The Green Knight and the Search for Honor
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
-Matthew 16:24-26
In Act 1 scene 2 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the would-be assassin Brutus claims that when it comes to fighting for the good of his country:
Set honor in one eye and death i' th' other,
And I will look on both indifferently,
For let the gods so speed me as I love
The name of honor more than I fear death.
If Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s other famed characters, were writing this review he might say, “Aye, there’s the rub.” Because the Green Knight’s protagonist, Sir Gaiwan, holds his honor above all things, even death. However, it feels as though Gaiwan’s quest for honor is about much more than a simple badge to show off, Gaiwan’s honor bears the weight of his soul.
In The Green Knight, director David Lowery creates such an immersive world that upon the roll of the final credits you begin to feel like you've been snapped out of a trance. This world is filled with beauty, horror, kindness, violence, mystery, and darkness. Yet among all these aspects and opportunities, Gaiwan (Dev Patel) finds himself as a mere participant with no stories to tell.
Based on the 14th-century chivalric romance “Sir Gaiwan and the Green Knight” by Anonymous, The Green Knight follows Gaiwan who is the nephew of King Arthur. Quite the person to live up to in those days. His nights are spent at the brothel and his mornings are spent recovering from his nights. It’s Christmastime and the time has come for the yearly celebration where Arthur honors his knights. Gaiwan begins this celebration as nothing more than the forgotten family member of King Arthur and ends holding the bloody sword Excalibur as he breathes heavily over the decapitated head of a mystery intruder. This sequence of events, a Christmas game, is the beginning of The Green Knight’s tale. The Green Knight, the personification of rot and death as revealed in an eloquent monologue by Alicia Vikander, enters the scene with a deal: Whoever is honorable enough to fight him and strike a blow, in one year must seek him out and receive the same blow in kind. For Gaiwan, his moment of honor, his chance to save his soul, has arrived.
The Green Knight pretty closely follows the Hero’s Journey as defined by Joseph Campbell in the 1940s. This journey has three overarching acts:
The Departure
The Initiation
The Return
This structure can be helpful for staying tethered to a more linear narrative while also enjoying the abstract creative offerings Lowery’s direction brings to the table. It is also fascinating to use the lens of the Hero’s Journey, simply because it shows how common Gaiwan’s plight is. He is not the first person seeking honor and greatness, nor is he the first to face certain death and face his greatest fears head-on. Yet, for Gaiwan, his quest is everything. His quest is not a simple adventure but a fight for his very soul.
Before Gaiwan embarks on his quest, Essel (Alicia Vikander) asks him why he must be great, why is it not enough to simply be good? This question is answered with silence. For Gaiwan it is not enough to be valued by those he loves, he must be remembered by all. Through a series of tests that feel like Biblical parables, Gaiwan pursues honor almost to the point of lust. This lust for honor is what makes Patel’s performance so dynamic. What does it look like when someone idolizes something so respected? When salvation is not a free gift but a prize that must be achieved through our own efforts?
In an incredibly effective sequence, Lowery shows us the nihilism of one who abandons their honor for the sake of life. What is there without honor? “Absolutely nothing,” is how Sir Gaiwan would respond.
“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?”
In the book of Ecclesiastes the author writes:
In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them. -Ecclesiastes 7:15-18
These two roads are a lesson that Gaiwan must face on his journey. His thirst for honor has forced him to make a choice, the short life of the righteous or the long life of the wicked. However, the author understands an important fact, those who have a fear of the Lord can be delivered from both roads. Honor is not found in conquering our own quest, but in realizing we’re powerless to do it on our own.
The Green Knight is a visual spectacle that puts Lowery in a league of his own. Dev Patel turns in a career-best performance, and Alicia Vikander and Joel Edgerton turn out impressive supporting roles that anchor key moments in the protagonist’s journey. There are rare times when a film ends and you immediately want to see it again. This is one of those times.
If you have any further interest in the original poem and how it compares to the film, check out this excellent article written Alissa Wilkinson on Vox.