How Are Beowulf And King Arthur Alike

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In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf, what made King Arthur and Beowulf such great kings? Prestige? Wealth? Or was it something deeper, something any man may possess but few do? I think the distinguishing factor of these two kings was the overwhelming love they held for their people. King Arthur and Beowulf weren’t great because they had wealth or because they were prestigious, these things may be achieved by any ambitious man. They were good because their hearts were rooted in love for their people. This love was shown clearly by their bravery, humility, generosity, and willingness to sacrifice. Their people recognized this, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight they called King Arthur… and they hailed Beowulf as, “The people’s pride …show more content…

Without humility kings can become selfish, worrying only about gaining glory instead of the good of the people. Hrothgar demonstrated humility by accepting Beowulf’s help. Beowulf struggled with this, he loved glory and actively pursued it, and he had an innate (or inherent) desire to do everything alone. In going in fight the dragon alone and ultimately dying from it, Beowulf left his people vulnerable, without a leader who could protect them from surrounding nations. Arthur seems to do an adequate job at humility. At the end of Sir Gawain and the green knight, he wears the green sash with the rest of the knights. The sash symbolized failure, it was a testament that said, "I have flaws, I make mistakes and I’m willing to own up to them". In his willingness to admit his flaws, King Arthur showed humility and self-awareness. Without humility, however, as evidenced by Beowulf, Kings will make grave …show more content…

A king ought not to be greedy and take from his people needlessly, not because he fears the people’s wrath, but because his desire is for people to be pleased. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight opens with King Arthur giving a feast for his knights. The narrator says that the feast, “lasted a full fortnight and one day, with more food and drink then a fellow could dream of.”(Pg. 187) This is a good example of Arthur’s willing generosity toward his people, later he asks the Green Knight if he would like to join the feast, This shows that he is not only generous towards his people, but also toward strangers. Near the end of Beowulf, Wiglaf says recognizes this same quality in Beowulf, saying that he was, “a prince treating his thanes to the best he could find.”(Pg. 102) Beowulf went out of his way to provide abundantly for his people and with that generosity he again verified his love. No one forced Beowulf or King Arthur to give to their people, they chose to individually. By being generous kings sustain healthy and amicable relationships with their

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