While I reading from the beginning of “Sir Gawain”to part of the end was interesting because the story went from Gawain the nephew of King Arthur and one of his loyal knights to wanting to defeat the green knight to show that he could beat him and move up. Then it goes to Gawain preparing for the three agreements with the green knight to Gawain sleeping with the lord’s wife. Fitt 3 was the most interesting part in the book because the way the structure was parallel to each other and the way the scene was. This fitt caught my attention more because when the lord goes out to hunt for his prey his wife would go in Sir Gawain’s bed and try to seduce him. At first, I said to myself like wow she is really fail for trying seduce another man and she marry while her husband go out to catch his prey for them to eat. But as I read more I seen that the lord was failing with catching his prey but he didn’t stop and the wife didn’t stop trying to get more than kisses from Gawain until the end. But at the end, I was shocked that the lord knew what his wife and Gawain was doing while he was hunting because he is the one that ordered it.
1. Why would the lord put his wife into a situation where she have to sleep with another man so Gawain could prove he is strong and can take anything?
2. If Gawain would of slept with the lord’s wife, would that have prove himself to everyone that he was strong or disloyal?
I think that if the story turned out in a different way with Sir Gawain failing to stay strong and loyal to himself and to the man who has allowed him to stay in his home, it would show that Sir Gawain is disloyal. He would be extremely disappointed in himself, more then he already was in the end. It would show that he is weak–much more weak then he was by taking the girdle. By telling the lord’s wife no and only going so far as a kiss each day, it shows his strength in his beliefs and his strength of his loyalty to those around him. He showed he respected the lord as well as the lord’s wife.
1) I think that the lord put his wife in the situation because he probably trusted her to not go the full extent. I feel that she would only go as far as needed to test Gawain’s loyalty but would have backed out before things got too serious.
2) If Gawain ended up sleeping with the lord’s wife, it would have been an action of utmost disrespect and would have went against the code that the knights stand by. It would show he is disloyal to those above him and that he can’t be trusted. Loyalty and respect are a big aspect of being a knight so if he did sleep with the lords wife, his reputation as a knight would be non-existent and he would forever be mocked by everyone.
With the lord and having to put his wife through that situation, I believe that it was a test to prove Sir Gawain’s loyalty in telling the truth of what he has gained. The lord probably did not mind if his wife slept with Sir Gawain because it was all planned from the beginning. The lord or the Green Knight was more interested in Sir Gawain’s loyalty. I do not believe it was about him being strong or if he can take anything.
I feel like Lord Bertilak allowed his wife to stay with Gawain because this was all part of the plan to test Gawain’s loyalty. I think the lord’s wife was made aware of this test of Gawain, and that she is orders by her husband to test his loyalty.
If Gawain followed through in pursuing the lord’s wife to the fullest extent, he would have broken the chivalrous code that all knights lived by. This would be a very disrespectful thing for a knight to do. A knight is bound to a code of conduct rooted in loyalty and respect, and breaking this would be disregarding this set code.
The lord must have felt that by putting his wife in a situation as the one in question, that it would be for the sake of the kingdom, a sacrifice of sorts. In order to keep the kingdom strong the king would need strong knights to protect it, and by putting his wife in a test to see whether Gawain was worthy or not was more like the duty of the lord and an honor to serve his king. To answer the second question, I feel that if Gawain would have slept with the lord’s wife he surely would have been disgraced before everyone and his king. Ultimately, although he would have been disgraced before everyone, it would show that Gawain is only human, and by that fact everyone would have to search in the kingdom would have to search themselves as well because how can a man go against his nature? When Gawain flinched before the ax, I feel that it was a subconscious reaction that the body is “programmed” to do before thought reaches the mind and Gawain felt resentment because outside influences deeming it wrong when it is only human nature to do anything to survive.