tries multiple times to seduce Gawain. She comes to his room and sits beside his bed. She tempts him both subtly and openly. She teases him to kiss her. She speaks to him of love. She tries in every way to lead him into something inappropriate, but Gawain resists steadfastly all along. Then, finally, the lady presents him with her girdle as he is preparing to leave the castle for his encounter with the Green Knight. Gawain tries to resist, but the temptation of protection (which the lady promises the girdle will provide) is too much, and Gawain accepts the girdle. This is the only point in which Gawain fails his test, and the Green Knight (who is really Bertilak in disguise) gives him one small nick on the neck as a consequence.

One more female character figures into this story, the sorceress Morgan le Fay. She, in fact, is the driving force behind the whole plot, for she is the one who sends Bertilak to Arthur's court to "assay its pride and try if it were true that circulates about the great renown of the Round Table." Morgan's magic allows Bertilak to become the invincible Green Knight in hopes that perhaps Guinevere (against whom Morgan apparently holds some sort of grudge) would die of fright. But Morgan's plan fails, and Gawain and Arthur's court live up to their reputation.

Now let's turn our attention to Marie de France's Lanval. The first mention of women in this tale occurs in the third stanza when Arthur hands them out as rewards (along with land) for the noble service of his knights. But Arthur forgets Lanval and gives him nothing. Lanval goes off on a ride to try to forget his troubles and he meets two young servant girls. They are lovely and courteous, and they have been sent by their mistress to bring Lanval to her tent. Lanval, never one to deny a lady anything, goes with them.

When Lanval arrives at the tent, he discovers the beautiful lady lying on her bed, clothed quite scantily and showing a great deal of her well-shaped body and fair skin. The lady tells Lanval that she has come a long way to find him and that she loves him. Lanval is completely taken in and declares his love and loyal service forever. The two have relations, and afterward the lady gives Lanval a present and a warning. He must never speak of the lady to anyone, or he will lose her forever. Before Lanval leaves, the lady assures him that she will come to him whenever he wants her, although no one else will ever see or hear her.

Lanval returns home and comes to the attention of the queen, who decides he would be quite right for a love affair. She attempts to seduce him, but Lanval resists, saying that he will not betray the king. The queen insults his manhood, and in anger, Lanval reveals the secret of his affair with the lady. The queen, in turn, accuses Lanval to the king, falsely claiming that Lanval was the one seducing and insulting her. Lanval answers the charges before the king, denying the seduction but admitting to the insult. At his trial, the jury decides that Lanval must produce his lady to prove his claims.

Just then, maidens show up and demand that the king prepare a room for their lady, for she is coming to visit. The queen is furious with the delays in Lanval's trial and sentence (and because the maidens are more beautiful than she). Then Lanval's lady rides into town to speak to the king on Lanval's behalf. The king sets Lanval free, and Lanval rides away to Avalon with his lady.

The next step, now that we've determined the roles of women in both stories, is to think about which women use their own agency and which are under the control of men. Morgan, for instance, is under her own power, and she manipulates the entire situation for her own goals. Lady Bertilak, on the other hand, is a pawn of her husband and Morgan (although she has power over Gawain in her own right). Lanval's lady is quite clearly in charge of her own destiny. Lanval submits to her. The queen, too, tends to control the king and would probably have influenced the jury's decision if the lady had not arrived. Does this, then, reflect the patriarchal stereotype that women are mere slaves to their men?