Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Sparknotes

In the final stanzas of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, it is revealed that Morgan le Fay, King Arthur’s half-sister, is the guiding force behind Gawain’s trials. The purpose suggested for the whole of the debacle was to confuse the knight of Arthur’s court, make them look like fools, and to scare Lady Guinevere to death (lines 2456-2462). With this explanation, it seems that Morgan holds a distinct dislike for Arthur and Guinevere, but not for Gawain. He was never the target of the mischief nor reviled by Lord Bertilak or even Morgan, for she had the opportunity to change the game and execute Gawain or otherwise cause him grief, yet she allows Gawain to prove himself and learn more about his character. Gawain was loved by the people of Lord

He praises Lord Bertilak for the game and is gracious to both Lady Bertilak and Morgan, though he never seemed to interact with her directly, for their “cunning tricks'' (lines 2409-2413). The knight values the lesson he learned from the rulers of Hautdesert so much that he vows to wear the green corset given by Lady Bertilak until the day he dies, as a reminder of the flaw that the game revealed (lines 2509-2510). Gawain now faces the truth that he is not perfect in conduct, which uproots the entire source of his renown. It breaks him, and places a burden on his mind which he can never relieve himself of (lines 2511-2512). Viewed from this angle, how could Gawain then partake of such extravagance and hospitality when he has just revealed in himself a flaw of being focused too much on his own life (lines 2379-2384)? Any more time spent in the castle could cause him to stumble further over temptations to compromise his values. Gawain shows that he cares greatly for how he holds himself in accordance with knightly virtues (lines 2369-2375), so he would want to leave a place designed for his downfall as soon as possible. Even if Gawain believed the feelings were genuine and the experience always so opulent, Gawain could do nothing but always be self-conscious and wary of falling into greed and indulgence again. He would not be able to truly enjoy the welcome that Lord Bertilak extends. In this case, Gawain

While his familial ties are equal to Arthur and Morgan, and it seems he finds favor in the eyes of both, his knightly duty lies with uncle Arthur. If he then was friendly to his king's enemy, and lodged under the same roof and enjoyed food at the same table, it would be a betrayal of his loyalty. It would be cheating in the sense of duty, morally sleeping with one other than who he was married to be vow of allegiance and