Sir Gawain And The Deer Analysis

On the first day of the hunt, the reader is drawn into an initial comparison of the two scenes as the poet uses similar language to set up a description of the morning light of the two scenes. From here, a reader is inclined to continue a comparison, most notably that between Sir Gawain and the hunted deer. The hunter’s in Lord Bertilak’s party disturb the peaceful existence of the deer just as the entrance of the lady intrudes on Sir Gawain: “and while snoozing he heard a slyly made sound, the sigh of a door swinging slowly aside” (1182-1183). The lady’s forceful intrusion suggests that Sir Gawain is the prey that she intends to hunt. Further, the language suggests a predator-prey relationship, relating their encounter to that of a hunt: “she charmed him and she chased, but every move she made he countered” (1260-1262).

Sir Gawain’s lack of appeasement towards the lady’s attempts at temptation cause her to emasculate him, claiming, “Gawain could never be your name…A good man like Gawain, so greatly regarded, the embodiment of courtliness to the bone of his being, could never have lingered so long with a lady without craving a kiss” (1293-1300). The lady butchers Sir Gawain, fragmenting him like Lord Bertilak does to the deer: “then the shoulder blades were severed with sharp knives and slotted through the slut so the hide stayed