Preview: Section 4
Reading boundary
Start: Now neȝeȝ þe nwȝere, & þe nyȝt passeȝ,
Stop after: He bryng vus to his blysse! AMEN.
New Year arrives in bitter weather, and Gawayne must leave the castle to keep his appointment at the Green Chapel. The fytte moves from a stormy journey into a tense meeting, then follows what that meeting means for Gawayne and the Round Table.
The Middle English often compresses familiar words: ȝe means “you,” knyȝt means “knight,” and trawþe can mean pledged faith or truthfulness. Watch for the green girdle, also called a lace, belt, or bende: its meaning matters as much as its appearance.