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King Arthur
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Lord of Britain
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Queen Guinevere
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his wife and Queen
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Sir Pellinore
Sir Gaherus
Sir Agravaine
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Leading knights at the court of King Arthur
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The Green Knight/Sir
Bertilak
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Lord of the north
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Sir Gawain
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Nephew of
King Arthur and one of his leading knights.
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The Lady Elaine
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Daughter of Bertilak, Lady of the Fountain
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Vivienne
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One of Queen Guinevere’s ladies, who dances with the king in
the final scene (non-singing role)
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Lords and Ladies of
the court
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SCENE ONE:
The throne room of Arthur’s castle.
It is Christmas Eve, and the room is filled with well-dressed lords and
ladies. The hall is brightly lit, and
musicians are playing cheerful tunes.
Everyone appears to be merry, and it is clear that the wine has already
been flowing freely for many hours.
Downstage left is a large sturdy table, set with sumptuous plates and
cups.
Arthur motioning toward the table:
Now my lords and ladies all
Whose splendor crowns my
humble hall
I beg you, take your places
here
to join with me in the
Christmas cheer
The lords and ladies move to the
table—each takes his or her glass
We drink to you, o Infant King
Whose tiny head is crowned
with gold
And of your glory now we sing
The newborn King of all the
world
Lord and Ladies
We drink to you, o Infant King
Whose tiny head is crowned
with gold
And of your glory now we sing
The newborn King of all the
world
The lords and ladies drink their
Christmas toast
Guinevere aside, as the merriment continues in the background
We sing the praises of His
mother mild
And yet my womb is barren,
without child
My youth has faded, my body
feels worn and old
The light in us has dimmed,
the fire grown cold
In an attempt to dispel her mood,
Guinevere now addresses the lords and ladies
Valiant knights I pray you
tell and sing
Of far-off lands, of strange
and wondrous things
Let one of you step forward,
do his part
To fire my soul, and thaw my
wintry heart
Sir Pellinore
Pellinore wants to tell about the
splendors of his brother’s castle and court
Lords and ladies, I’ll tell
you a tale
To fill your hearts with envy
I’ll tell of my brother’s
Christmas court
In the land of Gold and Plenty
My brother is the richest king
In all the Eastern lands
His castle stretches for a
league and a half
Above the golden sands
In Zanzibar, where even his
servants
Wear rubies and diamond rings
The slop for his pigs is
filled with gold
And other precious things
When last I counted, his
beautiful wives
Numbered twenty or twenty one
The other Lords and Ladies look at each other
nervously as the Queen begins to show obvious displeasure. Sir Gaherus interrupts
Sir Gaherus
Enough, my friend; can’t you
see
That the gems and diamonds you
describe
Are trifles at our lady’s
court
And pale beside her lovely
eyes
Guinevere looks with favor at Sir
Gaherus
I’ll sing a song of deepest
love
My truest heart’s devotion
Of how I wooed the Irish Queen
In the land across the ocean
When I was young my waist was
slim
My flowing hair was gold and
bright
No lady could resist my charms
I truly was a glorious sight
‘Twas then I cast my hopes and
fears . . .
Sir Agravaine interrupting, with
drunken swagger
How many times must we listen
to your boasting?
You sickly, smarmy, sad-faced
bore!
Any man worth the name leaves
love to the ladies
And earns his fame on the
field of war
If you ladies don’t mind a tale of battle
I’ll tell of my fight with the
Turkish hordes
On that terrible day in the
August heat
Down on the sands of the
Desert of Gore
Pellinore
My
friend, you exaggerate
The heat
was really not that great
Gaherus
Indeed,
my lord, as I remember
August
had past; it was September
Agravaine trying to ignore the other knights
The Turks had gathered high on
a hill
Forty thousand strong, or more
We were a brave but weary band
of fifty-three or fifty-four
Pellinore
Agravaine,
that is not right
The Turks
had already lost the fight
Gaherus
By the
time you got up from your drunken bed
The Turks
had already turned and fled
Some of the ladies begin to
laugh at Agrivaine, while others attempt to help him back to his seat. But the
drunken knight insists on continuing his tale.
Arthur and Guinivere look on with increasing displeasure.
Agravaine
The shields flashed bright in the
noonday sun
As the Turks began their dread
advance
I dug my spurs in my horse’s
flank
And lowered my long and trusty
lance
The Lords
now begin to speak all at once, some claiming that the battle took place in
September, others that it was nothing compared to the horrible fight with the
Hungarians on the Salt Plains. The
Ladies express their boredom. As the
clamor reaches its height, a door in the back of the room swings open, and a
tall, strongly-built Knight enters the room.
He is clad all in green from head to toe, and in his hands he holds a
gigantic battle-axe.
The Green Knight
Is this Arthur’s Court?
Arthur
I am King Arthur
There is an awkward silence
as the stranger remains standing in the doorway
Guinevere stepping out from
the table and beckoning to the Green Knight
I can see by your rain-soaked
clothes and the snow on your face
You’ve traveled far; now come
and take a place
The Green Knight
I do not come to beg for food
From pampered queens, nor do I
want
To share a cup of wine with
drunken lords
I seek the truth, and nothing
more
Be true to me, and I’ll be on
my way
Arthur
Friend, your words are harsh and plain
But all who come are welcome here
Speak your truth, then come and share
An honest cup of Christmas cheer
The
Green Knight
My lands lie far in the frozen North
But even there, Arthur, I’ve heard your name
Minstrels tell of your wonderful court
Your brave strong knights, your ladies fair
But your men are lazy and fat, I see, and the
women
Are no more beautiful than any others
Beneath their velvet and gold and costly
pearls.
General commotion. Gaherus, Pellinore, and Agravaine all rise up with anger. They reach for their weapons and move to
attack the Green Knight.
Guinevere
Peace my Lords, silence,
dearest friends
Manners are different in the
North, I’m sure
Our guest the noble Knight
meant no offense
He must be tired, I’m sure
he’ll make amends
The Green Knight
I didn’t come, o Queen, to
share in flowery speech
And manners, I find, are often
masks
To shelter cowards [Agravaine
rushes angrily towards the Knight]; I come
To ask if
anyone would be so bold
To play a simple Christmas
game with me:
Let he who dares now take this
axe
And give me one of his
stoutest blows
In one year’s time let him
come to me
I’ll pay him back, and then
we’ll see
If Arthur’s fame is just and
true
Or merely empty words
Lords and Ladies [in
consternation and bewilderment]
What does this mean?
What game is this?
There must be something he’s
concealing
Who is this knight?
What is his plan?
There’s something more he’s
not revealing
Agravaine
No one can doubt my bravery
I’ve demonstrated that on the
field of war
But I’ll have no truck with
knavery
The man’s a brute, and nothing
more
Gaherus
I’ve often fought with
fearsome foes
But the knight is so ill-bred
and coarse
His taunts cannot force me to
risk my life
I reject his challenge, with
no remorse
Pellinore
While we sit and hear this
useless chatter
The beer goes flat and the
meat grows cold
Send the Green Knight back to
his home
with a jug of ale and a sack
of gold.
Gawain has been
sitting a little apart from the others at a far corner of the table, but now he
leaves his place and moves to the center of the stage.
Gawain
Your words are strange, Green
Knight
and fill my heart with fear
Yet Gawain can’t deny a guest
at Arthur’s court
A chance to play his favorite
game
Give me your axe, and I swear
to you
Your neck will feel its steely
bite
With any luck you’ll never
live
To pay me back for my strong
sharp blow
Then we’ll be rid of your
harsh rude words
That have spoiled our
Christmas merriment
The Green Knight
hands Gawain his battle axe and removes his cloak in order to bare his
neck. He strides over to the table and
roughly pushes aside some plates and cups, making a place where he can stretch
out his torso. He lays his head on the
table in front of Gawain in expectation of his blows
Guinevere
Gawain I beg you, leave the
game
Leave the Green Knight’s axe
alone
There’s something in his deep
loud voice
That strikes a dark and
sinister tone
Gawain
My Queen, I thank you for your
deep concern
But in the Green Knight’s
glance I see
A challenge I cannot refuse
He shames me, my queen, he
shames us all
Gawain swings the
axe and brings it down with enormous force on the Green Knight’s neck. Although the blow severs the Knight’s neck,
he nevertheless lifts his head from the table and puts his cloak back on
The Green Knight
Gawain, your blow shows a
doughty arm
Well-trained in the arts of
battle and war
I thank you for the game, but
remind you now
The terms of our bargain must
be paid
In the Green Chapel on
Christmas Day
in one year’s time—I’ll expect
you there
To bare your delicate neck for
me
to swing the broad and deadly
axe.
In order to reach this holy
place
Go north through the
wilderness of Grief
To the very end of the frozen
path
Leave plenty of time—it takes
a month
To ride through the wastes of
my northern home
Remember your promise—your
honor and soul
Depend on the truth with which
you play
This deadly game, the game of
life
SCENE TWO: A frozen wilderness, dimly
illuminated by the full moon. On the
left is a small, crudely-built hut in which the lady Elaine is kneeling by a
small fire. Gawain enters upstage
right, without seeing the hut. He seems
on the brink of exhaustion.
Gawain
My horse is lame, and the night is now so
cold
That even the stars seem to shudder in their
celestial frame
Time itself has frozen still
How I long to turn my horse’s face
again towards the warmth of the southern sun
to feel again the heat of a fire, to smell a
feast
prepared with love, to hear again the
laughter of friends
Why must I pay so dearly now
For a moment’s whim?
Why must I perish here with cold
or offer my neck to the Green Knight’s axe
For a promise rashly made when half stupefied
with wine?
For honor?
For the right to be named a Companion of the King?
To fulfil the knightly vows that I once made
so long ago?
Recalling his vows, Gawain becomes calmer
With fear and dread I passed the sacred door
And kindled there the altar’s holy fire
I
knelt upon the church’s hard stone floor
To ask the Lord to grant my heart’s desire
In hope and penitence, I passed the night
My heart was full of sacrifice and love
When morning came, the church was filled with
light
And above the altar, I saw the holy dove
The church soon filled—Arthur’s court was
there
Robes were gleaming, armor flashing bright
I took the vows of service, faith and prayer
And with his sword the king made me a knight
The cold seems redoubled, and Gawain’s noble
mood vanishes.
How vain my noble vows seem now!
How empty the great king’s solemn pomp!
Honor can neither warm me nor fill my belly
Like a brute beast I die here of hunger and
cold
Yet what do I see?
A wisp of smoke from a hidden fire?
A shepherd’s hut, or lonely hermit’s cell?
Gawain approaches the door of the hut and
knocks upon it
If anyone is within, open please, and have
mercy on a dying man
Elaine to herself
I wish only to be alone with my grief
But in giving mercy, perhaps I will find it
myself.
to Gawain
Enter, traveler, share my poor meal and
little fire
Gawain
May God reward you!
Gawain enters and removes his snow-covered
cloak
Elaine
I can see by your beautiful robes, good sir
That you have traveled far from your home
Such lovely things cannot be found
In the humbler homes of our northern land
Gawain
Indeed, fair lady, I come from Arthur’s court
Elaine with sudden anger
Arthur’s court!
That gaudy shell that only serves to hide
A rotten core of sin and empty pride!
Gawain taking offense
By what right do you sully the noble name
Of Arthur the king, whose splendid fame
And magic sword, and mighty spear
Makes friends delight, and enemies fear?
Elaine
By what right, you ask, by what right?
I speak the truth by the right of my grieving
My long quiet years of pain and woe
I speak the truth of the crime committed
By Arthur’s companion, so long ago
I was once married to the best of husbands
A noble man, both brave and good
He guarded a fountain whose crystal water
Gave healing to all who drank of its flood
All people were free to drink of this
fountain
But they had to obey this single law
All people who would drink of its water
Must approach with humility and awe
One day a knight rode from Arthur’s court
His horse was hot, and lathered with sweat
“Fetch me a drink,” he said to my husband
“And I’ll be forever in your debt”
“Certainly, sir” replied my husband
“But first lay aside your shield and sword
You must set down your lance and armor
Before the water can be poured”
“I’m a Companion of the great King Arthur
And will never disarm for knight or knave
Defend yourself, or step aside
And give me the water I so desperately crave”
My husband was neither knight nor knave
But a more valiant man could not be found
Although he had neither sword nor armor
He bravely stood the hallowed ground
Then the knight charged, and killed my
husband
And threw his fair body into the mud
But the cruel man’s thirst remained
unslackened
For the healing water had turned to blood
During the preceding music, Gawain sees the
suffering of Elaine, and is gradually overcome by anguish and remorse
Gawain:
Lady, that river of blood flows still between
us
I cannot stay beneath your roof
Let the cruel hand of Winter be your avenger
Let his cold justice fall on my head!
Gawain rushes out into the cold night once
more
SCENE
THREE: A luxuriously appointed room in a castle of Sir Bertilak. The walls are hung with rich tapestries that
depict various hunting scenes, and in the middle of the room is a large bed,
covered with silken sheets. Gawain is
lying asleep on the bed. Near the bed Sir
Bertilak stands. He is elegantly
dressed, in expensive fabric and rich furs, and looks upon Gawain with
concern. In the corner of the room is a
sack filled with game, a bow with a quiver of arrows, a horn, and other
accoutrements of the hunt. As the music
of the entr’acte ends, Gawain begins to awaken.
Bertilak
Friend, do you waken?
Has the fever and delirium
finally past?
offering water and bread
Here’s something to drink
and bite of bread to sustain
the body
Welcome
guest, it gives me joy
that the
faithful care of my loving Elaine
has
helped to heal your dreadful wounds
to soothe your soul and soften your pain
I found you on my daily hunt
Half frozen by winter’s icy
breath
You had only a couple of
hours, no more
Before you felt the hand of death
I rejoice
to see you raise your eyes
to the
world of light and love once more
Now let
me know from whence you came
Tell me
your story, I implore
Gawain
I thank
you for your great kindness, my lord
But I
fear that your efforts will bring little reward
For
though you have saved me from the door of death
I must
soon approach that door again
My name
is Gawain and I’ve traveled far
From
Arthur’s court, to fulfil a promise rashly made
A promise
to a demon, the dread Green Knight
A year
ago, I gave him three blows, and now I must
Receive
three blows in turn
On
Christmas Day I must search and find
The
Chapel Green, where the fiend himself
Awaits me
with his mighty axe
His hard
green eyes will show no mercy
and I
soon must meet my doom
My
only fear is that in my sleep
I
have missed the day, and the harsh Green Knight
Holds
me in contempt, and Arthur’s court
Is
dishonored by my failure
Bertilak
Sir
Gawain, put your heart at ease
The
Chapel Green is only a mile away
And
although your wounds are heavy and sore
You have
slept for only a night and a day
Christmas
eve is upon us now
The snow
is crisp, the moon is high
My
impatient ear hears the wild game calling
I will
hunt tonight under starry sky
Sir Gawain, I leave you then
To the care of my daughter, the Lady Elaine
She approaches now, with a cup of warming
broth
and will care for you when I am away
Bertilak exits. Elaine enters, carrying a cup of broth. When Gawain sees that she is the same woman he met in the hut,
the widow of the man that he killed, he sits up in bed with a sudden start,
then puts up his hands as if to push her away.
Elaine
Take this, Companion of the King
All of God’s creatures must eat
She carries the broth to Gawain and tries to
give it to him, but he will not take it.
Gawain
Do not call me the King’s companion
God himself has forsaken me
How can I eat from the hand of a woman
Whose husband I killed in thoughtless sin
I understand now the plan of God
To make me see, in the last days of life
The empty darkness of my soul
Elaine
Indeed, Companion, you have hurt me more
deeply
Than you can ever imagine
After you left the forest hut
I realized that I had given shelter to my
husband’s murderer
The man whom I hate above any other
When first my lord Bertilak brought you in
My grief burned more hotly still
I longed to tell him who you were
So that he might kill you there, as you
killed my husband
Or leave you out in the cruel night
to let the cold frost work my justice.
But killing you, or causing you to be killed
Would not bring my husband back, or heal my
pain
Take then this broth, and if you must
Regard it as God’s mercy, not my own
Gawain
Gawain takes the cup of broth and drinks from
it.
I thank you for your mercy, good lady
And understand that the very sight of me
Must be hateful to your eyes.
I will not detain you—but you should know
That God’s justice is near.
Tomorrow I must meet my doom
At the hands of the dread Green Knight.
Only the nearness of my own death
Emboldens me to beg for forgiveness
And to ask if there is any way
I can make amends for my heartless deed.
Elaine
What’s done cannot be undone
But there is one gesture that you can make