uring the Middle Ages, two poems, Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight embody heroic figures. Beowulf, who demonstrates all the characteristics of an ideal hero, is faced with physical challenges that no other man could face during his existence. Beowulf was not only looking to become a hero, he wanted to reveal the importance of establishing identity. However, Beowulf was not the only hero during this time period. Sir Gawain also participates in challenges that define his character. Sir Gawain was indeed a hero, but he was mostly concerned with maintaining his reputation, which sets him and Beowulf apart when it comes to being the most ideal hero. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are both models of strength and bravery as they achieve deeds in order to bring glory to their king. As both men try to establish a heroic title, Beowulf gained better recognition because he was a hero to his not only his king, but to his entire society. …show more content…
Sir Gawain who does embody heroic characteristics, like, bravery and intelligence, still falls short in establishing recognition like Beowulf did. To Sir Gawain, it wasn’t about his identity or his kingdom. Sir Gawain had the ultimate desire to become part of a higher position. He was mostly concerned about protecting his reputation. Because Sir Gawain was so concerned about his reputation, he tells a lie by leaving out the green girdle when talking to the host. Not only did Sir Gawain tell a lie by leaving out the green girdle, he also fails to mention his sexual passion, the passion that gets him into trouble. However, Sir Gawain did show acts of heroism as he set forth the Green Knight. Even when the knight made a promise to not tell a soul, Sir Gawain did not back down. Regardless of Sir Gawain’s courage and bravery, he values his own life more than loyalty, honesty, and respect, the aspects that define an ideal
When approached by the Green Knight, Sir Gawain encounters a stretch in character. The Green Knight, not invited to King Arthur’s party, made an entrance the court would never forget. They were, “celebrating in style: not a care in the world.” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 2006, p.4) His arrival not only caused a shock to the King and his court, but he advised a challenge to the knight who would accept it. Sir Gawain was the only knight who took the life threatening challenge. The court, full of supposedly chivalrous knights, did not take pride in the court and the King, but rather in themselves. The dilemma, then, was whether or not Sir Gawain would be fulfilling the role of a chivalrous knight when he was taking part in such a distinct situation compared to any of the other knights. “Most noble knights were afraid to respond, so stunned by his voice that they stayed there stock-still in an eerie silence which filled the great hall. Their voices were as silent as if they had fallen asleep.” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, ...
...stops him from sleeping with Bertilak’s wife, only until his finds a way to avoid death does he goes against them. What Gawain learns from the green knight’s challenge is that instinctively he is just a human who is concerned with his own life over anything else. Chivalry does provide a valuable set of rules and ideals toward which one to strive for, but a person must remain aware of their own mortality and weaknesses. Sir Gawain’s flinching at the green knight’s swinging ax, his time in the woods using animal nature requiring him to seek shelter to survive and his finally accepting the wife’s gift of the girdle teaches him that though he may be the most chivalrous knight in the land, he is nevertheless human and capable of error.
...Gawain’s time in the wilderness, living nature, and his acceptance of the lady’s offering of the green girdle teach him that though he may be the most chivalrous knight in the land, he is nevertheless human and capable of error.
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
Sir Gawain—the lead character in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight—has a hard time keeping his promise while his nobility is tested after he encounters the Lord on his trek to meet the Green Knight. He is depicted as a noble knight who is strong in faith and believes in sticking to his morals. In fact, Randy P. Schiff explains this in his article, Unstable Kinship: Trojanness, Treason, and Community in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, when he says that, “Displaying his mastery of courtly deference, Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight publicly defines himself through kinship” (Schiff 1). Meaning that Gawain prides himself on the loyalty that he is able to give to those who respect him and are close to him. Since Gawain needs a place to stay
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain humbly approaches the King and courageously says, “For I find it not fit… when such a boon is begged… though you be tempted… to take in on yourself while so bold men about upon benches sit” (122-125) “And for that this folly befits a king, and ‘tis I that have asked it, it ought to be mine” (132-133). He, the weakest Knight, sees the injustice of someone challenging the King and instead of acting passively he willingly sacrifices himself for the King’s sake, which shows his loyalty, courage and integrity. However, Sir Gawain becomes a hypocrite even though the Green Knight says, “Friend mine, it seems your word holds good” (333-334) because the Green Knight’s wife “made trial of a man most faultless by far” (452) and he did not remain loyal and honest. The opportunity of remaining secure and safe presents itself and selfishly he chooses this course of action; consequently, he “lacked… a little in loyalty there” (456). In the end, the Green Knight reprimands him for his dishonesty and lack of integrity and in return Sir Gawain, shamefully responds “I confess, knight, in this place, most dire is my misdeed; let me gain back your good grace…” (Line 474-476) so even though he was not noble and loyal throughout the entire course he remains sincere in his apology. His loyalty to the King in the
Men exemplify heroic qualities in both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, however, women are depicted differently in the two stories. In Beowulf, women are not necessary to the epic, where as in Green Knight, women not only play a vital role in the plot, but they also directly control the situations that arise. Men are acknowledged for their heroic achievement in both stories, while the women's importance in each story differ. However, women are being equally degraded in both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Have you seen the movie Thor with Chris Hemsworth? Did you know that Thor is one of the most popular Gods in Norse Mythology. It dated back from the time “Beowulf” by Anonymous Poet was written by in the 6th century. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” by Anonymous Poet was written in 14th Century later on but converting to Christianity was still happening. This lead to the poem showing “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was in each of the characters, is a struggle of inner conflict. Also, including living in those eras show the societies change and transition of leaving the worshipping of Gods, and instead having a deity that is their new heroic God. There is a similarity that these two poems
No matter where you go or any civilization that you might visit there is always one thing that makes them all the same and that one thing is culture. This allows the people to pass on the ideals that they have worked to keep from generation to generation .The Anglo saxons were area in time that ideals of pride and self worth were set as a prominent belief. The Middle Ages showed similar belief but focused much more on the idea of honor and respect.While the narrative poems Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight reflect two stories, sharing the same basic monomythic pattern such as in Joseph Campbell and A Thousand faces the contrast in the values held by the cultures that produced these works is clear.
Beowulf and Gawain are shown as great leaders. Sir Gawain is liked by most people he has met. Beowulf has many loyal followers by his side. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are both brave and loyal. They attempt to honor their kings and kingdoms. Those are all qualities of a hero.
The title characters in both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight were both considered paragons of excellence by their peoples. Yet, upon close inspection of the specific actions of these characters, stark differences emerge. While Gawain is virtuous and exemplifies selflessness, Beowulf's heroism is marred by his pursuit of fame and wealth, which seems to dominate his every action. The discrepancy can be explained by a contextual analysis of both heroes. Gawain's code of chivalry emphasized perfection and thus he is flawless. Beowulf on the contrary adheres to the code of heroism, which is much less stringent on man's actions, and much more open to interpretation.
Sir Gawain and Beowulf are both defined as heroes within medieval literature but have entirely different descriptions and traits that make them a hero. Sir Gawain is largely described as being a hero because he is humble, persistent, brave, and loyal. In fact, his main quest takes place after accepting a challenge from the Green Knight in place of King Arthur, which shows his bravery and loyalty right away. On the other hand, Beowulf is a more classic iteration of what many people would imagine a hero being with traits such as honor, strength, courage, and power. His main quest has him setting out to destroy evil monsters to protect his people and fellow tribes from
‘Beowulf’ & ‘Sir Gawain And The Green Knight’ Classical literature is replete with the age-old albeit timeless concept of warrior heroes. There have been a number of epics, plays and novels that consist of characters that heroic qualities and thus fit into the literary archetype of a warrior hero. There are of course slight variations to the kind of heroes that can be found in such stories and this is mainly because of the cultural differences that exist among various civilizations. Consider for example Beowulf, which was originally written in the Anglo-Saxon language and is basically a story about the way the brave people of Germanic and Scandinavian origins successfully took control of the Roman Empire. The plot revolves around the warrior hero Beowulf and the manner in which he defeated the horrific monsters that were terrorizing the people at the time, which brings him immediate respect and fame. It must be noted that Beowulf was not a traditional warrior hero i.e. he was immensely disliked by his people initially because they did not think that he was brave enough to do anything (Niles & Bjork, p. 45). However all that changed once he defeated the monsters and thus his status was immediately elevated to that of a hero. Also worth mentioning at this point is that Beowulf was not a mild-mannered, chivalrous knight that could become fierce if the need arose (quite like the conventional English heroes). In fact he was violent to the core and it is this trait that is actually responsible for making him heroic. This is mainly because in the Germanic tradition military prowess was the main way to acquire respect and control in a society. Thus he is not a warrior hero, or simply a hero for that matter, because he was ‘philosophical’ ...
Despite being a knight, Sir Gawain sinned. He was greedy. He accepted a woman’s girdle because it would literally save his neck in the covenant he had with the Green Giant. The woman’s girdle was magical and saved people from every thrust or strike they would endure. Sir Gawain learned his lesson through all the guilt he feels when he was caught. Moreover, when Sir Gawain says, “Dread of the death blow and cowardly doubts meant I gave into greed, and in doing so forgot the freedom and fidelity every knight knows to follow,” (“Sir Gawain” 235). Even though Sir Gawain was a noble knight he still sinned against the knightly code and also against the Ten Commandments.
Erika Mercado Essay 2 Modern Heroes: Dante vs Beowulf A modern hero is a good-hearted person with these attributes: bravery, strong, and contributes to saving the lives of his homelands. Beowulf demonstrates the characteristics of a modern hero: a leader, fearless, and generous. Beowulf is a young hero whose character exerts powerful strength in battles. Dante the Pilgrim does not display hero attributes in The Inferno.