The Actual Reaction to a Missing Head

“He brings it down brusquely upon the bare-skinned neck,... It shears the shaft of the neck, splitting it in two,” (Wilhelm 423-5).  After Gawain had dramatically sliced off the Great Green Giant’s head off, the court was astonished and disgusted. Not only were they so surprised that he had committed such an act of violence in front of the fair maidens of the land, but for how the head continued to roll throughout the feasting hall with no one to stop it. 

Breaking the silence, King Arthur turned to the court and said, “I am sorry for this cruel act of violence that you have seen before your meal, but now it is time for us to eat our lovely feast.” 

Queen Guinevere looked at her husband like bats had flown out of his ears, which wouldn’t have been the craziest thing she had ever seen, “My Lord, I’m sure you want someone to clean up this mess, so that we don’t have to look at it while we feast tonight.”

“You are right,” Arthur replied. “We should not just leave the head of the Green Knight on the floor, but rather he should become one of the trophies adorning our halls.” 

That night while the King and knights happily ate their feast with no regard to the man that was just killed in front of them; the ladies of the court were rather squeamish and barely touched their food.