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COPYRIGHT 2001 Society for the Study of Mediaeval Languages and Literature
`Hony soit qui mal pence': this slightly altered version of the motto of the Order of the Garter appears at the end of the Middle English alliterative poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (SGGK), the only extant copy of which is to be found in London, British Library, MS Cotton Nero A.x.(1) The motto appears to have been added in `a somewhat later hand';(2) and it has been said that there is no clear evidence that the Gawain-poet himself, or even the original copyist, intended such a direct allusion to the Garter.(3) Much discussion has already been generated for and against the supposed connections between SGGK and the Garter.(4) To my mind, the indications are decidedly in favour of, rather than against, such an interpretation; any English poet writing in the Arthurian mode at this date would necessarily see, and know that an aristocratic audience would also see, a parallel between the Round Table and the Order of the Garter. The motto, whenever added, is important as evidence of how an early reader -- possibly a contemporary of the author's, or at least the copyist's -- reacted to the poem. Whoever added the motto certainly intended to draw attention to the parallel between the real-life order of chivalry and the imaginary knights of the Round Table, perhaps even between the prestigious garter itself, symbol of the order, and the girdle of SGGK, which is adopted and worn as a sash by King Arthur's court. But it may well be the case, as I hope to show by pointing to certain clues within the text, that the anonymous poet himself intended the parallel, for there is a real connection between the Garter motto and the poem's inner dynamic. If someone other than the poet was responsible for adding the motto at the end of SGGK, that person was only making explicit what the author himself had left implicit. Furthermore, I would suggest that the poet intended by this reference to flatter a noble patron, one who desired to gain admission into the highly exclusive Order of the Garter -- a mark of royal favour which would (if the proposed identification is correct) have increased his chances of being taken seriously as heir to the throne.
The presence of the Garter motto at the very end of the poem is the parting shot in a series of leave-takings through which the poet takes us, as the literary illusion recedes into the distance and the author draws us back to concrete reality. He takes leave firstly of Gawain's story, next of Arthurian romance in general, then of ancient British legend, and finally of salvation history. The perspective thus recedes into the ancient past before being telescoped into eternity, the Christian view of mankind. It is very striking that the symbolism of the green girdle is inverted in the final stanza, from a badge of shame to a badge of honour. Worn first by Sir Gawain as a talisman (at Hautdesert, where it must be hidden), it is elevated to the level of sign, on a par with the pentangle (on leaving the Green Chapel), then adopted as a chivalric emblem (at Camelot). Gawain returns home wearing it as a baldric, i.e. across his right shoulder and tied in a knot under his left arm. For the hero, the adventure has been one of progress from self-delusion to self-awareness, from pride to penitence. The `endless knot' (line 630) of the pentangle has been undone along with the hero's `trawpe', or fidelity (lines 626; 2470), and the new knot of the baldric is a sign of Gawain's remorse. The paradox of the baldric, seen in penitential terms, is the paradox of the crucifixion in St Paul's understanding of salvation: no cross, no crown. The humbling of Gawain leads to greater honour, but only when his sin is forgiven and he is reintegrated into the Christian community. His companions, in adopting the green baldric, reverse its meaning, now a sign of grace rather than disgrace.
At all events, the story ends at this point with the adoption of the baldric, and to remind us that it is indeed a story whose primary object is to entertain, the author recalls that it is recorded in `pe best boke of romaunce' (line 2521). Bringing the story back round to its starting point, there is a final reminder of the Arthurian setting and, beyond that again, as in the introductory stanza, of the historical background of Brutus and the siege of Troy, which has the effect of distancing the events from the present. The final alliterative line, `After pe segge and pe asaute watz sesed at Troye' (line 2525), is thus almost exactly the same as the poem's first line, `Sipen pe sege and pe assaut watz sesed at Troye'. The meaning of the last two lines, `Now pat bere pe croun of porne, / He bryng vus to his blysse! Amen' (lines 2529-30), seems at first sight unrelated to what has gone before. The tone in this couplet is unabashedly pious, and scarcely in the style of romance. Although it is commonplace for romance authors to invoke a blessing on the audience they do not normally do so in the style of preachers, which is the convention followed here. This couplet is typical of medieval English sermons, such as in Jacob's Well, many of whose chapters end in a very similar way.(5) That the author was a religious man is undoubted; he may even have been a priest, perhaps a chaplain in a noble household, though there is no critical agreement on this point.(6) If such were indeed the case, as I think, one of his duties would be to preach regularly; and so the concluding couplet may be intended as a reminder of his role. This interpretation is in keeping with the analysis of Gawain's fault in penitential terms and throws the three scenes of confession (made first to the priest, then to the Green Knight, and finally to the Round Table) into sharper relief.
In just a few lines, therefore, the author goes through this series of conclusions or leave-takings. But there is one last line still to come, a parting shot which creates a new element of suspense, raising as it does further questions about the meaning and symbolism of the green girdle. That line is the motto of the Order of the Garter, `Hony soit qui mal pence', written in the manuscript just after the poem.(7) As said earlier, not everyone would agree that this is the author's parting shot: on the contrary, many commentators see it as a mere scribal addition, i.e. something added by the copyist -- or even by someone else -- for his own reasons, which are not necessarily those of the poet. I am not convinced that this dismissive attitude is...
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