Displaying Honor In Sir Gawain And Beowulf

Every epic hero acquires certain heroic characteristics. The poem, “Beowulf, is about the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon period. Beowulf is a warrior from Geatland that comes to help Hrothgar, the king of Danes, defeat the monster Grendel who has been killing men in their kingdom. Beowulf defeats the unstoppable beast, Grendel. Then Grendel’s mother comes to try to avenge Grendel’s death, and Beowulf slaughters her in her underwater lair. After 50 peaceful years of ruling the Geats, Beowulf in his old age fights his last battle with a dragon. He defeats the dragon, with help from Wiglaf, but dies as a result. The main character, Beowulf exemplifies many characteristics that an epic hero possesses. Beowulf’s characteristics include

Honor, something powerful enough to sculpt the world’s oldest and most powerful empires. Throughout history great empires such as China, Japan, and the Anglo-Saxons have fought and died in the hunt for honor and fame; bringing life to many great and powerful heroes. Beowulf, one such hero, who fought many great battle in the name of honor and fame; putting his all into each battle he encountered. In the epic Beowulf, Beowulf decides to help Hrothgar with the dreaded monster Grendel and then battling him bare handed. Throughout the epic of Beowulf, Beowulf is mainly concerned about honor and fame, in his hunt for honor he agrees to help Hrothgar and fight the monster, Grendel, bare handed; but why?

Beowulf is a hero in the eyes of his fellow men through his amazing physical strength. He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that tells a story of a Geat hero named Beowulf who comes to the aid of Hrothgar, king of the Danes, and agrees to help his people defeat the monstrous Grendel. After successfully ridding the land of the beast, Beowulf eventually becomes the king of the Geats for quite some time until his own demise at the hands of another beast. The story was influenced by both pagan and Christian mythologies as it was written during a

The legends and tales of the knights of King Arthur’s Round Table have resounded for ages—vivid stories of courageous and gallant knights usurping evil while simultaneously maintaining an upstanding reputation. Through the Arthurian tales, one has the opportunity to experience heroic narratives of exemplary models of knights who clearly illustrate the chivalry and honorability one should aspire to possess. No more evidently is this theme displayed than in the 14th century epic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight—a narrative of Sir Gawain, nephew of the legendary King Arthur, and his heroic journey against a mysterious green knight. In this heroic journey, the inherent charisma Gawain possesses and is continually praised for affirms the

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf share several similar qualities. Each story suggests that honor, truth, and heroism are the most important a person can exhibit, though in each tale these are manifested in different ways. Both characters, in attempts to keep these values, make mistakes that endanger their lives.

The romance “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” is a tale in which Gawain’s integrity is challenged by the Green Knight. A romance is a story involving heroes that are held to a strict code of bravery, usually set in a medieval time and place. During this period of time knights were the primary heroes. Knights are very well respected much because of their code of chivalry. The aspects of chivalry include honesty, bravery, modesty, loyalty, honor, and a host of other respectful characteristics. The most popular legends are of King Arthur and his honorable knights of the Round Table. Arthur was important his self but a noteworthy knight of his was Gawain, who you will learn about later in this essay. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a romance in which Gawain, the meekest of Arthur’s men, accepts the challenge from the Green Knight that includes receiving seduction from the Green Knight’s wife and Gawain’s admittance to his wrongdoing.

Sir Gawain is noble, brave, smart, and soon loyal. At this time, he is focused on having more attention from others that are higher up like King Arthur. Sir Gawain’s way of building his reputation is by going after the green knight. He sees himself as modest for doing this, but modesty is what he lacks. Sir Gawain hides some of the more basic features of himself, and that is his sensual desires. It is this enthusiasm that gets him in trouble and knocks him down a peg, leaving him to feel mortified. Although it is troublesome to find fault with Sir Gawain, his story is perceived as a kind of cautionary tale to the reader, who appears to be advised to avoid arrogance, even in the smallest of measures. While there are never any real physical threats in Sir Gawain, the author alludes that the risks to one’s noble character are as tricky as any physical threat and that as such, one must attempt his or her constant fight upon those capabilities that would want to lead one to

Beowulf is a hero that helped his kingdom and others with enemies that could destroy his life and people. Beowulf heard that the kingdom overseas was having issues with a monster by the name

Beowulf is a man that you do not want to mess with. He is wise, bold, and strong-minded. If you were to challenge Beowulf you would be made a fool out of. He has no fear of death because he has seen so many different terrors in life. He has killed numerous monsters and survived covered in their blood. He could be just about the bravest man ever. Beowulf does not want to be looked at as a coward so he keeps his battles fair.

Gawain's interactions with the Green Knight distinguish him from his fellow knights, in that he is the only one brave enough to step to the plate and confront the giant. Faced with the specter of battle with the Green Knight, Gawain rises above all to defend the honor of his good king.  "Then Gawain at Guinevere's side/ bowed and spoke his design: / 'Before all, King, confide/ this fight to me. May it be mine."(Gawain 336-339) In this scene, Gawain reveals himself to be a pillar of virtue. He is subservient to King Arthur, a loyal and devoted servant. He is so moved by the threat to his lord's life that he is willing to put his own life on the line. D.S.

He metaphorically signifies a durable spirituality of courage to embark on a quest which he never knows his own outcome. Furthermore, the readers can understand the sturdy sense of bravery within Sir Gawain, as he challenges his life for King Arthur’s honor and

Sir Gawain shows great respect to his hosts. “Please, please, noble sirs,” he tells the Sir Bertilak’s men when they first meet. “There is no need at all to kneel. I am a humble knight like yourselves, a follower of King Arthur and the round table.”

“…The noble man should either live with honor or die with honor…” These are the words of Sophocles. Words like these are applied to many different stories and even people. Many different traits define the character hero; nobility, perseverance, and strength are a few. Yes, traits such as those a needed, but it makes one think, “what other traits could there be?” A question like this can be answered just by looking a few different tales.

Beowulf is the epic story of a young hero who battles the monster Grendel and his mother. Beowulf, a prince of the Geats, the son of Ecgtheow who voyages to Heorot, the hall of Hrothgar, king of the Danes and the great grandson of the hero Scyld Scefing. There at Heorot, Beowulf destroys the monster Grendel, who for twelve years has haunted the hall by night and slain all he found therein. When Grendel's mother, in revenge, makes an attack on the hall, Beowulf seeks her out and kills her in her home beneath the waters.