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Bertilak of Hautdesert
A beautiful lady who tempts Gawain on the three days that Bertilak is out at the hunt. She comes to his bedroom each day and procures kisses, using her wit to manipulate Gawain. It is later revealed that she acted under her husband's and the old sorceress Morgan Le Faye's instructions.
Bertilak’s Wife Quotes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The Sir Gawain and the Green Knight quotes below are all either spoken by Bertilak’s Wife or refer to Bertilak’s Wife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Lines 1126-1997
Quotes
for when tales of truthful knights are told
in both title and text the topic they describe
is how lords have laid down their lives for love,
endured for many days love's dreadful ordeal
then vented their feelings with avenging valor
by bringing great bliss to a lady's bedroom –
and you the most notable of all noble knights,
whose fame goes before him ... yes, how can it follow
that twice I have taken this seat at your side
yet you have not spoken the smallest syllable
which belongs to love or anything like it.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Bertilak’s Wife Quotes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The Sir Gawain and the Green Knight quotes below are all either spoken by Bertilak’s Wife or refer to Bertilak’s Wife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Lines 1126-1997
Quotes
for when tales of truthful knights are told
in both title and text the topic they describe
is how lords have laid down their lives for love,
endured for many days love's dreadful ordeal
then vented their feelings with avenging valor
by bringing great bliss to a lady's bedroom –
and you the most notable of all noble knights,
whose fame goes before him ... yes, how can it follow
that twice I have taken this seat at your side
yet you have not spoken the smallest syllable
which belongs to love or anything like it.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
