Sir Gawain And The Green Knight And Beowulf

Since the beginning of society, bravery has been innate in everyone. From David’s fight with Goliath, to modern day’s stand against prejudice, people continue to attack in tough positions. However, cowardice is ingrained in everyone as well. People are constantly avoiding danger―physical and internal, such as Peter’s denial of Jesus and dodging responsibility. Consequently, there is a fine line between bravery and cowardice. Granted, when is the turning point where self preservation becomes a greater priority than helping others? In the epic poem, Beowulf, and the medieval romance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Beowulf and Sir Gawain similarly show humanity’s inclination to act brave when situations become difficult, until their lives are put at risk―revealing everyone's inner cowardice.

Heroes come in many forms. The construction of "the heroic" has taken many forms, yet traits such as: courage, honor, and loyalty, reappear as themes throughout the "hero" personality. The characters of Beowulf and Sir Gawain each represent a version of a hero, yet each comes across quite differently in their story. A hero can be said to truly win if he remains constant to his noble values when put in any situation that crosses his way. When measured by that criterion, Sir Gawain stands out above Beowulf as a true hero, due to his command of both personal and spiritual power through the use of thought, as well as valiant deeds.

The poem Beowulf presents the transformation of Beowulf from a brave warrior to an honorable King. The evolution of Beowulf shows how he fulfills his obligations to the warrior’s heroic code and then transcends into a King who loyally protects his Kingdom. Beowulf’s transformation is shown through a progression of three increasingly more difficult conflicts he must overcome- first with Grendel, then Grendel’s mother and finally against the mighty dragon. These three events are seen "as the three agons in the hero 's life"(Chickering 64). Through these adverse events Beowulf will change from brave young warrior to noble King. This paper will examine the manifestation of heroism in the poem

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

Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are tales about two brave heros. While both Beowulf and Sir Gawain are heros in their own stories, both men are portrayed differently. In each story, both heroes possess similar traits such as courage, loyalty and honor. A hero may be unchanging to his values when a situation crosses his path. However, when it comes to comparing these two great men, I would consider Sir Gawain the true hero.

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.

“Faith, valor, loyalty, truth...” one can expect these virtues that comprise the Chivalric Code from an orthodox knight in the Middle Ages. The Germanic Warrior Code, on the other hand, governs the warring tribes of Norsemen. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf as translated by Simon Armitage and Seamus Heaney, the core values of the two codes are respectively personified as the two protagonists.

Nowadays, many young people in the world always read the literature book with many stories like science fiction, comedy, fantasy, and romance in life and society. Two of the most famous literature stories that make me really love it called “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Both of this story illustrated between these women 's always try to overcome with all the mission in life and show their responsibility to achieve successfully in life. Thus, the poet shows that the women 's role in British literature is a very good central point, they always face with all these conflicts about the protagonist male throughout the poem. Besides that, Beowulf and Sir Gawain always challenge with all the women in the story about their power and honor. Thus, the poet assumes all the women in the literature focus on the life actions and deeds with the male hero. In the literature work, all the women try to bring everyone in their lives with all the peace, and their sole purpose in life was to please a man’s every desire through the story. In both stories, the role of women 's is important to everyone in our society and life. We cannot deny the importance of women role in society as a wife or a mother in their families. They have a responsibility to take care of their own personal lives and their families by overcoming many obstacles from these heroes in the poem. Throughout the stories, the presence of the role of women in literature is very important and necessary in life with

Beowulf and Sir Gawain and The Green Knight are British mythological stories whose authors are unknown. The stories paint the picture of brave and selfless heroes who put the lives of their fellow men before their own. Though the stories differ in their narration, they are built on the same ideas and principles. This essay compares and contrasts the various themes in these two stories and their development. The issues discussed are the role of women, strength and courage and afterlife.

Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are examples of poems that show two different types of honorable heroes who where the best of their time. Although Beowulf and Sir Gawain are different characters written in different time periods, their likeness in the text indicate that both are very smart. They both show that people have not change their views of how heroes are seen. Heroes are seen as brave, loyal, honest and courteous. Even though one story has a pagan fundamental and the other has a Christian one, both characters are exposed to events that lead them into demonstrating their moral values through their actions as a result of how their future was lead and shaped.

Throughout the middle ages, the epic stories of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "Beowulf" were both epic heroes who traveled far out to face situations that would affect their people if they didn't. Both of these men were brave and fought many battles, but they also had many differences. In the poem of "Beowulf," Beowulf kills Grendel and Grendel's mother to shield his people. Later on, in Beowulf's lifetime, he becomes King, and a dragon has appeared. As pretentious as Beowulf is and with how much he cares about protecting his people, he goes out to fight the dragon. Sir Gawain, on the other hand, was just a knight that wanted to be known. In Beowulf, the Kings new of Beowulf and soon after he became a king while Sir Gawain was still only a noble knight. Although the settings, characters, and events of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and “Beowulf" are inconsistent, the

While he puts his life at risk for honor and the king, he's still scared and shows so. In the end his humanity leads him to a loss and the story's end while Beowulf, in his inhumane greatness, leads a dangerous but sure victory. They both have true rigid morals yet Beowulf is arrogant, he lacks humility; Sir Gawain is always true and humble, we can truly see a human hero and not a fictional one. Beowulf is a an epic poem from the Anglo-Saxon period (449 A.D. - 1066 A.D.)

A Comparative Analysis of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and How Their Differences Reflect the Changing Views of English Society

While the Epic of Beowulf, translated to modern English, by Dr. David Breeden and the Chivalric poem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by W. A. Neilson have some similarities, such as possessing the characteristic of bravery and being noble, they do contrast greatly. To survive his adventure, Beowulf relies on God and faith for protection. Whereas, Sir Gawain relies on truth and promise. Regardless of how they accomplished their tasks, they completed them and continued until they were not needed anymore.

If one read closely, one can discover the influence Anglo-Saxon and Medieval literature had on J. R. R. Tolkien when he wrote his first notable novel, The Hobbit. Tolkien had always enjoyed reading, and teaching literature from past decades, especially the Anglo-Saxon “Beowulf” and the Medieval “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” To introduce the plots of these tales, Beowulf is a Geat warrior who set out with his men on a boat to the Danish land to save civilians from monsters. After arriving to his destination, Beowulf boasted about his achievements, and promised the people of the land he can rid the area of evil. Beowulf successfully defeated two monsters and became king of the Geat’s. Toward the end of his reign, the aged Beowulf faced his final battle which determines the fate of Beowulf’s life. Furthermore, Sir Gawain is a knight of a king named Arthur. During a dinner in the Arthur’s castle one night, a mysterious green knight visited the castle and challenged a game upon the people of the castle. Out of all king Arthur’s knights, a very brave Sir Gawain stood up to play the deadly game, (which would stretch for a year and a day), so no one else would have to risk their life. While Gawain’s deadline approaches, he begins his journey to find the Green knight, and finish the game as promised. On his expedition, he must avoid temptation and stay true to his beliefs in order to make it out of the game alive. Finally, in The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins is an ordinary hobbit