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  • Essay / The importance of chivalry to Sir Gawain and the green...

    On Gawain's last day at the castle with Lady Bertilak, she gives him a ring. “She gave him a rich ring of red gold, fashioned with a stone like an erect star which bore bright rays as bright as the sun: I warrant you it was worth wealth beyond measure” (Sir Gawain 93). The ring represents more than just high monetary value. It represents the infinite and unlimited love and commitment that two people have for each other. “It is also clear that the lady who gives the ring to the finger in the tales often has a romantic connection with the hero. In this way, Lady Bertilak's offering of the ring implicitly presents Gawain and herself as lovers, which fits well with her earlier attempts at seduction. Gawain may not accept the ring because of its high price, but also because it is a clear proof of love” (Cooke 5). Gawain doesn't want a commitment to Lady Bertilak, or a relationship at all, so he claims it's worth too much money and turns her down. Lady Bertilak is still desperately trying to make him like him and it's not working. In her last attempt to give him something, she gives him her belt. “If you say no to my ring…I will give you my belt” (Sir Gawain 94). He said no at first, but then she said to him, “For whoever wears this green ribbon and keeps it tight around him, there is none under heaven with such difficulty that he can cut it; because he could not be killed by