Examples Of Heroism In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

459 Words1 Page

Lilibeth Ruben
Eng. 24
Dr. Kathleen Urda
September 28, 2014

Heroism in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

A hero is someone who is admired for their bravery and courage, among other noble features. In both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, both men display heroism, however, their motivation to be these valiant beings stemmed from different places in their lives. In Beowulf, we see a man whose inspiration is to be a legend that lived on long after his physical presence on earth is gone, remember and admired by all his people. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain’s bravado came from his religious background of Christianity. Agreeably both men were heroic, but these key differences in their ways and motivations set them apart.
Beowulf …show more content…

(2516-2521)
From these lines, which refer to the time when Beowulf was getting ready to fight the dragon, Beowulf makes it clear, in order to display his greatest bravery and heroism, it isn’t enough that he is fighting this dragon, but he wants to fight him without any weapons. This, as well as his many other qualities, earned Beowulf the place that he wanted to have in people’s memories; that of a legendary hero. When it came to Beowulf’s death, his funeral was the ultimate exhibit of the people’s praise and admiration towards him:
So the Geat people, his hearth-companions
sorrowed for the lord who had been laid low.
They said that of all the kings upon earth
he was the man most gracious and fair-minded,
kindest to his people and keenest to win fame. (3178-3182)
From this example we can see how ultimately Beowulf remained as the legend who was never to be forgotten by his people, the best King the Geats could’ve ever had among

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