Symbolism of Armor in Beowulf and Sir Gawain

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Recommended: Reputation in beowulf

Kaitlyn Flor
Dr. Frances Gibbons
English-8 M4166
14 September 2016
Armor, Reputation and Knightly Duties of Beowulf and Sir Gawain
In the Old English poem Beowulf, the warrior culture is centered upon the heroic codes of each individual, as well as the court as a whole. Members of Hrothgar’s court are ranked based upon the identities and reputations of their ancestors. It can be said that the armor of these warriors, as it has travelled from generation to generation and warrior to warrior, is emblematic of the very reputations these warriors consider most important. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, too, armor plays an important role. It is representative of the virtues Sir Gawain is challenged to uphold, and, on a larger scale, is also …show more content…

However, it could be said that adherence to knightly ideals contributes to the establishment of one’s overall identity and reputation. In this poem, Gawain’s shield is without a doubt the most important piece of armor that has been introduced thus far. The center of his protective gear, the shield is the perfect symbol of the virtues and ideals Gawain aspires to: generosity, courtesy, friendship, chastity, and piety. The pentangle on Gawain’s shield represents the formation of the endless knot. The side of the shield that faces towards Gawain when he wears it has the face of Mary, another important aesthetic aspect. The shield thus represents not only the profound heavenly protection of Christianity that was central to knightly culture, but also the protection from earthly harm via the security of Mary, a maternal figure whose womb signifies a place of …show more content…

In Beowulf, armor helps to shed light upon the history of its owners, who define themselves based not only on their own actions, but also upon the performance and reputations of their ancestors. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, armor serves to aid Gawain in discovering that while it is important for him to strive for knightly ideals, he must keep in mind that he is a human and therefore capable of

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