Archetypes In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

When referring to archaic writing, it is clear to see the recurring archetypes and symbols throughout plots and situations. Understandably, certain patterns involving such motifs have continued through centuries, resulting in various works based around the same monomythic template with slight variations. All the big movie titles we love, Aladdin, Shrek, even, Sharknado contain more than traces of these archetypal patterns, consisting of a hero, a mentor, a dark figure and so on. Prime examples of this archetypal plot structure, with their own unique adaptations, may be found within the two poetic narratives Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Aside from their completely disparate backgrounds and morals, both works include and follow the monomythic journey, as perceived by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, as well as in the secondary works of others who have helped to further our understanding of this analytical method. This generalization, however, is shifted when one dissects further into these two pieces of literature. As in the majority of monomythic quest narratives, the protagonist often practices and displays the characteristics of courage, loyalty, humility

Although arguably different at first glance, the conflict in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight would be the strong internal conflict that the protagonists experience throughout the entirety of each narrative. Beowulf simply disregards all advice presented to him in hopes of swaying his egotistical nature, which in turn results in his demise. Sir Gawain, on the other hand, dishonors the code of chivalry and Camelot by showcasing the true coward that lay beneath his facade. Synonymous in general, the internal conflicts the protagonists experience result in divergent resolutions and emotions for each