Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green knight part 3

The third part of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight brings the reader a dual hunting scenario. While the Green knight and his men hunt deer, fox, and boar, Sir Gawain is pursued, hunted, by the wife of the Green Knight.
At the beginning of part three, all the knights of the Green Chapel leave to hunt deer, fox, and boar, all except Sir Gawain. “Gawain the good knight in gay bed lies” is the poet’s quote on page 186. Little does Gawain know that he has also become the hunted. He is pursued by the lady of the castle, but resists her charms and advances just enough to not commit a carnal sin, but indulges her enough to gain the information he needs for survive his upcoming ordeal.
For three days he carries on in this manner, until he is given a token from the lady of the castle: a certain magical sash that had protected the Green Knight from death in the Beheading Game. “She released a knot lightly. And loosened a belt that was caught about her kirtle, the bright cloak beneath of a gay green silk, with gold overwrought , and the boarders all bound with embroidery fine”(199). At first Gawain refuses the gift, such a gift would place him in the debt of the lady, and repayment could be costly, until he learns that “the mane that possesses this piece of silk. . . no hand under heaven that could hew him down”(199-200).
This gift brings another element of the pagan infiltrating Gawain’s Christian ideals. If Gawain’s faith in Christ was sufficient enough, he would not need the help from pagan magic. The acceptance of such token shows that Gawain is willing to accept this pagan token that will save his life, rather than face death bravely, to be a martyr for his Lord and his king.