Who is the Green Knight? What was his actual quest for Sir Gawain and what was his purpose for challenging King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?

Sir Gawain bravely asks to take on the Green Knight’s quest in place of King Arthur as seen in lines 343-361. He understands that he is given a year and a day to complete his challenge when he repeats the quest “in exact terms” (line 392) to the Knight. He also has no idea where the Green Chapel, home the the Green Knight, actually is. Why do you think Sir Gawain delays his departure until November first, giving him a little over two months to find the unknown whereabouts of the Green Chapel? And furthermore, why do you think he wastes more time at the castle when the deadline for his challenge, which he so bravely accepted, grows ever nearer?