Essential Question 4

Choice 2: Where do we see seduction and lust start to destroy Gawain, our young hero? What is the author trying to tell us?

During the Old English era, the color green signified something very different from the modern era. Now, it signifies money, greed, and envy, while then it signified passion and seduction.

It is no surprise that the person who Gawain is going to be fighting is the Green Knight. The Green Knight’s green attire is meant to symbolize seduction and temptation. When first being introduced to the Green Knight, seduction was not a factor. It was not a factor until Gawain found the castle that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Gawain was well received in this castle through clothes, food, and the host’s wife: “sweet pipes beguile their cares, and the trumpet of martial tone; each tends his affairs and those two tend their own” (1016-1019). Considering the fact that Gawain and the host made a treaty together, the last thing the host wants is for Gawain to be having an affair with his wife.

Gawain’s charm can be seen as his downfall. This secret affair can possibly cost him the fight or more importantly, his life.