The two literary heroes from the poems Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, can be compared and contrasted by their heroic aspects like their character, strength, honorability, bravery and loyalty. Distinctions between the two heroes, Beowulf and Gawain, are because of their cultural differences and the separate time periods in which each one lives. Despite the fact that these two tales emphasize and focus on different aspects of their hero, there are still clear contrasts of their heroic nature.
The actions of both Beowulf and Gawain are honorable, although honor looks different for each hero. The Geats and the Danes find Beowulf honorable after he glorifies himself before them. He boasts and praises himself, yet he keeps his honorability
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because he follows through with his word and he defeats the beasts like he said he would. He tells his thanes that he is going to beat Grendel, and he does. He continues to stick to his word by defeating Grendel’s mother, and the dragon when they become a threat the Danes and to his clan. Gawain sees honor in chivalry, loyalty and honesty, as he is a knight of the round table and sticks to their code of honor. Like honor, both heroes show their courage throughout their tales, but it is clear that it courage is slightly different for each; Beowulf is fearless, while Gawain is brave.
In other words, Beowulf is not ever afraid of death while Gawain struggles with the idea of death at first and then eventually overcomes it. Another example of his timidness surmounted is when the Green Knight interrupts a feast at Camelot and lays out a challenge. At first Gawain, like the other knights, flinches at these words and does not lift a finger (Armitage 41). Only after King Arthur takes up the challenge does Gawain step up to take a swing at the Green Knight’s neck. Beowulf says to his thanes before his fight with Grendel, “...no need then/ to lament for long or lay out my body:/ if the battle takes me, send back/ this breast-webbing that Weland fashioned/ and Hrethel gave me, to Lord Hygelac./ Fate goes ever as fate must,” (Heaney 31). This shows that he is willing to accept that whatever happens, will …show more content…
happen. Beowulf and Gawain are both physically strong, however, for Beowulf, physical strength carries greater significance in the poem.
The whole tale of Beowulf focuses on his battles against three different monsters and in the eyes of his people, he is awesome. The story of Gawain focuses on Gawain’s mission to find the green knight and potentially his death. The challenge in this tale is primarily temptation, given by the role of the king’s wife. The poem does not focus on Gawain’s physical achievements, yet on his way to the Green Knight, Gawain spent months in the wilderness fighting a dragon, bears, boars, trolls and more, which all require lots of strength, proving that indeed Sir Gawain is strong, but it is not as emphasized as Beowulf’s strength. This, debatably, is either because of his ability to overcome harder physical threats than Beowulf or because physical strength is less valued culturally. Gawain’s strength is also shown by the way that he bravely faces the fact that he is walking towards his death, and he accepts it. Gawain is thus, emotionally and morally strong as well as physically
strong. Beowulf and Gawain are challenged to choose good over evil, but Gawain more clearly faces the challenges of a modern hero. Beowulf is interested in glorifying himself by saving the Danes from Grendel this makes it relatively easy to choose good. Gawain on the other hand is faced with many temptations from the king’s wife that test his loyalty. At first, Gawain is enticed by the beautiful woman’s motives to besiege him in his bed but remains loyal to the king by going no further than a kiss. Gawain’s chivalrous self, does not want to upset the queen but he remains a trustworthy guest to the king throughout his stay at the castle. Gawain’s emotional and moral strength is proven by overcoming these modern temptations. Gawain perseveres through this, overcoming challenges that are quite different from the ones we see in Beowulf which are devoid of romantic elements. Heroism is achieved by both heroes but what it means to be a hero is different for both. In many cases, Gawain shows that he is a hero for the individual. He shows this by traveling towards certain death and later accepting that he failed part of the challenge in Bertilak’s castle by taking the girdle. This act also reveals that Gawain is afraid of death, he rejects the ring from the queen but accepts the green girdle which could potentially spare his life. Gawain’s heroism is essentially just his ability to overcome personal challenges while also learning from his mistakes. In contrast, Beowulf is a hero for the clan, he saves the Danes from both Grendel and Grendel’s mother and later goes to kill the dragon to save his Geatland kingdom. Beowulf’s heroism is more physical and external in comparison to Gawain’s feats. Christianity influences both poems, but it shapes the actions of the hero more significantly in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This is because this poem was clearly written after Augustine and his monks spread Christianity in England in 597 AD. Gawain’s life is heavily influenced by Christianity because there are several references to Jesus, a Christian god and Christian traditions. He has a portrait of Mary on the inside of his shield and he prays and the feast that takes place at the beginning of the poem was to celebrate Christmas. Beowulf lives in a time when there are Christian themes but his warriors still turn to the Pagan gods when they feel like their Christian one has failed them when Grendel attacks. The author describes Grendel as a descendant from Cain and Abel, revealing the Christian ties in the poem, Beowulf. This tale was written just after the transition from Pagan to Christian, which explains why Beowulf’s thanes are able to cross over to their former Pagan traditions because they were not that given up that long ago. Despite the transition to Christianity, Beowulf shows many characteristics of a Pagan warrior and he lacks Christian values like humility. The two heroes have many things in common but the also have their distinct differences.
society. In Beowulf, Beowulf shows extraordinary courage and strength that gives him special status. This notion is shown, when Beowulf fights Grendel and Grendel’s mother, but it is especially noticeable when he fights the dragon. When Beowulf fought Grendel others had the courage to attempt to fight him. The same is true with Grendel’s mother. When Beowulf goes to fight the Dragon, the other warriors cower away into the woods. Beowulf shows his courage by fighting the Dragon. Even when Beowulf is fighting the Dragon and realizes that his sword can do no damage he continues to fight. After Beowulf is on the verge of death he shows a combination of courage and strength by delivering the death blow to the Dragon, and not just laying down to die. Beowulf’s strength is shown when he is able to actually do battle with the Dragon; any normal man would have fallen to the dragon immediately.
...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.
When referring to archaic writing, it is clear to see the recurring archetypes and symbols throughout plots and situations. Understandably, certain patterns involving such motifs have continued through centuries, resulting in various works based around the same monomythic template with slight variations. All the big movie titles we love, Aladdin, Shrek, even, Sharknado contain more than traces of these archetypal patterns, consisting of a hero, a mentor, a dark figure and so on. Prime examples of this archetypal plot structure, with their own unique adaptations, may be found within the two poetic narratives Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Aside from their completely disparate backgrounds and morals, both works include and follow the monomythic journey, as perceived by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, as well as in the secondary works of others who have helped to further our understanding of this analytical method. This generalization, however, is shifted when one dissects further into these two pieces of literature. As in the majority of monomythic quest narratives, the protagonist often practices and displays the characteristics of courage, loyalty, humility
Beowulf is an epic poem telling the story of Beowulf, a legendary Geatish hero who later becomes king in the aforementioned epic poem. While the story in and of itself is quite interesting, for the purpose of this paper it is important to look at the character more so then his deeds, or rather why he did what he did.
The three heroes discussed here, Beowulf, Sir Gawain and King Arthur, are heroes for different reasons. Beowulf, our earliest hero, is brave but his motivation is different than then other two. To Sir Gawain personal honor and valor is what is important. King Arthur, Sir Gawain's uncle, is naturally the quintessential king of the medieval period. Though all men to a certain extent share the same qualities, some are more pronounced than in the others. It is important to see how these qualities are central to their respective stories and how it helps (or hinders) them in their journeys.
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.
Then the Danes decide to go back to Herot and while they are sleeping, Grendel’s mother
Both of these poems tell about two different stories and many different people in those stories, but that does not make the characters any different. Beowulf and Sir Gawain proved their courage by either clashing with a monster or choosing a deadly game. They both also showed their desire to help and save the people they care about by battling the supernatural. Despite the different journeys that Beowulf and Sir Gawain went on and the people they meet both characters share courage, the desire to save the people they love, and conquering the supernatural which are the qualities that make them an epic hero.
Initially, Gawain’s strongest trait is humility, Beowulf’s is pride. In the beginning of Gawain and the Green Knight, a mysterious warrior enters King Arthur’s court to extend a challenge. Although he knows others in the court would handle the challenge better than him, out of respect, when King Arthur attempts to accept the challenge Gawain comes forth and suggests he takes his place. Gawain presents himself as “the weakest of them, I know, and the dullest-minded/ so my death would be least loss, if truth should be told/ only because you are my uncle am I to be praised/ no virtue I know in myself but your blood” (Broadview Analogy 269). Instead of bragging about his bravery, Gawain acts modestly and states that his death would be of little loss during this challenge. He is not self-absorbed and gives off the impression that the only reason he is a knight is because of his relation with King Arthur. By stating this, he gives off the impression that his self confidence is quite weak; this is astonishing for a character of this era. Although King Arthur has at least one of his knights to be proud of, it seems as though
The Green Knight takes a blow from an ax at the hand of Sir Gawain, and in one year and one day, the Green Knight is to reciprocate the action to Sir Gawain. While Sir Gawain was heroic in his deed, Beowulf shows a certain selflessness in his bouts makes him a better hero than Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain was heroic in seeking out the Green Knight to finish the challenge that was brought to King Arthur’s men. “Said Gawain, ‘Strike once more; /I shall neither flinch nor flee; /But if my head falls to the floor /There is no mending me!’” (lns.
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.
Medieval romance writings consist of a quest of an honorable and chivalrous hero who overcomes the unattainable to prove their virtue. Yet, these perceived idealized heroes often fall short of their expected abilities and values. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is an example of a knight with shortcomings. Nevertheless, Gawain appropriately confronts the imperfections of his life which leads the Green Knight to determine the imperfect knight to be virtuous. Through Sir Gawain’s weakness in strength, courage in redeeming himself, and repentance of his sinful impurities, Gawain demonstrates that a flawed person is capable of a respected and honorable life. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the poet uses the Green Knight’s judgment
Gawain and Beowulf are heroes from different time periods, and it explains their varied traits. Gawain is intently focused on a chivalric code, and Beowulf is just worried about getting recognition as a good hero and keeping it. These traits are ideal within the separate texts, and there is little crossover between them. Gawain’s ideal traits are represented by his pentangle, and Beowulf’s ideal traits are represented by his actions. The poets both show these traits (or lack thereof) through the heroes’ actions, so it’s apparent whether the heroes are living up to these ideals or not. The poets are questioning the heroic codes using the poems as their medium.
Sadly, there was no return for Beowulf, his lack of “Apotheosis” led to his death and he was killed by pride. His kingdom did suffer as there was no longer a king to rule it, and his people dealt with the grief. Sir Gawain was lucky enough to be given another chance. He returns to his kingdom ashamed of himself and informs his people his mistake in the chivalric code. He wears the green girdle to remind himself that he has failed in his adventure to see The Green Knight. The whole kingdom misunderstands the whole story and instead see that Sir Gawain returned from seeing the Green Knight and think of it as a grand adventure and proceed to wear a green girdle. This girdle represents the ignorance of his people. Sir Gawain does not end up saving the community but instead
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