Mortality In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, an epic poem detailing ideas and themes of romance, chivalry, and human mortality, told through the story of Sir Gawain and his compelling encounter with the green knight. These themes are propelled by several motifs that can be seen from beginning to end, with one of them being the portrayal of tests and games. The motif of tests and games is a series of game-like challenges Gawain encounters. These encounters highlights important aspects and values of the medieval time period. Ideas such as chivalry, mortality, and general aspects of the Christian religion of its time can be seen as Gawain’s story unfolds.

The first instance of the test and games motif can be seen when the green knight enters King Arthur's

Young sir, let’s swap, and strike a bond, let a bargain be a bargain, for better or worse.”
“By God,” said Gawain, “I agree to the terms, and I find it pleasing that you favor such fun.”
“Let drink be served and we’ll seal the deal,” (1105-1113)

By accepting this game, Gawain will give whatever he finds or obtains from the castle to Sir Bertilak, and in return, Sir Bertilak will give whatever he hunts from the woods to Gawain. Being a guest at someone else's castle, Sir Gawain demonstrates the theme of chivalry once again, by being a good guest and accepting the seemingly light-hearted game. As the game plays on the first day, Gawain is approached by Lady Bertilak, the lady of the castle. The lady attempts to seduce Gawain by showing up in his room and tempting him into his bed. A sort of mini-game can be seen here with the interaction between Lady Bertilak and Gawain, as Gawain brilliantly juggles having to sidestep the Lady’s approaches, and trying not to offend her:
So the lady tempted and teased him, trying to entice him to wherever her intentions might lie.
But fairly and without fault he defended

Not only is Gawain’s loyalty to Sir Bertilak being tested, but the theme of courtesy, not touching a lady in a sexual manner, and how to treat a lady is heavily highlighted as well. Obtaining the kiss, Gawain trades the kiss for a deer that Sir Bertilak hunts. On the second day, Gawain obtains 2 kisses from Lady Bertilak and exchanges them for a boar, and on the third day, Gawain receives 3 kisses and a green girdle. However, Gawain keeps the girdle to himself, as it supposedly had magical abilities that would prevent the wearer from harm. This becomes another crucial point in the story. Up until this point, Gawain demonstrated what it means to be a chivalrous man, but as the faith of his death looms on death's door, he grabs onto the chance that maybe he will survive. This moment shows the theme of mortality and man’s fear of death. Despite being an upstanding chivalrous individual, Gawain is still a man, as it is only natural for him to find