: The author suggests that "beheading" in the film engenders a sustainable way of relating to the world by acknowledging that nature will eventually reclaim all human artifice. Other scholarly perspectives on the film include:
: The paper explores how the film contrasts the "fleeting vanity" of human achievements—symbolized by the court’s battlements and coins—against the "sublime continuity" of the Earth system. The Green Knight (2021)
: It argues that Gawain’s decapitation should not be viewed as a tragedy or physical expiration. Instead, it represents a shift from a human-centered view (anthropocentrism) to an earth-centered one (ecocentrism). : The author suggests that "beheading" in the
: Space, Time, and Identity applies Paul Ricœur’s theories to argue that Gawain's wounds are actually paths toward self-recognition. Instead, it represents a shift from a human-centered
: Research in The Chivalric Code in The Green Knight (2021) examines how Lowery uses the quest to critique medieval honor and build a stricter, secular code for the modern age.
This paper offers a fascinating take on the film's ending and its broader ecological messages:
One notable academic paper analyzing the 2021 film is The Death-Driven Eco-Ethics of David Lowery's The Green Knight by Alexa Alice Joubin, published in The Quarterly Review of Film and Video .