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Beowulf and Sir Gawain are both honorable heroic figures of their time. Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Marie Borroff, are two different poems that tell a story about a very honorable man that takes a quest to achieve his goal. Sir Gawain shows that he is a developing version of Beowulf because he has similar characteristics of Beowulf, he has differences to show that he is not quite an epic hero, and the Romantic societies are a progression of the Epic societies in the attitudes of the people and what is valued in each society. Beowulf and Sir Gawain share similar characteristics. Both of these characters had a goal in mind trying to protect their society. They both showed great loyalty. …show more content…
Beowulf was a warrior who had extremely high self-confidence. Sir Gawain seemed to have lower self-confidence compared to the great Beowulf. For example, when the Green Knight appeared to the homeland of Sir Gawain and King Arthur, Sir Gawain did not instantly approach the Green Knight like Beowulf would have. Sir Gawain waited until he noticed the king was going to trade blows with the Green Knight. After King Arthur stepped up, Sir Gawain did do the honorable thing and take the king’s spot, but it shows the difference in both characters. Many times Beowulf stepped up as soon as he got an opportunity. After the battle with Grendel, Grendel’s mother caused conflict. As soon as Beowulf heard this, he said, “Let your sorrow end! It is better for us all to avenge our friends, not mourn them forever.” Beowulf instantly stepped up to protect the people against Grendel’s mother. He never waited. Sir Gawain also did not seem to have as much pride as Beowulf did either. Sir Gawain cut the head off of the Green Knight so that the Green Knight didn’t get the chance to take a blow at him. Beowulf showed much pride in his battles. For example, Grendel had no weapons, so Beowulf ditched his weapons and destroyed Grendel with his bare hands. Sir Gawain would have used his weapons to do whatever it took to win the battle just like he did whatever it took to win against the Green Knight. Sir Gawain also never fought any monsters or …show more content…
Beowulf lived in a chaotic society with supernatural things going on, while Sir Gawain lived in a more real society. Beowulf lived in a society with monsters and dragons in it. In Beowulf, Beowulf says, “Other monsters crowded around me, continually attacking”. The chaotic society that Beowulf lived in was much different than the society that Sir Gawain lived in. There were no monsters or dragons in Sir Gawain’s society. Both characters also lived in a society that values honor differently. In the poem of Beowulf, the society valued success and glory. In the poem with Sir Gawain in it, society valued if someone did as they were told. A knight was sworn to chivalry and he was honored if he obeyed his king. Because of the different perspectives on honor, these two characters had different motives. Beowulf sought glory and pride while Sir Gawain’s motive was chivalry. Sir Gawain does what’s right because of his moral values and his duties, not for glory and fame. Beowulf wants to live heroically. Sir Gawain just wants to obey his King because that was what was considered honorable in that society. Sir Gawain showed his progression to an epic hero because his society allowed him to have a noble birth, he is capable of deeds of courage, he has potential to be a great knight, he goes on a quest, and he is well respected in his society, but is not recognized nationally like Beowulf
...d failing that I have succumbed to out of the cowardice and greed that I displayed there.” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 2006, p. 78) Sir Gawain was more of a knight than the others in the court because he showed honesty within brokenness, not fake and “picture perfect”.
Although arguably different at first glance, the conflict in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight would be the strong internal conflict that the protagonists experience throughout the entirety of each narrative. Beowulf simply disregards all advice presented to him in hopes of swaying his egotistical nature, which in turn results in his demise. Sir Gawain, on the other hand, dishonors the code of chivalry and Camelot by showcasing the true coward that lay beneath his facade. Synonymous in general, the internal conflicts the protagonists experience result in divergent resolutions and emotions for each
...e the quarrels, the hatreds, the feuds,/ That will bring us battles, force us into war/ With the Swedes, as soon as they’ve learned how our lord/ Is dead” (Beowulf 2999-3002). That quote shows that Beowulf lived in a war-torn country and therefore his strength and ability to protect his people made him a revered hero. Sir Gawain, on the other hand, lived in a time when inner qualities were valued. The valuing of inner qualities along with Sir Gawain’s exceptional traits made him a hero. That being said, although Beowulf and Sir Gawain differ in some aspects, they both fit the hero archetype of being better than the ordinary man, proving oneself many times, and having a tragic flaw.
What is hero? A hero, under the Merriam-Webster definition, is a person who is admired for brave/great acts or fine qualities. This is a very broad definition that combines both ancient and modern belief of what --or who-- a hero should be. Beowulf is an epic poem that focuses on an Anglo-Saxon hero. As such he embodies the traits that his culture valued most. Deadpool, on the other hand, portrays the most recent ideas of what traits a hero should embody. With these examples from contrasting periods, we are still able to see similarities and differences that shows how modern and Anglo-Saxon idea of heroism reflects its culture.
Sir Gawain is presented as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. He is the perfect knight; he is so recognised by the various characters in the story and, for all his modesty, implicitly in his view of himself. To the others his greatest qualities are his knightly courtesy and his success in battle. To Gawain these are important, but he seems to set an even higher value on his courage and integrity, the two central pillars of his manhood.
Heroes come in many forms. The construction of "the heroic" has taken many forms, yet traits such as: courage, honor, and loyalty, reappear as themes throughout the "hero" personality. The characters of Beowulf and Sir Gawain each represent a version of a hero, yet each comes across quite differently in their story. A hero can be said to truly win if he remains constant to his noble values when put in any situation that crosses his way. When measured by that criterion, Sir Gawain stands out above Beowulf as a true hero, due to his command of both personal and spiritual power through the use of thought, as well as valiant deeds.
Do people ever talk about superheroes, and monsters? Especially people into comic books and children. Every child, even adults, have a superhero they look up to, or a role model they want to grow up to be like. Superheroes are everywhere from movies to books. Children even sit in their room playing with toy superheroes, hoping one day they can be just like them. Even hundreds of thousands of years ago there were superheroes! A long time ago in the Anglo-Saxon Period there was a brave and loyal hero! His name was Beowulf, and everyone looked up to him. This hero definitely brought peace to many people, and if it wasn’t for the mighty hero Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxons would have been terrorized forever. Therefore, the times were hard before Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxon warriors always stood for three values, and the time was changed without monsters.
During the Middle Ages, both “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” were epic stories that were chanted aloud to the public. Each story told about epic heroes who went on a long journey to face or conqueror someone or something. “Beowulf” is a poem about a young man, Beowulf, who slays a monster and his mother with his bare hands to protect the people he loves. As the years go by Beowulf becomes king and a dragon begins to stir. In response to this, Beowulf fights the dragon with a sword and one loyal companion. Beowulf’s life comes to end, but so does the dragons. From this epic poem you can see that good does triumph over evil, but sometimes it comes at a cost. Along with “Beowulf”, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was another popular poem. This poem was about a squire, Sir Gawain, who chooses to take on a game proposed by the Green Knight instead of his uncle, King Arthur. He took on the game because he believed King Arthur’s life was more valuable than his own and that King Arthur should not risk his own life. As a result, Sir Gawain became a knight because of his loyalty and bravery. Both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s and Beowulf’s characters share the same quality of courage, the desire to protect people and the involvement of supernatural beings.
Although Gawain and Beowulf share many similarities, their characters are almost complete opposites. Both aim for some sort of fame, one more than the other; differing in the way they attempt to achieve this success. Gawain remains true and looks to humility to guide him, whereas Beowulf is very prideful and selfish, loving nothing more than boasting about his virtues. Regardless, both go through tremendous changes throughout their quests, dealing with repercussions, and many challenging obstacles along the way.
Though Sir Gawain is brave, Beowulf seems more naturally heroic. He goes to the land of the Danes of his own volition. His king does not order him to go. He tells his king that he wishes to go help the Danes defeat Grendel, because he believes he can and should. His people support him because they know what a great warrior and leader he is. He also wants to help King Hrothgar because his father was in debt to Hrothgar and he wants to pay that debt. He wants to honor his father and his father’s word. Beowulf holds himself to a code of honor when he does not have to do so. He risks his life for a country he is not a part of.
Both characters abided by a code of honor that they were willing to protect with their lives. Today, that trait is at the very least, rare, if not altogether absent from our increasingly materialistic and self-centered society. Both Gawain and Beowulf saw themselves as means by which the end of achieving glory for their society could be achieved. They didn't leech on to society and drain precious resources, as do many of today's corrupt leaders. On the contrary, they gave back to their people and lived up to the ancient notion of the "good citizen" as first advanced by Plato.
The story of “Beowulf” begins at a time where a great hero is needed. This is where Beowulf’s character takes the initial place of an epic hero. In the first story of “Beowulf,” Beowulf takes on the responsibility of destroying the great threat, Grendel. This immediately shows the courage, honor and bravery of Beowulf. When Beowulf sailed to the Danes to kill Grendel, he was not searching for money, he was simply putting the Geats lives before his own. Beowulf was not yet
The greatest value of Beowulf is his bravery, some may say bravado. There is no doubt that he is a great warrior. Beowulf's heroism belongs to a different time than that of King Arthur or Sir Gawain. For that reason his bragging about his prowess might seem decidedly unheroic. When he tells Unferth "I count it true that I had more courage, More strength in swimming than any other man" (514-15 (41) it might be interpreted in a poor way. What he is saying though is true. In addition, in order for him to succeed he must orally deliver his resume. Nevertheless, bragging aside, Beowulf is undoubtedly a brave man. When Beowulf sets out to kill Grendel's mother he simply "donned his armor for battle, Heeded not the danger..." (1328-29 60). When his sword fails him he uses his physical strength: "On the might of his hand, as a man must do Who thinks to win in the welter of battle Enduring glory; he fears not death" (1420-23 62). Certainly he is in search of fame. Though this is true it must not discount his brave actions. He gains his fame truthfully by doing battle with menaces to society. He does not lie or manipulate to achieve fame, he uses what is rightfully his, his bravery. Beowulf's bravery differs from that of King Arthur's for several reasons. King Arthur by being king must be brave, to rule the state people must respect him. Beowulf's bravery carries the story. One because it details his ascension in fame and secondly it also outlines his downfall.
There are many similarities and differences between the movie "Beowulf and Grendel", to the poem. Major differences between the movie and the poem would be Grendel himself. In the poem, he is described as an evil monster born from two demons. In the movie, Grendel is actually human, but known as a troll to the warriors and Danes. The poem doesn’t give the background of Grendel or show how the Danes killed his father and the possible reason of his revenge, like in the movie. If the witch, Selma, was not included in the storyline of the movie, the audience would not have known key information that she was used to show from more flashbacks. The witch gives more of an idea about Grendel’s past life that could have been the possibility to reasons for his actions. Some major similarities are the battles. Both epics include the battles between Beowulf and Grendel, as well as Beowulf and Grendel’s mother. The end results are the same, leading to their death, but the journey and process to the two tales are different.
Erika Mercado Essay 2 Modern Heroes: Dante vs Beowulf A modern hero is a good-hearted person with these attributes: bravery, strong, and contributes to saving the lives of his homelands. Beowulf demonstrates the characteristics of a modern hero: a leader, fearless, and generous. Beowulf is a young hero whose character exerts powerful strength in battles. Dante the Pilgrim does not display hero attributes in The Inferno.