Character Analysis
Gawain is the bad boy of Arthur’s court. He’s can’t seem to do anything right, but he really doesn’t care.
Distractible and Intractable
When Arthur tasks him with giving the diamond to Lancelot as his tournament prize, Gawain spends the time he should be looking for Lancelot flirting with Elaine. Then he leaves the diamond (and his responsibility) with her. He gets distracted by the ladies on the Grail Quest, too. Instead of feeling guilty about this, he blames the nun that he claims has “driven men mad” (“Holy Grail,” 859) and promises to be deaf to spiritual things in the future. For this Bedivere calls him “a reckless and irreverent knight,” and Arthur chastises him (“Holy Grail,” 853).
Although most of the time Gawain’s irresponsible nature and womanizing ways are simply more evidence of his “lightness” (“Passing of Arthur,” 56), they have a very serious consequence in “Pelleas and Ettarre.” Gawain promises Pelleas to help him win the love of Ettarre, but then he sleeps with her instead.
Gawain’s betrayal starts Pelleas on a downward spiral. He ends up losing faith in humanity and creating a parody of Arthur’s court made up of a bunch of knights just like Gawain. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt, and with Gawain, the Idylls show just how serious a lack of seriousness—and principles—can be.