The Dark Ages was considered due to the “Sack of Rome”, an invasion of the Visigoths led by King Alaric. Goths is the shortened term for this group, with the term typically used to reference medieval art/architecture/etc. however, “humanists used the term broadly to mean barbaric, and considered the artistic styles which sprung up in their wake barbaric as well, calling the great cathedrals of the High Middle Ages Gothic as an insult” (Wasson). This information is important to understanding the stance of the speaker, to understand that Gargantua writes as a Humanist, his letter intended to provide this form of education to his son.

Wasson, Elizabeth. “Washington State University.” Common Errors in English Usage and More Franois Rabelais 14941553 Letter from Gargantua to His Son Pantagruel Comments, 4 Nov. 2016, brians.wsu.edu/2016/11/04/francois-rabelais-1494-1553-letter-from-gargantua-to-his-son-pantagruel/.

By avoiding his father’s warning to not eat the “horn of the shell-snail”, Gargantua plays into the theme of gluttonous behavior but more importantly humanism as “the characters are happy consuming not only the food but also generally all the merits that the world could give them” (Shmiher, Naniak 130). The addition of this story plays into this humanist theme by having the characters consume all the pleasures life has to offer, and by exaggerating the consumption of food, Rabelais critiques the shortcomings and hypocrisy of contemporary society. Gargantua consuming the pilgrims could be a metaphor for the overwhelming appetite of powerful, authority figures that exploit religious followers for their own selfish gain. Additionally, it could refer to the belittling of the pilgrims as ingredients to a mere salad, an indication of how Rabelais viewed religion.

Shmiher, Taras, and Naniak, Yuliia. “Food as a Cultural Symbol: The Case Study of François Rabelais’s Gargantua and Pantagruel and Its Ukrainian Translations.” Romanica Cracoviensia, vol. 23, no. 2, 2023, pp. 127–34, https://doi.org/10.4467/20843917RC.23.013.18399.

The lord only sought after the female deer since it adheres to environmental sustainability, "it is unlawful to hunt stags during fermysoun tyme, close-season—a period, in this case September fourteen through June twenty-four, when a particular animal cannot be hunted in order to protect the species" (Martinez 120-121). The Green Knight is portrayed as a nature figure in appearance as well as by actions, a landowner who leads by both control and care, upholding the use of environmental stewardship. It is important to recognize the Green Knights harmonious existence with the land given his stark contrast with Camelot. Camelot is upholding of the knightly, chivalric code and is therefore a representation of a human civilization that lives off order. The Green Knight is a representation of nature, the unpredictable and uncontrollable elements. This shows however, that he does not live a lawless life, instead seeking conditions that suit the environment as well as himself.

MARTINEZ, ANN M. “Bertilak’s Green Vision: Land Stewardship in ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.’” Arthuriana (Dallas, Tex.), vol. 26, no. 4, 2016, pp. 114–29, https://doi.org/10.1353/art.2016.0052.

This is the foreshadowed event given to us by Arthur as he mentions in the beginning how he would not eat until he witnessed something marvelous in his court. In stating this line however, it is implied that Arthur assumes that there is nothing his court could not handle, “The Green Knight's appearance is at once the provision of this marvel and a challenge to the confidence, certainty, and light-heartedness with which Arthur assumes that his court will always be able to dominate and accommodate such a marvel” (Lander 48). The Green Knight appears as a marvelous, intimidating force that challenges the knights honor but also the very code they live by, he pushes the boundaries of the Round Table's chivalry and exposes its weaknesses. Arthur’s court is so closely knit to the chivalric code of conduct that any interruption that breaks the rules of this code poses a threat. It is this very code that Gawain struggles with throughout the story as his chivalry is tested by Morgain le Fay’s plan and the limitations are revealed.

Lander, Bonnie. “The Convention of Innocence and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ’s Literary Sophisticates.” Parergon, vol. 24, no. 1, 2007, pp. 41–66, https://muse-jhu-edu.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/article/219967

Theagenes was a great athlete whose achievements won him a great bronze statue placed in his honor. A petty man who never could beat Theagenes in sport would night after night deface the statue, one night the statue fell and killed the man. As law held at the time, anything (man, animal, object, etc.) was customarily put on trial for a crime committed. Hence, the statue of Theagenes was found guilty for the murder of the man and cast into the sea. Years later a famine/plague struck the land of Thasos and the oracle declared it was because they had cast out Theagenes. So the men had to dive into the sea to painstakingly retrieve the statue. The reference fits with the comedy genre of the play as it serves as, “a pun on both the bibulousness of Theagenes’ wife and her husband’s devotion to Hecate’s statue”, considering his twice dealings with karma.

Sonnino, Maurizio. “Aristofane, Lisistrata 61-68: Note critico-testuali e registiche.” Rivista Di Filologia e Di Istruzione Classica, vol. 144, no. 1, Jan. 2016, pp. 25–53, https://doi.org/10.1484/j.rfic.5.123386.

Theagenes of Thasos, www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/theag.html. Accessed 3 Feb. 2024.

Krishna is noting the distinction between the body and soul, that though they are separate they need to live in harmony. In Hinduism, cremation is often the practice for the dead, “The purpose of these cremation events is to purify and free the soul from the deceased body in order to secure a rebirth in another realm, render the soul a safe journey to heaven or to turn the soul into a benign ancestor instead of a haunting ghost.” This goes hand in hand with the message Krishna seems to relay about sacrifices, that just as the body needs to be sacrificed for the soul to be reborn, the desires of the body need to be sacrificed in order for the desires of the soul to come to fruition.

Hadders, Hans. “Full Article: Cremation in Norway: Regulation, Changes and Challenges”, 14 Apr. 2013, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13576275.2013.786033.