In the end of Fitt 2 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, there is a clear understanding of the bargain in which Sir Gawain and the Sir Bertilak agreed to take part in, as a “game”. This brought my attention to relate it back to the “game” Sir Gawain and the Green Knight agreed on. Do these “games” have an importance, which is why they keep repeating or is there a particular reason to drive the character Sir Bertilak and the Green Knight to come up with them? In a way it makes me feel as if Sir Bertilak knows or could relate to the Green Knight. The way Sir Bertilak “laughed” at Sir Gawain’s explanation as to why he cannot stay seemed to be an odd way to respond to the type of “game” he is participating in. Does it seem odd to laugh at this situation, could he be connected to the Green Knight based on what we are seeing towards the end of Fitt 2 and not want to inform Sir Gawain of this? This thought stays with me as I read into Fitt 3. This third part of the story illustrates the three days Gawain and the master take part in their game, concluding every night with a trade. Gawain delivers a kiss, two kisses, and finally three kisses on the following nights as Sir Bertilak delivers venison, boar, and a fox. On the third night, Gawain leaves out the importance of the gift he receives from Sir Bertilak’s wife, which would be a green girdle. This is said to have the power to protect anyone who wears it from death. Sir Bertilak’s wife asks him to keep it a secret from her husband, “…she pressed him to take the present, / and he granted her wish, and she gave with good grace, / though went on to beg him not to whisper a word / of this gift to her husband, and Gawain agreed…” (Lines 1860-1863)
This also brings my attention again to the thought that maybe possibly there is a relation to Sir Bertilak and the Green Knight. By keeping this a secret, it will keep the secret of the wife and Sir Gawain having this friendship/relationship, and if Sir Bertilak find out, he will find out the kisses that were received were from his wife.
- Does it seem odd to laugh at the explanation of this game Sir Gawain is taking part in with the Green Knight—could he be connected to the Green Knight based on what we are seeing towards the end of Fitt 2?
- Is there a reason for these games to be so similar?
- What is the importance of the secret gift? Why can she not inform her husband that she gifted Sir Gawain with this?
I think that this story is about a journey for proving that Sir Gawain is real knight. So the game that is made by the Green knight and the game that is made by Sir Bertilak are connected to each other. They are tests for the fifth set of five which of knight followed, while the author described about the five Pentangle on Sir Gawain’s shield. The fifth set of five is virtues of knights and they can be proved by his action.
And I think the gifts are symbolizes the gift from Sir Bertilak. When Sir Gawain get a kiss, Sir Bertilak gave a deer, which is noble animal. When he get a two kisses, Sir Bertilak gave a boar, which is still noble animal but hard to catch because of the violence. When he hided the secret gift, Sir Bertilak gave a fox, which is not noble animal. It symbolizes that Sir Gawain broke the promise for trading the gifts. The reason why Sir Bertilak’s wife did not inform to her husband is that it was test given to Sir Gawain.