In literature, insights into characters, places, and events are often communicated to the reader through the use of imagery within the text. Thus is the case with "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". The Pearl Poet's use of imagery runs rampant within the work culminating to set forth the theme of mysticism and the supernatural. In this medieval romance, the types of imagery used are that of the season or climate, the colors and textures of fabrics and jewelry, and that of the introduction of the Green Knight himself.

The seasons play a major role in the development of the plot, allowing action to skip several months at a time by simply mentioning the turning of the leaves. The thematic imagery starts to outline the theme of the supernatural, when dealing with meteorological changes. For example when Gawain is searching for the Green Knight's Chapel, it is mid-winter. Christmas is approaching, yet what answers his prayers comes in the form of something nearly unimaginable. "We are made aware of the importance of the castle first when it just suddenly appears from nowhere and secondly when we notice it is set in a green field. The green field makes no sense to the reader because it is the m

The attires of the characters do not match up to these atmospheric conditions when it comes down the supernatural. If anything they can be said to have an unrealistic or inflated view of medieval life. The narrative opens with a holiday feast in King Arthur's court. The richness of this setting is represented by the decorations surrounding Queen Guenevere described in lines 76-80. "With costly silk curtains, a canopy over, /Of Toulouse and Turkestan tapestries rich /All embroidered and bordered with the best gems / Ever brought into Britain, with bright pennies / to pay." These lines also symbolize the queen's role in the poem of a stately symbol of chivalric Camelot and as a female ideal. In this setting women are all around, but Guenevere is positioned above them and is surrounded by expensive, beautiful things. She is clearly made superior. Gawain, Arthur's knight who takes the Green Knight's challenge, is portrayed in different lights as the story progresses. Descriptions !

Fife, Graeme. Arthur the King: The Themes Behind The Legends. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 1990.

Weston, Jessie trans. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. University of Rochester Library. 29 March 2000.

Shoaf, R. Allen. The "Syngne of Surfet" and the Surfeit of Signs in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. University of Florida. 3 April 2000.

White, Richard, ed. King Arthur: In Legend and History. New York: Routledge, 1998.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1790
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)