After reading · Section 3

Section 3The Three Hunts and the Green Girdle

Summary

For three days, the lord hunts while Gawain stays in the castle. The poem alternates the violent pursuits of deer, a boar, and a fox with the lady’s increasingly direct visits to Gawain’s bedchamber. Gawain tries to remain courteous without betraying his host: he accepts one kiss on the first day, two on the second, and three on the third. Each evening he gives those kisses to the lord under their exchange agreement and receives the day’s game in return.

On the third morning, Gawain refuses the lady’s costly ring but accepts her green silk girdle after she says it can protect its wearer from being cut or killed. Thinking of the blow awaiting him at the Green Chapel, he agrees to keep the gift secret. He later gives the lord three kisses but withholds the girdle, breaking the agreement. After the fox hunt and a final feast, Gawain thanks the household; the lord assigns a servant to guide him to the Green Chapel, and Gawain is led to bed with much to consider before the next day.

Who’s who

• Sir Gawain — Arthur’s knight, torn between courtesy, loyalty to his host, and fear of the Green Knight’s blow.
• The lord of the castle — Gawain’s host, who hunts each day and faithfully gives Gawain everything he wins.
• The lady of the castle — The host’s wife, who visits Gawain privately, kisses him, and gives him the green girdle.
• The older lady — The lady’s elderly companion, present in the castle’s company but not in the private bedchamber scenes.