Comparison Of First Knight And Beowulf: The Model Of A Warrior

King Arthur choses to uphold his love for Camelot but before Guinevere is about to die Lancelot saves her and Arthur and him rage war. In the end Arthur is victorious but Camelot is in

In Western culture, mere mention of the name “Camelot” is often enough to inspire images of courtly romance, grandeur, and valiant knights. In fact, the kingdom is nearly as legendary as the hero who ruled it, Arthur Pendragon. Regardless of whether he exists as a historical or mythical figure, Arthur continues to appear as a symbol of heroism in Western tradition through his roles as king and warrior. When modern culture searches for the qualities of a great fighter, it finds them in Arthur’s strength and his bravery. When it looks for the makings of a true leader, it need not look further than Arthur’s accomplishments: his founding of the Round Table Knights, his victory over the Saxons, and finally his unification of Britain. In

Since very few individuals could write, stories of Arthur were mainly told by word of mouth. Oral stories did not get written down until later; Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote down the stories as one of the first written manuscript of Arthurian legend in 1139. Word of mouth was the way in which Arthur's story is passed down through the years, and it is safe to assume that during that time, the story transformed and evolved. Stories are embellished and added to, depending on the audience, in order to make it more exciting. As discussed before in this paper, local tradition had placed Camelot in an area that was proven

This helps reassure Beowulf as an mighty, valiant hero rather than portraying him as a mediocre, ordinary mortal. The kingdom of Hrothgar is agitated and frightened by the attacks of the vile Grendel, who is unable to be defeated nonetheless harmed by a warrior's sword. “I have heard, too, that the monster’s scorn of men is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none”(Beowulf Poet 38). Grendel shrieks at the sound of jubilant music as well as the sounds of joy coming from Hrothgar’s mead hall. To compensate for this agonizing pain, Grendel decides he is going to kill some of Hrothgar’s men. Grendal murdering Hrothgar’s men reassures Grendel’s evil nature and his constant intent to carry out malice. Hrothgar looks far and wide for a brave, noble warrior who will help rid them of this behemoth. Beowulf accepts the strenuous task of obliterating the malevolent Grendel in order to retain the kingdom of Hrothgar and his people. Beowulf accepts Hrothgar’s task not for the wages he will receive, but for the bravery and honor that come with killing such a magnificent beast. The acceptance of this challenge bolsters the fact that Beowulf is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the people rather than a person of greed who is in it for their

While he is already considered a hero among his people, he desires to prove himself and gain more glory and respect. Beowulf is a already respected among his own people, but to Hrothgar and the Danes he is unknown. Before he enters the hall where he seeks audience with the king he demonstrates respect by leaving all his weapons behind. He talks highly of himself and his abilities. This is to give Hrothgar a sense of who Beowulf is and what he can do. The reason Beowulf does this is because he wants more glory. While he is considered a hero, he wants to be an even greater hero. He desires the respect of his people and those of surrounding cultures. By defeating Grendel, who is a descendent of Cain, he would gain a lot of glory, but he decides to risk his life for a greater amount of glory by deciding to not use any weapons. If he is to win the battle, he will win the ultimate respect among the Danes. Beowulf defeats Grendel and is highly honored. However, the next day it is discovered that the best warrior of the Danes had been killed in the night by Grendel's mother. Beowulf decides to go after her as well and has to search the swamp lands for her underwater lair where he fights her and then finds Grendel's dead body. He takes the head as a trophy and the Danes reward him with riches and celebrate with a feast in his honor. Through his acts of bravery he has gained glory and

Beowulf confident with himself and his strength, chases Grendel’s mother in order to kill her too. After a day’s swim to the bottom of the ocean, where the hag resides, Beowulf encountered his hardest challenge. After a long and hard fought battle, Beowulf ended up victorious

But worn out as I was, I survived, came through with my life". Within Unferth trying to push Beowulf down from the high pedestal he has been put up on by recalling a past swimming match, Beowulf has countered with a statement that is more heroic that anything Unferth has ever done. Strength is completely embodied in Beowulf and contributes to him being an Anglo-Saxon

Beowulf came to the rescues of the Danes that were being terrorized by the demon Grendel. He did not show fear before or during the encounter with Grendel. He if fact continued to boast about his ability to defeat the demon. When the time came that Grendel arrived to Heorot Hall, Beowulf’s skill in hand-to-hand combat lead him to defeat the demon.

As the reader continues further into the story, it becomes increasingly obvious that Beowulf has the reputation of a courageous, outstanding warrior. This reputation is displayed immediately following the introduction of Beowulf when he decides to venture to Denmark in an attempt to save Hrothgar’s mead hall from the destruction of Grendel, a monstrous demon. Yet another hint towards this stature appears shortly after Beowulf’s arrives at Heorot. As the herald of Hrothgar begins

In this thrilling and heroic poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf shows characteristics of a noble warrior who takes on different journeys against monsters, so as to be crowned as the undisputed warrior and bring home prestige for his fellow clan members and king. Beowulf first task on his path to gain glory is to defeat the relentless demon Grendel, who haunts Heorot for twelve long winters. If he wins this battle, he does not only gain glory and respect for himself, but also for his king and clan. He exhibits all the great qualities of a person and has a lot of esteem and admiration for his king Hygelac. One of the ways we can show Beowulf’s loyalty to Hygelac is when Beowulf explains to Hrothgar how he was going to fight Grendel “I

Much of Beowulf focuses on the warrior code and with that the main themes attention is given to loyalty, strength, humility and reputation. Beowulf’s strength is talked about constantly throughout and is one of his main characteristics. We meet Beowulf as he arrives in Herot, a town being terrorized by an evil monster named Grendel. Beowulf has comes to stop Grendel who has been besieging the town and killing its residents. As a show of strength Beowulf says “I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore, to

“Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment, that was known as Camelot” (Alan Jay Lerner). Camelot is known as a place of wonder, and many have heard the wondrous tales compiled in its lore. From its golden age to its conclusion, Camelot has endured many iterations of legends, each using the events of the times to compile an expansive canon of stories. However, what is perhaps most interesting in these legends are the circumstances surrounding its downfall. In early versions, the cause of Camelot’s downfall is invaders, mirroring the Saxon, Celtic, and later Norman battles for control of Britain. However, in any version following Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, the cause of its destruction shifts from outside battles to inner affairs. The most well-known iteration of the legend is presented in T. H. White’s Once and Future King, which was later adapted into the musical Camelot; in these works, the primary reasons for Camelot’s downfall can seen in the relationship of Guinevere and Lancelot, the story surrounding Mordred, and the actions of Arthur himself.

and followed the knighthood with their hearts. The story of Sir Lancelot is a prime example

King Arthur is a figure surrounded by an aura of myth and mystery. His name evokes visions of knights and gallantry in a bygone era of chivalry and magic. Clear the mist around the myth, however, and the character revealed is a man with flaws like any other. He is human as well as heroic. Arthur has assembled the greatest court of knights in British history, but his own condition and relation to those knights leads to the downfall of his court. Although Arthur and his court are held in highest esteem, time and again he is put into positions where the reader must question just how noble things are in Camelot.

Beowulf is eager to gain a glorified reputation and is constantly challenged to be courageous.Beowulf was not asked to fight Grendel, but still arrives to Herot to aid the Danes from the evil Grendel. Beowulf is welcomed by the Danes and immediately lists his accomplishments and boasts,