The third section of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight deserves special attention because of its humor, its characterization, and its clever structure. Before Sir Gawain arrives at the Chapel of the
Green Knight, he is the guest of Lord and Lady Bercilak, who take the weary knight out of the wilderness and out of the snow and allow him to rest comfortably in one of their splendid rooms. They feed him and provide him with fresh clothes and entertain him. Indeed, they are the very models of the perfect host and hostess.
Each morning after Gawain’s arrival, Lord
Bercilak goes out hunting. However, he realizes that his guest is quite exhausted from his travels, so he tells Gawain to rest in bed while he is out on his hunt.
Gawain gratefully accepts.
On the night prior to his first hunting trip, though, Lord Bercilak makes a bargain (a game) with Sir Gawain. Bercilak promises Gawain that he will give the knight whatever he succeeds in capturing or killing during his hunt if, in return, Gawain will give to him whatever Gawain might gain or receive while he is in the castle for that day. Gawain, of course, does not expect that he will receive anything while Bercilak is away hunting; but the knight agrees to
Bercilak’s proposal. Gawain thinks it is only for fun: it is just a game.
However, the reader should remember that the Green Knight’s proposal to exchange death blows was also just a game, a Christmas game. This is the second time in the romance when Gawain makes a bargain, a promise, to exchange one thing for another. Gawain should have learned a lesson that first time in Camelot that sometimes making such rash promises can have deadly results. Gawain, however, is off his guard: he is tired and does not expect anything so terrible can happen by making such an innocent promise to his kind and friendly host, Lord Bercilak. The tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, though, concerns the making of promises and keeping one’s word. It is concerned with the idea of fidelity, of being faithful to one’s words and one’s promises.
When Lord Bercilak wakes up extremely early the next morning and goes off hunting, Lady Bercilak sneaks into Gawain’s bedroom to talk with the knight and, perhaps, to do something more. This action is repeated three times in Part III, and so the structure of the section is very tightly put together. This part of the romance, then, can easily be divided into three (or six) sections:
1A 1B
2A 2B
3A 3B |
Lord Bercilak’s deer hunt Lady Bercilak’s first attempt to seduce Gawain
Lord Bercilak’s boar hunt Lady Bercilak’s second attempt
Lord Bercilak’s fox hunt Lady Bercilak’s third attempt |
The first of these sections is preceded by the bargain or game made by Lord Bercilak, and both of the second two sections are preceded by Gawain and Bercilak renewing their promises to make exchanges on the second and third days.
After the deer hunt, Lord Bercilak keeps his side of the bargain and treats Gawain to a splendid meal of venison (deer meat). In exchange, Gawain kisses Lord Bercilak (line 1389); for Lady Bercilak kissed Sir Gawain when she stole into his room. After the second hunting trip, Lord Bercilak exchanges a meal of roasted pork for two kisses by Gawain (line 1640). After the third hunt, Lord Bercilak gives Sir Gawain a fox pelt (fur skin) and Gawain kisses him three times (line 1936). However, Gawain does not completely hold up his side of the bargain. Gawain does not fully keep his promise; for, in addition to the three kisses given to him by Lady Bercilak, Gawain also received the magic belt or girdle. According to the promise or pledge (the oath) that he had made, Gawain should have given the belt to Lord Bercilak.
The tight structure provides interest and suspense to the romance. In addition, it leads directly into the action of the main plot since (1) it supplies a possible solution to Gawain’s dilemma with the Green Knight and (2) it directly concerns the theme of oath-making and fidelity.
The six parts in this section (Part III) are also connected in another way (which is also an aspect of structure). A seduction is also a kind of hunt.
Usually, it is the man “hunting” the woman. Here, the roles are reversed: the woman “hunts” the man. This also contributes to the humor of the piece. So, we have a metaphorical hunt following each literal hunt.
Contributing even more to the structure of
Part III, an attribute of the type of animal that Lord Bercilak is hunting on each day is also included in the seduction scene. On the first day, Lord Bercilak is hunting deer. A deer is usually a timid and easily frightened animal; and during the first seduction scene Gawain acts timid and somewhat frightened himself. When Lady Bercilak first enters his room, Gawain hides under his sheets and pretends to still be asleep (line 1190) “for a long while” (1195). On the second day, Lord Bercilak is hunting a boar. A boar is a fierce animal and charges his hunters rather than runs away from them. The second morning that Lady
Bercilak enters his room, “Gawain thought it good to greet her at once” (line 1477). Gawain decides to be a little stronger in his defense against Lady Bercilak’s flirtation and seduction. On the third day, Lord Bercilak hunts the fox. In medieval literature the fox (often named Reynard) is a wily, crafty, sly, and clever animal. On the third morning that Lady Bercilak comes to seduce Gawain, the lady is more forceful. Gawain has to be crafty and clever to avoid being trapped by Lady Bercilak’s pleas and words:
With a little fond laughter he lightly let pass
All the words of special weight that were sped his way. (III: 1777-78)
Thus, Gawain relies on cleverness rather than timidity or force to resist the seduction of Lady Bercilak.
The great care that the poet uses to structure the third part of the romance reflects the care that he uses in structuring the entire epic. Not only do (1) the hunting and seduction scenes contribute to the structure of the romance. But (2) the use of the pledge or oath and the idea of fidelity that mark the beginning of both Parts I and III also contribute to the structure. And (3) the winter-to-winter or Christmasto-Christmas one-year sequence for the entire tale also serves to strengthen and unify the romance in a way that is quite unlike the structure of any other medieval romance.