Unpacking the Concept of Honor: A Study of Heroes

Many people take the word honor very lightly and believe that it is incredibly easy to be defined as a person who shows their honor for the people around them, and that may be true for some people but not for others. Three people who easily fall into the group of being an honorable person includes, William Wallace from the Mel Gibson film Braveheart, Sir Gawain, and Beowulf. Honor may be mistaken for many different things, but the word honor easily falls into the category of being a hero. In order to be a hero someone has to be honorable, and being honorable includes the same characteristics of being considered a hero. There are specifically two different types of heroes including, an Anglo-Saxon Hero and Epic Hero. There are four very strict

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, King Arthur gets ready to commit in the battle of the Green Knight until Sir Gawain stepped up and insisted that he be the one to fight. Sir Gawain said to King Arthur, “I beseech you, Sire, / Let this game be mine” (Gawain Poet 124-25). By Sir Gawain requesting to King Arthur that he must step before the Green Knight instead of the King, Gawain showed many acts of bravery and loyalty to his people, which gave him the characteristics of showing honor and being an Anglo-Saxon Hero. Sir Gawain stepped up to this incredible mission because he knew he was the weakest of the knights, and believed that no one would miss him, but instead when Gawain went up for battle the Green Knight refused to strike. The Green Knight has said, “It was I who sent her to test you. I’m convinced / You’re the finest man that ever walked this earth” (Gawain Poet 354-55). The Green Knight had his wife give Gawain the green sash in order to test him, the Green Knight knew Gawain had the courage to compete against him but he just wanted the knights to realize it. Sir Gawain shows honor in this literary work, because even when he wanted to doubt himself and give up he never did, he kept fighting and eventually made it to the Green Castle even though he knew he might not make it out alive. He insisted to follow

Beowulf has shown numerous acts of bravery, friendship, loyalty and generously throughout the whole poem, which made everyone respect and look upon him. The main act of friendship and generosity that Beowulf had conquered, was when he told the town, “they, and you, may now sleep / without fear of either monster, mother / or son”, after killing Grendel and his mother (Beowulf 24-26). To prove how thankful the whole town was when Beowulf saved them from the harmful and injustice Grendel, Hrothgar stated, “you came / and that endless misery was over and I lived” (Beowulf 129-30). Beowulf never thought about himself or the outcome that may happen to him when fighting for his people, he knew without trying nothing was possible and he was always willing to take the risk. Without Beowulf sticking up for all the people around him and making sure they were protected, he would have never been classified for being a hero or showing everyone what honor really stands