ll.968). To just say that the lady is of exceptional beauty is not enough for Gawain; he must also emphasize how sexually desirable she is and, as a result, objectifies her character.In order to use her sexuality against Gawain, Bercilak’s wife has to be aware of Gawain’s attraction to her. He draws direct attention to his desire for her when, after he had “gazed on that gay lady” and the lord had left, Gawain asks “’To be received as [the ladies’] servant, if they so desire’” and, with that, “They take him between them; with talking they bring him/ Beside a bright fire” (ll.970-1, 976-7). With this information, Bercilak’s wife is able to enter Gawain’s room with total confidence. As a result, the first morning she enters Gawain’s room, “bound for his bed” (ll. 1189), the speaker says that “abashed was the knight, / And laid his head low again in likeness off sleep”(ll.1189-90) while “Conning in his conscience what his case might/ Mean or amount to—a marvel he thought it”(ll.1196-97), demonstrating that the lady is using her sexual self-assurance to gain Gawain’s trust and use it to her advantage. After Bercilak’s wife is aware of Gawain’s attraction to her, she uses her sex appeal to lure him and cause him to fall for her manipulative scheme. The speaker says that on her first visit to his bedroom she “stole to his bed,/ Cast aside the curtain and came within, / And set herself softly on the bed beside there” (ll.1190-2) and says, “My body is her at hand/ Your each wish to fulfill;/ Your servant to command/ I am and shall be still” (ll.1236-1240). From this scene and others where the lady pressures Gawain to kiss her, Gawain is led to believe that Bercilak’s wife does not have any control over her sexual desires and is the sexual women he thought she was based on ...
