Loyalty in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Odyssey by Homer and Don Quixote by Cervantes

1750 Words4 Pages

Loyalty in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Odyssey by Homer and Don Quixote by Cervantes This essay has some structural problems. Loyalty is a theme found in many classics. The three classics that are discussed in this paper are _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_, written by an unknown author, _The Odyssey_ by Homer, and _Don Quixote_, written by Miguel de Cervantes. In all three of the masterpieces loyalty can be traced through the characters action and words. Loyalty is evident in the characters behaviors to one another or maybe through a test they endure. In _The Odyssey_, _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_, and _Don Quixote_ loyalty is apparent throughout the story. _The Odyssey_ is believed to have been written by Homer and is infused with loyalty throughout the entire epic story. Odysseus is the most faithful, loving, and loyal husband, to Penelope, that any woman could dream of. Odysseus, in the beginning of his description of the trials and tribulations that he has endured, pledged his eternal loyalty to his ever-faithful wife Penelope. ?We are mortal weary and sick at heart/? [if only] now may I see once more/ my hall, my lands, my people before I die!? (Homer 7:233-240). Thought Odysseus did lie with the goddess his loyalty to Penelope held true. The ?Enchantress in her beauty? (Homer 7:274) enslaved the grand Odysseus to her will; yet Odysseus ?in [his] heart [he] never gave consent.? (Homer 7:276) The goddess offered Odysseus a choice, the ?promise [that he] should be/ immortal, [and] youthful, all the days to come? (Homer 7:275-276) or to continue his long continuous voyage to his queen Penelope. Because Odysseus chose to return to his devoted Penelope instead of gaining immortal life he has provided... ... middle of paper ... ...th all my heart and could not bring myself to leave him, no matter how many foolish thing he does.? (Cervantes 2036). Examples of loyalty can be found in many pieces of classic literature such as _Don Quixote_, _The Odyssey_, and _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_. Many characters in the stories profess their loyalty to other characters. Some of them fail in their loyalty tests while others prevail. I found loyalty to be an underlying theme in all three pieces of literature covered in this paper. The examples provided should prove the theme of loyalty. Bibliography: Cervantes, Miguel. _Don Quixote_. Lawall 1960-2071. Homer. _The Odyssey_. Lawall 209-513. Lawall, Sarah and Maynard Mack, Eds. _The Norton Anthology of world masterpieces: The Western Traditions_. New York. 1999. _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_. Lawall 1458-1585.

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Loyalty In The Odyssey

    314 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the story The Odyssey, Odysseus showed many traits. I believe the most important trait he showed was loyalty. He showed it in multiple situations. Odysseus showed loyalty when dealing with the sirens, the louts eaters, and the cyclops.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Archetypes In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    The archetypes that permeate many different stories all originate from Joseph Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces. More specifically, in the medieval story, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a variety of different archetypes are especially necessary to the theme of the story. An understanding of three key archetypes—the temptress the magic weapon, and the task—reveal the essence of Gawain’s role within the archetypal quest motif.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Perseverance In The Odyssey

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    Qualities such as loyalty are just as crucial in the life of an epic hero, and it is clear in the story that Odysseus possesses this. Odysseus had a constant devotion to his men and their voyage back home to Ithaca. When his men tasted the Lotus, the plant which would make one “lose your hope of home,” instead of simply leaving them behind, he “drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches”. Every hero still needs their friends, or in Odysseus’s case his men, to support them along their way to achieving their ambitions, whether they like to admit it or not. Odysseus recognized this and was loyal to his men, regardless of whatever sticky situation they may have found themselves in. He could have easily left his men behind and gotten along with the trip, arriving home sooner, yet he chose to stay faithful to them. Just as he stayed loyal to his men, Odysseus also remained faithful to his wife, Penelope, and son, despite being away for nearly 20 years. While Odysseus was being held captive by Calypso, he claimed that even though “she received me and loved me excessively and cared for me, never so could she win over the heart within me”. As easy as it may have been to let temptation get the best of him, Odysseus remembered his family and wife back home and continued to remain loyal to them all the way

    Read More

  • Araby and Sonny's Blues as Quest Narratives

    1491 Words  | 3 Pages

    The quest narrative is a common method of narration present in almost every adventure story in one form or another. One key characteristic which defines all quest narratives, irrespective of type, is the search for a “Holy Grail” – symbolic of something the protagonist desires. In a quest narrative it is often appropriate to refer to the protagonist as the hero. However, despite the connotations of the word “hero” to a figure who is flawless in both form and disposition, the hero usually does not begin the story as a perfect figure; the hero must undergo a series of trials and tribulations to which the hero emerges as a changed character. It is this journey to achieve greatness that characterizes all quest narratives. “Sonny’s Blues” (1959) by James Baldwin and “Araby” (1916) by James Joyce can both be interpreted as quest narratives because they each adhere to the archetype established by quest narrative. For instance both stories have the symbolic Holy Grail that gives objectification to each protagonist’s desires. In addition there are instances in both texts of a trial that changes the protagonist’s outlook, allowing the character to achieve realization in completing his quest. In “Sonny’s Blues” and “Araby” there is a “Holy Grail”– fulfilling the role as big brother in “Sonny’s Blues” and the girl in “Araby” – and a trial that serves as the protagonist’s rebirth – the deaths of family members in “Sonny’s Blues” and the bazaar in “Araby”; these symbols make both texts quest narratives.

    Read More

  • Anthony Burgess and Edmond Rostand's Cyrano De Bergerac

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    All in all, Cyrano’s loyalty to Christian and to Roxane demonstrates the theme that loyalty forms a deep connection that extends beyond love. The motif of faithfulness shown between Cyrano and Roxane, even when love was no object, portrays the idea that being a dependable friend creates long lasting relationships. As Nicole Yatsonsky articulates, loyalty is a decision to stand by a friend in hard times, even when it hurts; and when things are going well, loyalty is a willingness to be outshone.

    Read More

  • Farewell my Lovely, The Robber Bridegroom, and In the Skin of a Lion: Unconventional Heros

    3417 Words  | 7 Pages

    Farewell my Lovely, The Robber Bridegroom, and In the Skin of a Lion all contain heroes, although their heroism is of an unconventional sort. Despite their non-traditional nature, the characters of Philip Marlowe, Jamie Lockheart and Patrick Lewis are all identifiably true heroes, because they successfully engage, draw in, and 'win over' the reader with their positive characteristics. They are not merely average people with a few heroic attributes. Furthermore, these characters have many characteristics in common, despite their disparate backgrounds and vocations (of a private detective, a bandit, and a worker). This essay begins by introducing the theme of 'ambiguous heroism' that runs through each of the three novels, by scrutinising the example of The Robber Bridegroom. Following this, by looking in detail at the similarities (and differences) that are evident in terms of the characters' moral stances, physical bravery, and world view, it shall be demonstrated that all three characters are candidates for ambiguous heroism.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: the Exploration of a Tragic Hero

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tragic and hero may not be words that easily reveal a relationship, but throughout literature the two have been linked to create an enthralling read. The emergence of the tragic hero seemed to take shape in ancient Greece where such works as Oedipus and Antigone were popular among all classes of people. Aristotle defined a tragedy as "the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself. It incorporates incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish the catharsis of such emotions." Though Greece may be credited with the creation of tragic heroes, the theme is seen in literary works across many different cultures, including England. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one such English work where the development of the main character, Gawain, follows the pattern of the classical tragic hero. In this paper, we will explore the characteristics of the tragic hero and show how these traits are demonstrated in Gawain.

    Read More

  • Human Themes In The Odyssey

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Odyssey shows plenty of human themes, but there were some more dominant than others. Loyalty is shown within Odysseus’s wife and old nurse. His wife, Penelope was devoted to her husband even though he’s been gone for over twenty years and refuses to marry any the suitors because in her heart, she knows he’s alive. His old nurse, Eurycleia was asked to keep his disguise a secret from anyone after she noticed his scar from when he was just a little boy. It’s surprising she would do that for someone whose been

    Read More

  • Symbolism in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

    1450 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval poem by an unknown author, written in Middle English in the 14th century. This poem is uncanny to most poems about heroism and knightly quests as it doesn’t follow the complete circle seen in other heroism tales. This poem is different to all the rest as it shows human weaknesses as well as strengths which disturbs the myth of the perfect knight, or the faultless hero. The author uses symbolism as a literary device in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to give the plot a deeper and more significant meaning. Symbolism is used to emphasise the difference of this heroism story against others and therefore symbolism is of great importance in this poem. The importance of the following symbols will be discussed in this paper; the pentangle, the colour green, the Green Knight, the exchange of winnings game, the axe and the scar. This paper argues the significance of the use of symbolism as a literary device in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

    Read More

  • Odysseus

    880 Words  | 2 Pages

    The epic story “The Odyssey” Is basically a love story. It’s about the loyalty and love between a husband and wife, two lovers, and the cunning and trickery needed to reunite them, after a long absence. It’s a story about a man and women who are separated for 10 years and remain loyal to each other because their love is so strong. It’s also about the loyalty between a father and his son and also between their friends. Throughout the story we see many examples of this loyalty. Odysseus is the husband of Queen Penelope and the father of Prince Telemachus.

    Read More

  • The Patient Griselda, by Giovanni Boccaccio

    2319 Words  | 5 Pages

    Damrosch, David and David L. Pike. The Longman Anthology of World Literature Second Edition. Pearson Education, Inc., 2009.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Figures Of Speech Analysis

    412 Words  | 1 Pages

    It is within a human’s nature to commit mistakes. Even the noblest men must have committed mistakes. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, written by the Gawain poet, depicts the main character as a loyal knight; however, he ended up sinking as a prey to the flawed nature of humans. The Gawain poet successfully uses figures of speech, symbolism, and sound devices to support the idea that people should admit and accept their flawed character.

    Read More

  • Essay About Love in Homer's Odyssey

    495 Words  | 1 Pages

    Often times in life we search for a companion, someone to share our love and life with.  Odysseus and Penelope's lasting relationship is an obvious representation of love in the Odyssey. Although Odysseus is gone for twenty years he never forgets his faithful wife in Ithaca.  This love helps him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home.  Penelope also exemplifies this same kind of love for Odysseus.  At home in Ithaca, she stays loyal to Odysseus by unraveling his shroud and delaying her marriage to the suitors that are courting her.  She always keeps the hope that her love, Odysseus, will return.  Odysseus and Penelope's marriage clearly illustrates the theme of love.

    Read More

  • Comparing the Characters of Lysitrata, Penelope, and Medea

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lawall, Sarah,et al. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2nd ed. Volume A (slipcased). Norton, 2001. W.W. Norton and Company Inc. New York, NY.

    Read More

  • The Canterbury Tales And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    1644 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Canterbury Tales, written by Chaucer, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an anonymous author, are both sophisticated fourteenth-century examples of medieval romance. Medieval romances captured the heart of their audiences as narratives and stories that featured a protagonist, often a knight, and dealt with religious allegories, chivalry, courtly love, and heroic epics. The concept of the knight emerged from the remnants of the Anglo-saxon literature and ideals and influence of the Christian religion and church. There is a distinct difference between the famous pagan heroic like Beowulf and the romantic medieval tales like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight of the Canterbury Tale. The Anglo-Saxon hero Beowulf exemplified qualities expected of warriors who could attain kingship by their heroism and battle deeds. They possessed the qualities of valor, military prowess, generosity, and honor. The hero fights for the survival of their tribe and nation, and it is in battle that the mettle of the epic hero is ultimately tested. The romantic conventions , influenced by Christianity and French ideals, created a new chivalric knight who sets out on a trial or adventure. They possessed similar qualities to their epic hero counterparts – valor, loyalty, honor, and skill in battle – but differed in knowing temperance, courtesy towards women, and courtly skills. The hero is no longer fighting for his people but for his ideals. By the 14th century, The Tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Canterbury Tales have began to criticize the notion of chivalry which had become old and obsolete in their society; the idealization of chivalry practiced by knights could longer withstand the complexities and indeterminateness of situa...

    Read More

More about Loyalty in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Odyssey by Homer and Don Quixote by Cervantes

Open Document