Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Resources

This web page provides links to an introduction to the tale, professors’ study guides for their students, audio files, an online bookstore where you can purchase editions of the text, and even Sir Gawain paper dolls!

The University of Rochester’s Camelot Project provides context and online editions of many medieval texts. Their Gawain content includes background information about the character of Gawain in medieval romances more generally, as well as links to many romances in which he plays a significant role, including, of course, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

This version of the tale was filmed on location in Wales.

This film version stars Sean Connery as the Green Knight. How perfect is that?

Here’s an animated version of the tale, made in 2002. It won a BAFTA award (sort of like a British Emmy).

This 2008 British documentary traces the path of Gawain to meet the Green Knight in the forests of Wales and tries to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding the poem, such as who wrote it (good luck with that!).

This Old Irish story provides one of the earliest examples of the "beheading game" that the Green Knight plays with Gawain.

Just in case you can’t get enough of Gawain, here’s another story that features him as the main character.

Interested in reading more by the author of Sir Gawain? Check out this facing-page translation that includes the other three poems included in the manuscript with Sir Gawain.

The trailer for the 1984 version of the tale, Sword of the Valiant.

An animated version of the tale is available to watch in three parts on YouTube.

An audio play adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This website is aimed at kids, but it's still fun. Be sure to listen to both parts one and two.

List to a few lines of Sir Gawain read in the original Middle English.

One page of Sir Gawain from its manuscript, Cotton Nero A.x.

An illustration of the Green Knight holding his head, from the original manuscript.

Check out this original illustration of the lady checking out the sleeping Gawain.

Here’s a link to information about the 1991 opera by Harrison Birtwistle (with libretto by David Harsent).