Beowulf vs. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight In the worlds of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the journeys of two heroes, Beowulf and Sir Gawain, are depicted through the form of poems. The two stories have become two of the most important works of literature in the English history. In the two poems, both Beowulf and Sir Gawain face great challenges in their journeys as heroes. Beowulf embarks on a quest to defeat Grendel and his mother while Sir Gawain faces many difficulties on his search for the Green Knight. Although the main characters in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight exhibit many of the same characteristics, the two poems have stylistic differences and differ in societal values. Written before the tenth …show more content…
Although Beowulf is considered an epic hero and Sir Gawain a chivalric hero, both epitomize the idea of a hero by demonstrating loyalty and bravery. Beowulf is loyal to his lord by refusing to take the throne until Hygelaf’s son, the rightful successor, passes on. Beowulf also exhibits bravery in his confrontation with Grendel by defeating the monster with no weapons. Sir Gawain demonstrates loyalty and bravery to King Arthur by accepting the challenge of the Green Knight when none of the other knights stepped forward. Loyalty and bravery are two qualities characteristic of a hero and no matter what type of hero they were; Beowulf and Sir Gawain epitomized these traits. Just as Beowulf was an epic hero and Sir Gawain was a chivalric hero, Beowulf is an epic poem and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a romantic poem. Written in two distinct time periods, the two poems also differ in structure and style. Beowulf is written in Old English while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is written in Middle English. Beowulf is three thousand two hundred words long while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is about two thousand five hundred words in length. Although Sir Gawain and the Green Knight resembles an epic in its focus of Sir Gawain’s heroic deeds, the romantic poem is lighter in tone. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight also uses five short rhyming lines
Beowulf is an epic poem that describes the heroics of a man with superhuman strength and bravery to go with it. The poem starts with a journey across the sea to defeat an enemy that has plagued the land of Herot for twelve years. The poem ends with Beowulf’s final deed of defeating a dragon that was plaguing his own land, but with the defeat of the dragon also comes the death of Beowulf. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem of bravery by one of King Arthur’s knights. Sir Gawain takes up the deed of playing a Christmas game with the challenging Green Knight. The Green Knight takes a blow from an ax at the hand of Sir Gawain, and in one year and one day, the Green Knight is to reciprocate the action to Sir
In Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight there are two heroes that help the present day reader gain insight into what the hero of the Middle Ages would have held as ideals and necessary triumphs. Beowulf and Sir Gawain each fill a different role within their unique societies. Beowulf is a leader and a savior in times of need, willing to go to any length to help another group of people as well as his own kingdom. Sir Gawain is also willing to rise during moments of trouble within his court but lacks the altruism that is inherent in Beowulf's leadership. Although there are many pursuable comparisons within the two tales, the most apparent between the two heroes are that of faith, the men who encouraged them, bravery and the
According to Tom Hanks, a hero is “somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown.” A hero is someone who puts another’s needs before themselves, is strong, and courageous. Sir Gawain and Beowulf are epic heroes who embody these ideals. Sir Gawain is part of King Arthur’s court, and he is the sole knight who bravely accepts the Green Knight’s challenge in order to protect his king. On the contrary, Beowulf is a warrior and a king. He is constantly battling monsters for the glory and fame. Sir Gawain is more honorable, because he has superior beliefs, motivations, and is more courageous.
When one discusses heroes in their life, often their response would entail something about a leader in who changed their views and helped guide them through their own struggles. Enter Beowulf and Sir Gawain, two heroes from two separate works from two separate time periods, who find themselves in quite similar positions however with completely different motives and values. These two characters experience the ultimate journey becoming heroes in their own time day and culture, however having shared many of the same qualities, the two heroes are more different than not. Beowulf, our earliest hero, is brave but his motivation, self-pride, differs from Sir Gawain’s, honor code to his king, quite heavily. To fully understand these concepts,
The epic poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, presents the typical medieval hero going on a ridiculous quest. Gawain exemplifies the five principles of chivalry as he addresses each challenge on his journey, making him a true hero. However, the tale places this serious hero in an absurd situation, illustrating the comical elements the poem holds as well.
During the Middle Ages, both “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” were epic stories that were chanted aloud to the public. Each story told about epic heroes who went on a long journey to face or conqueror someone or something. “Beowulf” is a poem about a young man, Beowulf, who slays a monster and his mother with his bare hands to protect the people he loves. As the years go by Beowulf becomes king and a dragon begins to stir. In response to this, Beowulf fights the dragon with a sword and one loyal companion. Beowulf’s life comes to end, but so does the dragons. From this epic poem you can see that good does triumph over evil, but sometimes it comes at a cost. Along with “Beowulf”, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was
While both the characters Beowulf and Sir Gawain are similar in the fact that they are both heroes, each story uses different ways to tell their tale. From going on an adventure, to fighting the enemy, to trying and save a kingdom, both stories contain the good versus bad elements that makes the telling of two brave heroes. One way that both characters are similar is the fact that they both go on an adventure, while showing acts of bravery and selflessness. Both characters jumped at a chance to risk their lives to save their king and earn their honor and respect. However, while both characters are considered heroes, each character focuses on different values. Despite the minor differences each character has from one another, both characters
Beowulf being the typical knightly hero seen in myths and fairy tales with his strength and bravery, even after fifty years, only a dragon could stop him. Gawain on the other hand has a stronger focus on the virtues of knighthood. Despite his virtues, Gawain feels that his only reason for knighthood is his uncle. Beowulf never has moment of feeling unworthiness, in fact he feels that everything in his life has a reason, and accepts his possible death at the end of his life. Gawain is also more critical of himself whereas is more likely of Beowulf to stands his ground.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is Middle English romantic poem that is fairly well known as Arthurian stories and also in literature. The Green Knight is explained as illustration of the Green Man of myth and also others as indication to Christ. This poem is important in especially romance genre due to involving a hero who goes out on an adventure and test his power. The poem starts off by Sir Gawain accepting a proposal form a mysterious Green Knight by showing up so suddenly in Arthur’s court. The Green Knight protests Sir Gawain to strike him with his axe if he will take a return in a year and a day.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem written during the medieval period about the Arthurian legend. Although the author is anonymous, it is apparent that "the dialect of Sir Gawain points to an origin in provincial England, and it represents the cultural centers which remote from the royal court at London where Geoffrey Chaucer spent his life" (Norton, 200). This poem is considered one of the best works of Middle English literature. One reason is that the author was able to ingeniously combine two different plots, folklore and romance, into one literary work. The other reason is the author’s elaborate, but brilliant usage of alliterations and rhymes.
Beowulf and Sir Gawain’s departures from their homelands to their places of adventure demonstrate a similarity in that both heroes accept the call to adventure solely to bring themselves pride and to defend their honor. Beowulf accepts the call to save the people of Denmark after word spreads to Geatland of the terrible monster, Grendel. Similarly, Gawain accepts the challenge of the Green Knight after he calls King Arthur 's knights cowards or “bearded children” (Weston, Part 1b). Although, these two characters hail from different time periods in history, both of their societies valued individual honor which is the main
Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by an unknown author, is a knight who attempts to uphold ideal standards of knighthood. The ideal standards of knighthood consist of multiple qualities that ultimately make a knight worthy; those qualities are loyalty, strength, bravery, humility, honorability, a sense of justice, good public speaking skills, and to be of a noble family. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight many, if not all, of those qualities are present in Gawain. His loyalty is shown to the king throughout the book; his strength, bravery, and humility are seen in his battle with the Green Knight, and his other qualities are shown scattered in the poem. Sir Gawain’s journey as a knight and hero are both significantly shaped by Sir Gawain’s loyalty and his ability to speak.
The common element that had bound the works of literature together is how the people had viewed the Knights, and how the Knights and the Kings had combated against the common evil, such as in “Gawain and the Green Knight” written by Sir Geoffrey Chaucer, Gawain had stepped up to the challenge for King Arthur because of the importance of the King's life, this showed all of the traits of a loyal, honorable Knight. In the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” written by an Unknown poet. The Knight who had done wrong, had some traits that were dishonorable, shameful, and not for the greater good of the people, but through his actions and the mercy of the queen he had a chance to change his ways and right his wrongs. In the Poem “Beowulf” he had been a world famous
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an unknown author in the 14th century, can be called a timeless work of poetry. It exudes a certain fantastic quality that, despite its age of over 500 years, still appeals to modern audiences. Because of this application to all eras, would it be reasonable to state that this poem could be classified with modern fantasy fiction? Because of the similarities in plot and style with so much modern fantasy, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight could be placed in the same category with that genre, though the uses of doing so are questionable.
Each of these four texts represents a distinct period of history, with Beowulf depicting the Norse and Anglo-Saxon heroes of the Early Middle Ages (500-1000 AD), before the Norman Conquest of Britain in 1066. In this era, England and northern Europe were in the process of becoming Christianized and Beowulf was originally the story of a pagan hero with supernatural powers who had been turned into a Christian knight and holy warrior by the time the story was written down in the 9th Century. His mission is also Christ-like in that he sacrifices his life to defend the people against Grendel and his mother the Dragon or Devil. The Green Knight is a story from the High Middle Ages (1000-1300 AD), which is commonly thought of as an age of chivalry and knights in shining armor. In popular culture, this remains the most popular and persistent image of medieval culture and society. Sir Gawain was the noblest and more courageous of the Christian knights at King Arthur's Round Table, and the epitome of honor, duty and loyalty, yet when he is put to the test by the Green Knight and his wife, he falls into sin and fails to keep his word of honor. By both Christian and knightly standards, this is a very grave transgression, and Gawain is shamed and humiliated by his failure. Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales were a product of the Late Middle Ages (1300-1500), and written sometime in the late-14th Century, although it later became one of the first printed books in England. During this