MovieChat Forums > The Green Knight (2021) Discussion > True Nature of Green Knight

True Nature of Green Knight


Is Bertilak the Green Knight in the movie like he is in the poem? If so, I missed any allusion to this. The way the Green Knight touches Gawain's face at the end actually parallels King Arthur, not Bertilak. Was this a change Lowery made from the source material?

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I don't remember seeing anything in the movie itself that said (or even implied) that the Lord, Bertilak, was the Green Knight. Since that was definitely a part of the original poem, I'd agree that the director changed that detail. Or you could say that the story ended before they got to any point where that could be discussed or revealed.

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What is the name of the poem upon which it is based?

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"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight".

Also, the Green Knight's name in the original poem is Bercilak de Hautdesert (ask me how I know). I don't know why they changed it in the movie--that seems like a pointless revision.

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Would love to know how you know! (I usually see it listed as Bertilak, but yes, you see it spelled Bercilak also, which is what Marvel uses for the character connected to the Knights of Pendragon.)

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Haut is skin in German, but desert is Wueste

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