Final answer:
Lords and ladies felt sorrow for Gawain due to empathy with his challenges and potential for tragedy, while they made mirth as a courtly custom to maintain an appearance of cheerfulness. The provided excerpts portray the contrast between deep emotions and the external facade of mirth in the court.
Step-by-step explanation:
The lords and ladies felt sorrow for Gawain because they likely empathized with his plight and the heavy burden he was facing, possibly a foreshadowing of a tragic event. On the other hand, they made mirth for his sake to uphold the courtly customs of the time, which emphasized revelry and maintaining a facade of cheerfulness in the face of adversity. The existence of sorrow and subsequent mirth in such settings often aimed to balance the gravity of a knight's quest or challenge with the continuous portrayal of court life as joyous and unaffected by outside concerns.
The provided excerpts illustrate contrasting feelings. They highlight the tension between the external show of formality, such as the rituals at Camelot, and the genuine concern for the individual's wellbeing that the courtiers may feel. The emotion in these passages helps to convey the complex social dynamics present during these times, where genuine fear and concern could be masked by ceremonial joy and celebration.