Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
Sir Gawain's Marriage explained
King Arthur, challenged by a grim baron to discover what women most desire, learns the answer from a loathly lady: 'their will.' In return, he must find her a husband.
What happens
King Arthur, challenged by a grim baron to discover what women most desire, learns the answer from a loathly lady: 'their will.' In return, he must find her a husband. Sir Gawain volunteers to marry her, despite her hideous appearance. On their wedding night, Gawain confesses his aversion, but the lady argues that age brings discretion, ugliness security, and true gentility lies in character. When Gawain yields his will to hers, the enchantment breaks, revealing her true beauty and freeing her brother, the grim baron, from his curse.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Transformation
Gawain's acceptance of the loathly lady and his yielding of will lead to her physical transformation and the dissolution of the enchantment, illustrating love's power to change.
Hospitality and Its Violation
The grim baron violates the code of hospitality by capturing Arthur and imposing a ransom, while the loathly lady's eventual integration into court restores proper social order.
Characters to notice
- King Arthur
Rides to right a lady's wrong, is captured by the grim baron, and must discover what women most desire; he secures the answer from the loathly lady and is bound to find her a husband.
- Sir Gawain
Nephew of King Arthur, volunteers to marry the loathly lady to ransom his uncle; initially repulsed, he learns to yield his will, breaking the enchantment.
- Queen Guenever
Not directly mentioned in the excerpts, but implied as part of Arthur's court; no specific action in this chapter.
Key passages
“She says all women would have their will, This is their chief desire;”
The loathly lady reveals that the one thing all women most want is to have their own way.
This answer resolves Arthur's quest and fulfills the condition set by the grim baron.
“Sir Gawain kist that ladye faire Lying upon the sheete, And swore, as he was a true knight, The spice was never so swete.”
Gawain kissed his now-beautiful bride and declared that no pleasure had ever been so sweet.
The transformation is complete, and Gawain's acceptance is rewarded with true love.