Compare And Contrast Beowulf And Sir Gawain

Between the years of the Old English and the Middle English the meaning of and having a Heroic character has not changed. Today, there might not be a Heroic character that fights against monsters, but there are Heroes that protect us like; soldiers, doctors, and father's. Heroic characters indicates that a person demonstrates heroic qualities or does a heroic act and becomes an ideal or a model to others. In the story “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight,” there are two Heroic characters, Beowulf and Sir Gawain. Although Beowulf and Gawain show similar heroic characteristics, they are different because they present themselves distinctively, battle monsters/mythical creatures, and battle for different reasons.

In the story “Beowulf,”

Beowulf was a warrior from Geatland and he traveled to the Danes’ village to protect them from Grendel, a monster. Beowulf also fought Grendel’s mother and when he went back to his hometown, he fought against a Dragon. When he returned to his hometown, Beowulf became the king of the Geats and he was always looked up to by the Danes and Geats. In the story “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight,” Gawain was King Arthur’s nephew and a noble knight. One evening a Green Knight appeared at King Arthur’s castle and laid down a challenge which the King said he would do. Sir Gawain interrupted and said he wanted to do it; the challenge was that who ever chopped of the Green Knight's head, had to go seek him in a year and demonstrate that they can keep their word for this quest. At the end Sir Gawain seeks the Green Knight and finishes his quest and was scarred showing his sin, dishonesty, and failure. Although this had happen, Sir Gawain finished his quest and came back, he never gave up or backed away. King Arthur and his queen kissed Sir Gawain and celebrated what Gawain had done.
Both of these Heroic characters have similar qualities like, strength, bravery, ambitious and traveled for a quest; they did good things. Beowulf presented bravery and strength in the story various different times. Before fighting against Grendel beowulf mentioned to Hrothgar that, “[w]hen it comes to fighting, [he] count[ed] [him]self as dangerous any day as Grendel” (677-678) and that it would not be “a cutting edge [he’ll] wield to mow him down, easily as [he] might” (679-680). Beowulf was so brave that before the fight he took off all his armor and fought with his bare hands against this big evil monster. Later at the end of the battle with Grendel, Beowulf’s strength showed “clear proof “ that he ripped Grendel’s arm from his body; Beowulf held “the whole of Grendel’s shoulder and arm” (834-835) high up so that everyone could see it. Beowulf also shows ambitious when he turned into a king and decided to fight for his town against a Dragon. He started mentioning every accomplishment he did in the past and then said, “as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning” (2513-2514). “Trusted in his own strength entirely” (2540) he had determination to win and get through his last battle. Lastly, Beowulf traveled to the Danes’ village to protect them from Grendel and his mother. In the story it stated that Beowulf “announced his plan: to sail… and seek that King… who needed defenders” (199-201).
Sir Gawain was also a very brave and strong knight, in the story Sir Gawain shows bravery when he interrupted King Arthur as he was taking the challenge that the Green Knight had addressed. Sir Gawain told King Arthur that he would do it even though he “never beaten or bettered in the field of battle”(353); Gawain mentioned, “I am weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit” (354) and he still wanted to perform this good deed in honor of the king. The king then let him accomplish the challenge to chop of the Green Knight’s head and Gawain with all this strength “parted the fat and the flesh so far… the handsome head tumble[d] onto the earth” (425-427). Sir Gawain had strength to pick up the “gruesome axe” (413) and swing “it swiftly towards [the Green Knight’s] bare skin” (423). Also, Gawain was ambitious at the beginning when he told King Arthur that he wanted to take the challenge. Gawain said, “Should you call me courteous lord… to rise from my seat and stand at your side” (343-344); he was determined to show that he could win a battle and proof his trustworthy word and honor to the King and himself. Finally, Gawain also commits to go on a quest for taking the challenge that the Green Knight proposed. Sir Gawain indicated that he was to “set out [the next day] to receive that stroke from the knight in Green, and let God be [his] guide” (548-549). He prepared to travel until he found the Green Knight to finish off his quest.
Heroic characters are very similar but they have many differences too.

Beowulf and Gawain showed off differently, Beowulf fought monsters and Gawain fought a mythical creature, they battle for different reasons, and they are religiously distinctive. Beowulf is a great Hero for the Danes and Geats but he is also a very arrogant person. Beowulf’s arrogance put him in challenges while he prepared for battle and during battles. Throughout the story Beowulf loves to brag a lot about himself and everything he has accomplished with his strength. Before he fought with the Dragon he indicated that, “this fight [was] not… up to any man except [him] (2532-2534). During the whole story Beowulf battles against monsters, Grendel and his mother, and a Dragon. From “Beowulf,” before Beowulf battles against Grendel’s mother, it mentions that Beowulf prepared too “soon meet with the menace underwater” (1444), which is a monster and refers to Grendel’s mother. Also at the beginning of the story when referring to Grendel, he is being called names like, “powerful demon” (86), “banished monster” (105), and “shadow-stalker” (703). Even though Beowulf brags a lot of him he always fought to defend the people of the Danes and Geats. When Beowulf arrived at Heorot to battle against Grendel, Hrothgar greeted him and said, “Beowulf, my friend, you have traveled here to favor us with help and to fight for us” (457-458). Also from the story it is noticed that Beowulf is part of a pagan history of Britain and descends from that sort of religion. In “Beowulf,” pagan shrines are described and the religion is detailed as well, for example; “at pagan shrines they vowed offerings to souls” (175-176). Heathen people, like Beowulf and his people, were not

christian.
Sir Gawain, like Beowulf, is a showoff; he does not brag about himself all the time but he is spectacle about his looks. He shows off through his looks, and wants to be seen as a great and magnificent Knight. From the story there is a lot of description on Gawain’s appearance while he is preparing to travel for his quest. Gawain was to be “escort[ed] and kiss[ed]” to be “commended to christ” (595-596). He shows off his armor and “he holds up his helmet and hastily kisses it” (605) and he also wore a cloth to cover his neck; it had “bejeweled with brilliant gems” (609). He wore diamonds and in the story it indicates that he “gleamed,” the people of the castle gave him a shield with a symbol of a star. Gawain was a Christian and the symbol on the shield meant that “Solomon once set in place and is taken to this day as a token of fidelity” (625-626). Within the shield Mary the mother of Jesus was “shape[d]... inside” so that it would give Gawain strength. Even though Sir Gawain fought, he did not battle to defend his people or protect anyone. Gawain fought against the Green Knight because he wanted to defend his word and promise as well as the King’s honor. The Green Knight challenged him and told him “be wise enough to keep your word and faithfully follow me until you find me” (448-450). Lastly, Gawain does not fight against a evil monster, he fights with a mythical creature, the Green Knight. The Green Knight is mythical and fantasy because he “swings into the saddle still gripping his head by a handful of hair” (435-436). That just states that it is a fantasy creature in the story and also later in the text the Green Knight changes into a different person.
Heroic characters can all be categorized together but really they are different from each other. Everyone sees, speaks, thinks, feels, acts, and what not, differently. Even if these Heroic characters have qualities in common it does not mean they all are the same from every aspect. These two important Heroic characters shared similar characteristics but were presented distinctively, battled with different kinds of creatures, and battled for different reasons. They were both great heroes to an extent but they achieved it in different ways.