Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Comparison

A hero is a person, who is admired for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. A character cannot be considered a hero unless they overcome some form of opposition. For Sir Gawain this opposition comes in the form of the Green Knight who challenges him. For Lanval this opposition is in the form of his trial. While both types of heroes have some similarities they are also very different. The similarities include, being the main protagonist and having a quest or an obstacle they must overcome. Romance heroes are not as traditional as the epic hero. Many Romantic heroes have been turned away by society, their family, or their friends because of how they live their lives or because of things they have done. In most stories, romance

heroes are often on a quest, whether it be a physical or a spiritual journey. Many times the Romantic hero's quest begins from a desire to fulfill something for himself and ends up serving a greater cause.

Epic heroes most often possess seven main qualities or characteristics which include: a noble birth, capable of deeds of great strength and courage, great warrior, travels over a vast setting, humility, and he/she faces supernatural foes and/or receives supernatural help. According to Jill Mann, “The romance hero, is 'like a man fighting ghosts in a mist ... he is involved in a mystery; he is on a quest but does not know what he has to look for; he is engaged in a struggle but does not know who his adversary is.' The mysteriousness of the romance world means that even when the romance hero has a specific aim in view, he is denied understanding both of the mechanics of his adventure and of its

meaning."
Lanval is a romance hero according to Jill Mann, who describes a romance hero as someone who does not entirely understand what is happening around them or to them but acts anyway without thinking rationally. This is highlighted in the text when the king’s wife, Guinevere, tries seduce him. When he denies her she becomes angry and accuses him of homosexuality. He defends himself by telling her of the woman he loves, saying that no one is as lovely and that Guinevere is ugly compared to her. Guinevere leaves and goes to tell her husband what Lanval has said to her. Lanval loses communication with his love because he told someone about them. The king also sentences Lanval to hang unless he is able to defend himself in court. The jury offers him a bargain, saying that he would be acquitted if his beloved were to step forward and prove his words true, but if she does not, he will be banished. She eventually does show up, consequently saving Lanval’s life. He is hopeless without this woman, whom he does not really know, he just put his blind faith in her. This is a huge part of Lanval’s characterization as a romance hero instead of a hero of an epic. In this story the traditional gender roles in literature are reversed, instead of the man doing the saving, the woman is the one who saves him. He is also not a very prominent figure in society in the story, therefore he cannot be an epic hero. This is highlighted in part one of the text when it is said, “That was Lanval: Arthur forgot him, and none of his men favored him either.”(Lines 19-20)
Sir Gawain, from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, does not fit into Mann’s description of a romance hero. Gawain is an epic hero in every sense of the word. One thing that defies him as such is his journey he goes on throughout the story. During a feast at King Arthur’s court, the Green Knight attends and challenges Arthur to a game, which Gawain says he will take his place.
"I am the weakest [of your knight], I know, and the dullest-minded,
So my death would be the 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."
This shows his commitment to, loyalty to, and willingness to protect King Arthur, which is a characteristic of not only and knight but also a hero.

It also mentions his noble birth, which is a characteristic of an epic hero, since he is King Arthur’s nephew. The main part of his journey is when he stumbles upon a castle in the wilderness while searching for the Green Chapel. During his stay is when Gawain makes his mistake. The lord and Sir Gawain make an agreement, while Gawain stays at the castle the lord will hunt, and at the end of the day the men will exchange what they have gained. On the third day during the exchange he does not mention receiving the belt which will protect his life. When Sir Gawain finally faces The Green Knight, he never beheads him. The Green Knight reveals that he was the lord of the castle and that the first two missed blows were for the first two days of their agreement, when Gawain held up his end of the bargain and repaid him his wife's kisses. The third blow, in which Gawain received a small cut was for accepting the belt and not sharing it. Gawain acknowledges his fault and wears the belt as a consequence of his

actions.
‘'My lord,' said Gawain, lifting the belt,
'This band and the nick on my neck are one
And the same, the blame and the loss I suffered
For the cowardice, the greed, that came to my soul.
This sign of bad faith is the mark of my sin:
I'll wear it on my waist as long as I live,
For a man may hide an injury to his soul,
But he'll never be rid of it, it's fastened forever.'
For Gawain, his reputation is just as important as his own opinion of himself, and insists on wearing the green girdle to let others know of his wrong doings and as a sign of shame at the story’s end. This shows his respect and honor because he punishes himself for something many other men would not admit to. It also shows that he holds himself to a high standard, which was common for knights.