Beowulf, Lanval, And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Marie De France’s Lanval is a remarkable short narrative that engages the reader into a world filled with unrealistic elements, but enhances on the true meaning of romance, chivalry and nature during the years that King Arthur reigned. “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” unfortunately does not have an author that can be recognized but this epic poem demonstrates the ghastly adventure of a knight who decides to defend the honor of young King Arthur against a supernatural being in this malicious game of cat and mouse. Both of these pieces of literature have enchanting characteristics that define them as a masterpiece of their era and that’s why they both are easily compared and contrasted. In addition, both Lanval and “Sir Gawain and The

Beowulf faces the internal conflicts, self concern and betrayal, when he is much older and king. Even though he was much older he decided to battle a fire dragon because he was his people’s hero. Though Beowulf had helped so many people when he was young and strong, none of his comrades came to help him. Instead, they ran for their lives. “And only one of them remained, stood there, miserable, remembering as a good man must, what kinship should mean.” (Beowulf 43) Beowulf and his one comrade, Wiglaf, kill the dragon, but Beowulf is injured and soon dies. The last internal conflict Beowulf has before he dies is the betrayal of his people.

Not only is Beowulf honorable and well respected, he is brave as well. His courage is shown by not hesitating to risk his own life to pursue the Dane’s enemies. By being self-assured, Beowulf is able to successfully defeat the fiends, Grendel and his infamous mother. At the time Beowulf is planning to pursue the vindictive dragon, the epic poem states, “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.”(ll. 2511-2515). He feels no fear, is confident in fighting the dragon alone, and has no qualms in risking his life to save others. He declares his bravery by saying, “When he comes to me I mean to stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins... No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster.”(ll. 2525-2534). In his actions, Beowulf’s bravery is clearly shown throughout the poem.

Beowulf is from a time where heros never die. They would live on through stories. There would be amazing tales, poems recited, and songs sung about what the hero had done. To be a hero you had to follow the Anglo-Saxon codes. Which meant showing respect to those who had raised you and in turn helping them when they are in need. It means proving yourself and doing what was expected of you, even when it is something like dieing for your people. To live on through stories, Beowulf fought because of his duty, for glory, and as a sacrifice.

To enrich our understanding of Lanval it is essential to keep in mind the work’s authorship and the

Literature in rich in stories where the pride of the otherwise flawless hero inevitably becomes their Achilles heel. While pride in medieval culture sometimes had negative connotations, it was an aspect that was necessary for power and survival. In looking at two influential works from Old English and Middle English, Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, respectively, we begin to understand the importance and the context of pride in those times.

The purpose of the hero in literature has evolved through time, and there is no denying the differences of two medieval heroic archetypes, Beowulf, and Sir Gawain. In both poems, the hero is faced with several different tests, each with proposed solutions and goals. Anglo-Saxon epic and romantic stories focus on the central hero who stands alone as the ideal example of perfected chivalry. Even though there are countless similarities that both manuscripts share, Sir Gawain and Beowulf are pitted against vastly different obstacles by the poet to preach different messages to the intended audience. As a renowned epic warrior of the Geats, Beowulf faces challenges that test his physical capabilities since the traditional Epic was concerned with pondering grand questions about life and giving the hero abilities that separated him from ordinary humans. On the contrary, due to the nature of the romance hero, Sir Gawain’s two main tasks revolve around maintaining a reputation that is marked by qualities of what was thought to be the complete human at the time. As we will come to realize, neither one is without sin. In the case of one Gawain, it is a slight imperfection that solidifies his status as a hero for the people of Camelot.

Long-form poems Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight stem from two distinct time periods containing distinguished cultures, values, and ideologies. The Anglo-Saxon age, where Beowulf takes place, was a melting pot of Christian and pagan values. Epic battles, gruesome challenges, ideas of fate and destiny, and personal pride defined their heroism. Centuries later, in the Age of Chivalry, heroes possessed humility, respect, honesty, and integrity. Beowulf and Sir Gawain represent their cultures’ ideals respectively. Beowulf’s masculine demeanour and physical prowess, contrasted with Sir Gawain’s nuanced mental self consciousness, demonstrate an incoherent, often polarizing depiction of Old English heroism, in which neither protagonist fully possesses the values of an ideal hero.

Beowulf’s wrath is swift and justified. He plays no games with his opponents. Beowulf even shows respect to his foe and honorably faces them with no undue advantage. A classic example of the honor usually associated with heroes lies in Beowulf’s decision to use neither sword nor armor when facing the monster Grendel in Heorot. Beowulf instead opted, in the name of fair play, to fight the monster on it’s own terms. Unsurprisingly Beowulf conquered his foe in true idolic form, tearing Grendel’s arm from his torso with only the strength of his grip and the power of his arms. This is what we cheer for in such stories, this is the satisfying victory over evil by the true embodiment of good: the hero.

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.

A hero, what is a hero? Close your eyes and imagine what a hero is. Is it a man or a woman? Are they tall or short? Do they have dark or light hair? Are they young or old? Now take this hero you have imagined and give him or her traits. What would they be? Is he or she courageous or adventurous? Are they physically strong or mentally strong, or both? A hero is defined in 3 ways; selflessness, humbleness, and bravery.

Though Beowulf was god-like and he was able to be successful when faced with decisions and adversity, he eventually succumbed to the destructive forces of nature and threw his nation into conflict. As aforementioned, Beowulf’s battle with the dragon depicts unpreventable death and destruction that afflicts everybody, his last battle also symbolizes that even the most seemingly perfect people are chained to hostile acts of nature and fate. Beowulf’s death is not a product of pride, it was a result of his altruistic nature to do good, however, his death forecasts war in his country as described by Wiglaf when ordering a messenger to tell the Geats of Beowulf’s death, “And this people can expect fighting, once/ The Franks, and the Frisians, have heard that our king/ Lies dead.” (Beowulf 2910-2913). Beowulf’s main purpose was to do good, and though killing the dragon was an act of goodness, he traded in his life for an act of good, however his death brought the large possibility of war to his

In Beowulf, and Sir Gawain, and the Green Knight, we can appreciate the significance of Beowulf and Gawain 's reputations because they establish their identities in society. Reputation can be defined as an “overall quality or character as seen or judged by people” (Merriam-Webster). First, we will discuss how reputations can be interpreted according to the individual. Then we consider what if they were to fail to uphold the expectations of others, and if so, what aspects of their lives would be affected? Whom else would they affect? Even though Beowulf and Gawain secure worthy reputations, they are constantly being tested in order to maintain their social status. Finally, with Beowulf 's death and Gawain 's lost honor, we are left with the impression that maintaining their legendary reputations was never attainable. Therefore, we can argue that Beowulf and Gawain are burdened by their reputations due to imposed unrealistic standards; when they fail to fulfill the expectations of others, they weaken the reputations of both themselves and those closest to them. It is hard to determine whether both characters were realistic representations of the themselves, or if they were merely an idealistic standard to influence society.

A hero is defined as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Throughout literature, we see many different heroic figures that have different qualities of being a hero and are a hero in their own special way. Some of these heroic figures include Beowulf, from the epic poem Beowulf, Sir Gawain from the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Portia from William Shakespeare play The Merchant of Venice. All three characters play a huge part in the texts and demonstrate their different types of characteristics when it comes to being a hero.

Throughout the history of literature, heroes and protagonists often reflect the values of the culture from which they originate. Their qualities and flaws help reveal the ideals and concerns that their era possessed. When the heroes learn from their mistakes, the readers learn with them, which helps reinforce the cultural ideals of the writer’s society, consisting of rules regarding proper behavior and thinking. During the Late Middle Ages, authors would for instance instill the ideals of courtly love and chivalry, which would exist at the heart of the lesson the hero ends up learning about, ultimately tying in with the theme of the work. Beowulf and Sir Gawain both exhibit what the Anglo-Saxons and the Middle-English viewed as both proper and improper conduct. What the reader encounters through these two characters, however, involves a paradigm shift between the two cultures, with values, fate and pride leading to demise , reflected in Beowulf contrasting with those, the knight’s code of honor and chivalry, expressed in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. These dissimilar worldviews become apparent through an archetypal study of the heroes of these works.