The Green Knight: another great performance from the White Horse Theatre!

On 15th November, we had a theatre group in our school. It was the White Horse Theatre who come and perform plays every year. This year, they came to perform The Green Knight to all 7th graders, one of the adventures of the legendary King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The play has nine roles and was played by four actors.

It takes place first in King Arthur’s court where King Arthur and his two knights, Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain, are feasting on New Year’s Eve. Then a green knight arrives and demands that one of the knights chops his head off with an axe and then a year later he will cut that knight’s head off in the green chapel. Sir Gawain accepts the challenge and cuts the green knight’s head off. Suddenly, to everyone’s amazement the knight picks his head up and rides off, telling Sir Gawain to meet him at the green chapel.

Sir Gawain looks for the green chapel and after defeating a few enemies on the way, he stops at Sir Bertilak’s Castle. Sir Bertilak invites him to stay and play a game with him: every day they must exchange whatever they got on that day, and that for three days. Sir Bertilak goes hunting and Sir Gawain stays home to rest.

Sir Bertilak has a wife whose name is Morgan-le-Fay. She gives Sir Gawain a kiss on the first day. In the evening both knights Exchange what they got – a kiss and a wild animal! The same thing happens on the second day. On the third day Morgan gives Sir Gawain a magic belt which won’t let anybody hurt the person who wears it. That evening Sir Gawain doesn’t give the belt to Sir Bertilak.

Later, Sir Gawain leaves his hosts and finds the green chapel, and the Green Knight, who is there, tries to strike him three times but fails. He takes his disguise off and reveals that he is actually Sir Bertilak. Sir Gawain is horrified since he broke his promise, but Morgan and Sir Bertilak tell him that it’s OK and that no knight is perfect.

The costumes and the scenery were well designed and the actors played brilliantly! I really enjoyed the play. If you want to know more about the actors, you can find out more about the group on Instagram.