"Sir, if you be Gawain, it seems a great wonder— A man so well-meaning, and mannerly disposed, And cannot act in company as courtesy bids, And if one takes the trouble to teach him, ‘tis all in vain. That lesson learned lately is lightly forgot, Though I painted it as plain as my poor wit allowed." "What lesson, dear lady?" he asked all alarmed; "I have been much to blame, if your story be true." "Yet my counsel was of kissing," came her answer then, "Where favor has been found, freely to claim As accords with the conduct of courteous knights."

Respuesta :

Answer:

This is an excerpt from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by the unknown author referred to as Gawain Poet . These lines are uttered by the character Lady Bertilak

Explanation:

Here we can read that there is a   tension between courtesy and chastity, which we see her (Lady Bertilak) exploiting so she could have her way.  She challenges Gawain using his name and reputation and teases him that he cannot be the real Gawain - since he would be “gracious.” She compares him to a student who forgot  a lesson a day before and compares herself to a teacher. This excerpt thus shows cultural imagery connected to courtly love and classical traditions.