Gawain’s chivalric and religious values were tested when he arrived at Bertilak’s castle. In order to stay true to his virtues, Gawain had to remain chivalrous, which meant he couldn’t openly decline Bertilak’s wife, Morgan le Fey, who tried to seduce him. However, he needed her to know that he would neither do the host wrong nor go against his religious values and sleep with her. When Gawain finds out that Bertilak’s wife betrayed him, Lee McClain believes through his shock and embarrassment, Gawain looked for a scapegoat, “The one he finds- women taps straight into the medieval antifeminist tradition; like Adam, Solomon, Samson, and David, he too has been betrayed by a woman, Morgan le Fey” (McClain). Gawain was angry because he had been tricked by a woman, and in his moment of anger, he lost his knightly virtues and started to blame women, saying that all women are liars, and that women have ruined relationships because of their mistakes. He was humiliated by the recognition that his own virtues added to his moral downfall, not just Morgan le Fey, because he had been known for his honorable qualities. When Gawain returned home, his integrity was tainted by sin, a sign marked by the cut made by
Gawain’s chivalric and religious values were tested when he arrived at Bertilak’s castle. In order to stay true to his virtues, Gawain had to remain chivalrous, which meant he couldn’t openly decline Bertilak’s wife, Morgan le Fey, who tried to seduce him. However, he needed her to know that he would neither do the host wrong nor go against his religious values and sleep with her. When Gawain finds out that Bertilak’s wife betrayed him, Lee McClain believes through his shock and embarrassment, Gawain looked for a scapegoat, “The one he finds- women taps straight into the medieval antifeminist tradition; like Adam, Solomon, Samson, and David, he too has been betrayed by a woman, Morgan le Fey” (McClain). Gawain was angry because he had been tricked by a woman, and in his moment of anger, he lost his knightly virtues and started to blame women, saying that all women are liars, and that women have ruined relationships because of their mistakes. He was humiliated by the recognition that his own virtues added to his moral downfall, not just Morgan le Fey, because he had been known for his honorable qualities. When Gawain returned home, his integrity was tainted by sin, a sign marked by the cut made by