Hicks, C. (2019). [image] Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/Baqm9sjnfr4/?taken-by=hicksjenkins [Accessed 1 Oct. 2019].
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a tale of courage, deals, and truth. Along the way, there is a quite a bit of kissing that is important to the plot of the story. The way such kisses are exchanged, however, is unique and intriguing. Lady Bertilak kisses Sir Gawain, and Sir Gawain kisses Lord Bertilak. The physical exchanges between each of them are harmless and friendly enough, but the underlying tones of these encounters make the kissing more curious.
The First Kiss
When Lady Bertilak first approaches Sir Gawain in his chamber, she is extremely flirty. She tells him that she might “‘bind [him] in [his] bed’” (229) and “‘playfully parley with the man [she has] pinned’” (229). These two statements Lady Bertilak makes are full of sexual tension and insinuate sexual dominance over Sir Gawain. The reader is led to believe that the two will have an affair especially when Sir Gawain tells her he will “‘ attend whatever task [she] set[s], and in serving [her] desires I shall seek your mercy’” (229). The use of the word ‘desire’ here further solidifies the sexual nature of the scene. When the two actually touch, however, Lady Bertilak “kisses the knight… and without one more word the woman is away” (231). The drastic difference between the sexual nature of their conversation and the innocent and almost rushed way in which the characters interact confuses the plot for the reader and causes us to question what the kiss really means. One interpretation is that Sir Gawain is just being a courteous guest to his hostess. If he does not kiss her, his “restraint is interpreted as discourteous, perhaps even an insult towards” (Jucker 12-13) Lady Bertilak. So instead of the kiss being sexual or devious, it is an act of politeness.
The Second Kiss
Later the same day, when Lord Bertilak comes back from hunting, it is time for him and Sir Gawain to exchange their spoils as they have previously agreed upon. Since Sir Gawain didn’t gain anything physical the way Lord Bertilak did, it is unclear what he will exchange with the lord. When asked what he gained during his day at the castle, however, Sir Gawain “hugged the lord and kissed him in the comeliest way he could” (233), a gesture that surprises the modern reader. This kiss, like the one Sir Gawain shared with Lady Bertilak, is casual in nature but leaves the reader wondering what a kiss between the two men means. Lord Bertilak actually refers to the kiss as a “gift” and asks Sir Gawain where and how he received it (233). The use of the word ‘gift’ shows that Lord Bertilak values what Sir Gawain has given him, but the actual kissing is portrayed as so casual. Lord Bertilak’s tone is one of gratitude that relieves the sexual tension the reader feels. Furthermore, the kiss is viewed as a casual gift because Sir Gawain “has exchanged a kiss with the lady of the house, but in the evening he [passes it] to Sir Bertilak as part of their bargain” (Jucker 13). Sir Gawain, being a courteous guest, is able to appease Lady Bertilak by kissing her and Lord Bertilak by kissing him.
Conclusion
By the end of the poem, the kisses are eventually revealed to be a trick played on Sir Gawain by the Green Knight to determine his purity. The Green Knight does not even seem to be upset that Sir Gawain kissed Lady Bertilak multiple times, but that he lied about the girdle. The kisses had nothing to do with Sir Gawain’s purity, which desexualizes his interactions with both Lady and Lord Bertilak. This leads the reader to believe that kissing, in the context of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an innocent, courteous act.
- Jucker Andreas H. “Courtesy and Politeness in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Studia Anglica Posnaniensia, vol. 49, no. 3, Sciendo, 2014, pp. 5–28, doi:10.1515/stap-2015-0007.
- “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages. 10th ed. Ed. James Simpson. New York: Norton, 2018. 204-255.