The Green Knight: History, Myth, and Modern Shame -- A Historian's View
Historiansplaining: A historian tells you why everything you know is wrong
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The Story of Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight
In the poem, what ultimately resolves gawayne's anguish and self doubt, is that he confesses his feeling of shame. So in the movie version, you could say gawaine makes a full transition to being a sacrificial hero. They probably also had in mind christian martyrdom stories, martyrs like, for instance, saint winifred, who also died, sacrificed herself defending her honor.
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