Season 3 Podcast 76 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Pt III: The Three Temptations

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Part III, “The Three Temptations.”Part I is entitled “The Pledge,” in which Sir Gawain made a covenant with the Green Gawain takes the long and treacherous journey to find the Green Chapel. Part III, entitled “The Three Temptations, represents Sir Gawain’s final trials before meeting the Green Knight.The exquisite language, the parallelism, the knowledge of hunting, all recommend the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; however, for me, the pure genius of Sir Gawain’s tale lies in the story of the Three Temptations. Unknown to Sir Gawain his fate lies, not in the journey through the wild wilderness where he meets bears and boars and wild men of the wood, not even in the final battle where he exposes his neck to the sharp ax of the Green Knight at the Green Chapel.  The fate of Sir Gawain lies in his secret behavior while luxuriating in Sir Bercelac’s castle where he is pampered, flattered, mollycoddled, catered to, and indulged. Sir Gawain thinks he is safe in a Christian castle surrounded by friends; whereas, he is actually under the powers of the sorceress Morgan Le Fey whose entire goal is to destroy him and all the knights of the Round Table, especially King Arthur. After traveling many days dead of winter through the wilderness, Gawain comes upon a glorious castle.  The bridge was drawn up and the gates close shut; the walls were strong and thick, so that they might fear no tempest. The knight on his charger abode on the bank of the deep double ditch that surrounded the castle. The walls were set deep in the water, and rose aloft to a wondrous height; they were of hard hewn stone up to the corbels, which were adorned beneath the battlements with fair carvings, and turrets set in between with many a loophole; a better barbican Sir Gawain had never looked upon. Sir Gawain is welcomed into the castle as if he were a king. Thinking he is safe, the youthful knight makes his first deadly blunder.  When he raised his helmet there were many to take it from his hand, fain to serve him, and they took from him sword and shield.In the wilderness faced with wild animals and wilder men, Gawain was safe because he wore the full armor of God. The first thing they do when he enters the castle is to disarm him. They take his “helmet of salvation, his sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and the shield of faith. Sir Gawain, in his youth, disregarded the words of Paul.10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:10-13)Why would Sir Gawain need to wear his helmet, his sword, and his shield in a Christian Castle, surrounded by faithful saints? Before this moment, his enemies were all “flesh and blood.” He did not understand “principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places.” For the first time he was confronted by the wiles of the devil.