Essential Question 4

Where do we see seduction and lust start to destroy Gawain, our young hero? What is the author trying to tell us?

It is after Gawain beheads the green knight that we see seduction get the better of him. Green is a color that represents seduction, so it is no surprise that Sir Gawain succumbed to seduction after killing him. The offer to behead him was tempting, since there would be no way he could live if beheaded. Also, Gawain felt the need to defend his king, as the green knight mocked the knights of the round table when he said "Whose fame is so fair in far realms and wide? [...] Overwhelmed with a word of one man's speech, For all cower and quake, and no cut felt!" (310-315). In that case, it was a part of Sir Gawain's duty to be seduced into beheading the green knight.
In part two, Gawain is seduced yet again. Gawain is traveling, in search of the green knight. He finds a mysterious castle, which he visits. Among the many things that catch Gawain's attention is the queen. He describes "The fair hues of her flesh, her face and her hair And her body and her bearing were beyond praise" (943-944). The first thing he notices about the queen is her good looks. The narrator goes on to mention "that our knight and the noble lady Were accorded so closely in company there, With the seemly solace of their secret words" (1010-1012). The two flirt, and Gawain is aware that the queen is married, but proceeds anyways. In part three, this is taken to a whole other level.