The first temptation of Gawain is perhaps the most difficult for him to defend. This temptation corresponds with the hunt scene involving a deer. In terms of the hunt, the deer is hunted because it is a staple of the diet, or it is something that satisfies a person. In the same manner, the Lord's wife views Gawain as art, resembling an animal that she hunts. She pursues him on the sole basis of her carnal desire. This, her first temptation, is utterly sexual. She says, "Be it with me as you will; I am well content! / For I surrender myself, and sue for grace, / And that is best, I believe, and behooves me now. (1215-1217)" She is viewing Gawain much as a hunter would view a deer. She has no interest in any kind of relationship, and she is not extensively flirting with him as she d

The third and final temptation of Gawain finally shows a weakness that is present within him. This temptation corresponds with the hunt scene involving a fox. As with the boar, the fox is not hunted for game, but for sport. However, the fox provides a different challenge than the boar. Where the boar tests the hunter's courage and fortitude, the fox is a test of wit, cunning and mental aptitude. On the third day, the Lord's wife is even more seductively dressed than the first two encounters. At first, the lady has succeeded in attracting Gawain's attention and begins to flirt with her this time, although Gawain is saved from a fall by the Virgin's watchfulness (1770). The lady feels that Gawain is refusing her love out of love for another women. Gawain responds to the lady's temptation here with a cunning argument. He says, "Lady, by Saint John, / Lover have I none, / Nor will have, yet awhile." (1788-1791) Saint John is a medieval emblem of virginity. Here Gawain is saying that he has pledged himself to no earthly female, but to the service of the Virgin, Gawain being a virgin himself. Gawain acts much like a fox here. He uses his intelligence to outwit his pursuer. The lady also tries to persuade Gawain to accept a gift from her. While he passes on her flashy, more valuable items, he accepts one seemingly useless token from the lady. It is a green sash, and Gawain was told that the wearer is immune to any sword. Gawain's intelligence comes into play here as well; he accepts this sash as a foxy attempt to outwit the Green Knight in their pending encounter. In accepting t

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Approximate Word count = 1076
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)