Lord Bertilak's Hunts In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight details the journey of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur bound to complete a challenge set forth by a knight of green skin and attire, the Green Knight. The challenge obligates Gawain to take a stroke from the Knight’s axe a year after Gawain cuts off the Knight’s head. Searching for the Knight, Gawain finds Lord Bertilak’s castle, where he becomes a part of one of two hunts. The Pearl Poet’s Sir Gawain details two hunts, Lord Bertilak’s hunt of beasts and Lady Bertilak’s hunt to seduce Sir Gawain, that correlate via the use of tangible symbols, character qualities, and colorful details to set up Gawain’s final battle with the Green Knight. One day, Lord Bertilak and Gawain agree to exchange the winnings they

Bertilak and his crew are fighting a tough, wild boar who refuses to die and terrorizes the crew until Bertilak places “his sword into [the boar’s] throat” (1593). Meanwhile Lady Bertilak criticizes Gawain for not accepting her pleas to love her, for she believes that a knight like Gawain would satisfy her. But her reprimands to Gawain only win her two kisses, which are exchanged to Lord Bertilak that night. The hunts on the second day are linked by the toughness and steadfastness of the boar and Lady Bertilak. The boar has his fur’s toughness and resilience that makes him dangerous to Lord Bertilak’s crew. On the other hand, Lady Bertilak possesses mental fortitude to stick to her pleas by demanding that he “teach [her about love] till [her] husband comes home” (1534). By returning the Lady’s kisses to the Green Knight, Gawain gets “a puff of air” instead of a cut from the axe (2352-3). The two sides later arrange for the deal to be extended again the next

Lord Bertilak’s crew try to find Sir Reynard, a cunning fox. Reynard doubles back from the crew’s path, which allows Reynard to avoid capture until the crew finds and kills him in the evening. Lady Bertilak similarly brings the heat to Gawain by putting on a “dress cut low in [the] front and back” (1741). Even with the dress Lady Bertilak only attains three kisses from Gawain. But Gawain also gets a green girdle from the Lady that supposedly makes the user invincible. The hunts are linked on the third by red details. Red symbolizes danger and determination, which describes Reynard’s acute demeanor and fur color. Red also implies seduction, which Lady Bertilak attempts partly by offering “a red gold ring… that shone like the sun” (1817, 9). But when the time comes to trade the winnings, Gawain does not give the girdle to the Green Knight, who gives Gawain Reynard’s fur. As a result Gawain violates the agreement and gets cut in