Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Middle English: "Sir Gawayn and þe Grene Knyȝt") is a late 14th-century Middle English chivalric romance. It is one of the best known Arthurian stories, with its plot combining two types of folklore motifs, the beheading game and the exchange of winnings. Written in stanzas of alliterative verse, each of which ends in a rhyming bob and wheel, it draws on Welsh, Irish, and English stories, as well as the French chivalric tradition. It is an important example of a chivalric romance, which typically involves a hero who
Treason in Arthurian legend those customary in King Arthur’s court — assuming its existence is founded in more than the legends and fables of medieval romances. The origins of the word treason, as speakers of English would recognize it, date to the 13th century. Indeed, prior to the Treason Act of 1351, there were few laws which outlined comprehensively the legal qualifications for treason, or the appropriate punishments for said crimes. The process of conviction, trial, and sentencing of traitors such as Lancelot or Mordred in Arthurian literature was greatly informed by the very real, very gruesome practices of both French and English courts,