Green Knight (2020) Ending Explained
TL;DR:
The Green Knight (2021) concludes with Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) finally facing the titular Green Knight at the Chapel Green after a year-long journey. The Green Knight prepares to deliver the blow Gawain struck him with a year prior, but instead of showing fear, Gawain removes his protective girdle, accepting his fate with honor. The film then cuts to a potential future where Gawain becomes king but witnesses his kingdom's ruin, implying that his earlier moment of cowardice (wearing the girdle for protection) doomed him. The ending is ambiguous, leaving viewers to ponder whether Gawain actually died or if the vision was a metaphorical reckoning of his choices.
The Ending Explained
The climax of The Green Knight sees Gawain arriving at the Chapel Green, where the Green Knight awaits to fulfill their agreement: Gawain must receive the same blow he dealt a year earlier. Throughout his journey, Gawain has been tested morally, physically, and spiritually, encountering thieves, ghosts, and temptations that challenge his knighthood. When the moment of reckoning arrives, the Green Knight taunts Gawain, recounting his failures and hesitation. Initially, Gawain flinches, expecting death, but in a moment of clarity, he removes the enchanted girdle given to him by Lady Bertilak (Alicia Vikander), symbolizing his acceptance of consequences and embracing true honor.
The film then abruptly shifts to a possible future where Gawain, now king, sits on a crumbling throne, his kingdom in ruins, his son dead, and his legacy tainted. This vision suggests that had Gawain chosen cowardice (by keeping the girdle), he would have lived but suffered a hollow, failed reign. The Green Knight's final words—“Now off with your head”—are left unresolved as the screen cuts to black. This ambiguity forces viewers to decide: Did Gawain die with dignity, or did he flee again, leading to the bleak future shown?
Unresolved Questions & Interpretations
- Did Gawain actually die at the end?
- Yes: The Green Knight beheads him, fulfilling the pact and granting Gawain an honorable death.
- No: The vision of his future implies he survived but was spiritually broken.
- What does the girdle symbolize?
- False security: It represents Gawain's reliance on deceit rather than courage.
- Temptation: A test of his integrity, mirroring the original Arthurian legend.
- Is the future vision real or a hallucination?
- Real: A consequence of Gawain's moral failure.
- Metaphorical: A warning of what happens if he avoids sacrifice.
Themes & Symbolism
The ending reinforces the film's central themes: the cost of honor, the inevitability of death, and the illusion of control. Gawain's journey mirrors a medieval morality tale-each encounter strips away his vanity, culminating in his final choice between hollow survival or meaningful sacrifice. The Green Knight himself is a force of nature, embodying time and consequence, while the girdle represents humanity's futile attempts to cheat fate. The abrupt cut to black leaves the ending open, emphasizing that Gawain's true test was never physical survival but moral reckoning.
Director's Intent & Arthurian Lore
Director David Lowery stays faithful to the ambiguity of the original 14th-century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, where Gawain's return to Camelot is bittersweet-he's praised but wears the girdle as a reminder of his failure. Lowery modernizes this by making the ending a psychological crucible. The Green Knight's game was never about violence but about exposing Gawain's flaws. The future vision may be a manifestation of Gawain's guilt, suggesting that even if he lives, his soul is damned by his earlier cowardice.
Personal Opinion
The Green Knight's ending is a masterpiece of ambiguity, refusing to offer easy answers. Dev Patel's performance sells Gawain's transformation from a brash youth to a man facing mortality. The bleak future sequence is haunting, implying that some choices can't be undone. However, the lack of closure may frustrate some viewers. I appreciate how the film prioritizes thematic resonance over narrative neatness, making it a rare arthouse gem within the fantasy genre. It's a meditation on legacy, masculinity, and the weight of promises-an ending that lingers long after the credits roll.
Final Thought:
Whether Gawain dies or lives is less important than what he learns. The film suggests that true honor isn't in victory but in facing the consequences of one's actions-making The Green Knight a timeless, eerie fable.