyone who follows it's guidance both a "man" and the ruler of the world. I think it's supposed to be motivational but I always thought it felt a little uncanny.
Really enjoyed this video and wasn’t surprised when you mentioned philosophy tube, you’re both great!!
there's something to be said about gender as performance here!!! judith butler writes a lot about how everyone performs their given gender based on societal expectations, and that no one's behavior is actually influenced by if they were born with certain parts or not. just as you supposedly act your wife's idealized version of your masculine self in this video, you are also acting your own idealized version of your masculine self every day to others, even yourself. gender is a feeling, not anything actually concrete. you FEEL masculine, you FEEL feminine. but it's all in your brain, and no one can- or should- tell you how to feel. women do masculine things all the time, just as men do feminine things, and neither of these actions change said person's gender.
in the movie, gawain is influenced by the thoughts, actions, and feelings of those around him. they are, as you said in the video, the only reason he even goes on this suicidal quest in the first place. he doesn't want to die, clearly, but goes anyway, because everyone is expecting that of him. this feels, to me at least, a lot like my experience growing up as a young transgender person. i did not feel, nor did i want to feel, like the girl everyone kept telling me I was, yet i continued to act as if this was the case because, well, it's what everyone expected of me. my first decision to be truly myself was when i came out in high school. i want to argue that the first (and last) real decision gawain makes on his own in the movie, the choice to face his fate, is a similar one.
and i think that's really beautiful. that when he's alone, when no one else is around but him and the green knight, he chooses /against/ his fear, despite the glory and "honor" his vision shows him. as the audience, even we see that the vision of gawain-as-king has this kind of...emptiness to it. that "uncanny" you were talking about. gawain feels it too. he knew that running away would only lead to a holllow-ness that follows at his heels his entire life. and to choose against that....it feels like that's gawain choosing to be.....himself.
it's not the uncanny horror of masculinity- it's the uncanny horror of gender expectations.
other people's idea of gawain is not gawain. at the end of the day, no one is there to tell gawain to stay- to face his fate and potentially die at the hands of the green knight. but he stays anyway. because he saw what happens if he didn't and it was empty. i came out, because i saw a life where i was female forever, and it was empty too. forgive me, if you must, for seeing similarities there.
this is mostly word throw-up and isn't quite as articulated as i want it to be (seriously, i could write a whole book on gender as a performance) but i'm sending it off anyway, because if i futz with it anymore i'm gonna go insane. thanks for the video, Nathan, it really sparked my brain :-)
Came here from a reddit post from the community MensLib and I'll be forever thankful to the guy who posted your video there because I absolutely loved your channel.
Loved the part where Ryan Hollinger reads from “the book thief” another excellent channel I watch.
Your voice, tone, and pacing for these videos are all lovely.
It's a personal bonus to intelligent analysis videos which is very dear to me - vocal delivery is something I've been fascinated with all my life - and to hear these horror narratives delivered in this way is an absolute pleasure and intellectual treat.
This is coming from someone who normally cannot stomach horror and is too scared for much of its content. You've made this genre perfectly palatable for me.
Keep up the good work!!
Hey man, my girlfriend and I saw this in theaters and came out of enjoying it but sorta ambivalent on how we felt about it. Because of your video, we put more thought into it, had some great conversation over it, and we both enjoy the movie more because of your take on it.
So, thank you. Really appreciate your work.
One thing I've learned over the course of examining my relationship to gender which helped me find a more solid comfort in my own identity (I'm a trans woman, but I feel like this could be helpful to anyone) was to decide that, my gender identity is a separate thing from gender roles others put on me or my own gender performance. And that as a member of my gender, I see myself as an active participant in defining what the gender I am is like. Rather than always looking to and copying others, who are often just copying others. I still copy stuff obviously, that I personally appreciate or like, but with say, fashion, I try to copy what I think looks good or maybe goes with what else I'm wearing in some way, regardless of the gender of the person who is doing it. I still have a lot of anxieties, but I do my best to like, just look well-kempt and wear adequate clothing to satisfy basic local mores, and otherwise leave other people's negative judgements about gender roles where they came from rather than bearing them with me.
I guess to simplify - if I chose to wear jeans, even if they were labeled as men's jeans, they wouldn't to me be men's jeans. If it bothered me I'd cut the label off. They'd be women's jeans because *I'm* wearing them and I'm a woman. As far as how I know which gender identity - I know what feels right and what feels like a lie, and in my case I've never been a 'man' despite that society had picked that role out for me and going along with it always felt like lying. I came out as trans approximately when I was too tired to keep lying to people anymore about being cis. If the one you've been going with maybe seems in question but doesn't feel like a lie, it's probably just fine. It's when it really rubs you the wrong way that it is probably worth examining. It's also very much fine not to know - people feel a lot of pressure to fall into a category. I feel like whatever label makes sense it's more a product of knowing yourself over the years than anything else.
Ryan Hollinger making an appearance was great! 2 of my favorite video essay channels colliding. It's a good day.
So...if Gawain didn't lob the Green Knight's head clean off, then the Green Knight wouldn't have to behead Gawain in return? Like, if Gawain showed mercy, then the Green Knight would show mercy in return? Is that how the game works?
yes it’s about thinking. Gawain bowed into peer pressure and lobbed his head off. it was dishonorable and unknightly.
if he just listened and nicked him he would’ve won
Since originally this was a narrative that was first told before Christianity was a thing, the pagan influences made sense to me. The gender fluidity isn't modern or anti male, it's just different, but that fluidity is also pagan. When you don't have muscular Christian in the way, you can experience gender differently. But everyone has to be all "there's only one way to be a man, gender is being attacked!" It's bs. Third genders have existed in many cultures forever.
On a completely different note, I interpreted the identity confusion as literal. All of these people are repeating a story over and over, there have been others before and will be others later. As the turning of the seasons.
Humans have no gender. Seek help.
Everything you just said is pretty much wrong. Christianity came to England in about the year 600. Arthurian legend was first written about in around 1100. So it's not pre-Christian.
Pegan traditions of masculinity were even more restrictive than Christian ones. Thor was the ultimate man in Norse mythology. (You're not meant to like Loki don't bring up that story.) Who accepted his death stoticly without reservation. Because that's what Norse men did. It was super important to their religion.Where as Christianity had Jesus whose main thing was dying, and then crying about it. Well, also being a healer, a thing that historically was seen as feminine. And notable, not a warrior in any sense. As far as not being traditionally masculine, Jesus kind takes the cake compared to Thor or Hercules. (Who did not have a gay friend.)
"Third genders" only existed as a way to say a man wasn't a "real man." It was the equivalent of calling a guy a "sissy boy." Or a gal a tomboy at best.
@@myself2noone sure bud. I’ll bet you’re an expert.
Your description of the uncanny suddenly brought the movie "Parents" to mind. Which is either about eating human flesh or discovering that your parents have sex.
reading the original poem felt like a fun romp through a kind of goofy, (VERY bisexual) fairytale.
watching the movie gave me the same feeling as a particularly strange recurring nightmare i've had for years.
(I say both of these things with love)
Bisexuals fairytale lmao dat agenda stronk ay
@@CoercedJab ????????? pardon
This whole review of The Green Knight basically demonstrates that the reviewer has no idea what the story is about, but that's not stopping him from reviewing it, because hey! it's his opinion and so it must be right.
And I mean, who says Essel is a prostitute? Male projection.