Chivalric Codes of Honor Are Maintained
Although Arthur acts more objectionably than normal in this tale, ultimately he does preserve his heroic status because his problems all stem from his decision to abide by codes of honor and chivalric behavior rather than simply using his powers to make his problem go away. As King, he is certainly in a better bargaining position than either Sir Gromer or Gromer’s hag of a sister, but rather than violent his code of honor, he chooses to observe them. Admittedly, he does so in a particularly whiny sort of way, but still.
The Male Gaze
Laura Mulvey’s famous assertion of “the male gaze” theoretical construct to film is shown to have been alive and kicking well before the arrival of celluloid. Ragnelle is strong, fiercely independent and not completely given to caring much about how others see her, but inevitably the answer to the central proposition at the heart of the story—what do women really want—turns out to be just as applicable to the Eisenhower era as the Arthurian. They just want to be desired by a desirable man. The construction of this theme is far more complex, of course, but boiled down to its most basic essentials, it reaffirms Mulvey’s assertion.
Gawain: The Arthurian Agent of Light
Gawain is unique among the knights of the Round Table for his peculiar abilities to confront that which is feared as the Other and introducing it into respectable civilized company. The Green Knight and Dame Ragnelle both represent the fear of the primitive untamed wild which the knights, the Round Table, and Arthur are trying to leave behind forever in the Dark Ages in their efforts to bring about the reality of Camelot. Gawain is thus an instrumental agent of civilization in his role as the great mediator between the primitive fears of the past and the sophistication understanding of the dawn of a new age of enlightenment. In quite a different way, Gawain tames the dark forces of both the Green Knight and Dame Ragnelle.
