Combination of Religious and Secular Elements in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Combination of religious and secular elements in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight In this essay I will point out, on the one hand, the elements of the pagan warrior society and the Christian elements in Beowulf and, on the other hand, the contradiction of the heroic code with religious elements in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In Beowulf there is an important value of human relationship in the pagan society, based on relationship between the warriors and the king. Warriors are protective and loyal to his lord who provides them with food, drink and various gifts for their brave deeds. The meaning of the gifts is not only materialistic but also spiritual. However, there are two main plots in Sir Gawain that are of significant importance: the seduction of Sir Gawain by a lady and the hunting scenes of Bertilak which are parallel and the mortal blow of the hero. Beowulf is introduced as courageous, bold, noble, extremely strong, the bravest of all men and has a very good reputation. The chivalrous code is very important in the pagan society. The warriors are estimated by the good deeds that they perform for their king and for return he provides for them. The relationship between a warrior and a king is ba
However, the story of Beowulf is interwoven with many elements of Christian religion which seem to be very important for the pagan society especially when performing the deeds. The hunting scene and the seduction in the castle. Gawain is introduced as a noble and virtuous knight, who cannot make mistakes. He now wears regular, secular clothes. The poem contains a moral which in my opinion is to teach us, people, that maintaining one's earthly knight values and also holding to religious values is impossible. This behaviour goes astray from his religious beliefs. The poem is tragic as Beowulf eventually dies. The description of the Gawain's shield is extremely particular. He does not just break the convention between him and the lord, but also cheats the Green Knight when the mortal blow is about to happen. The balance between the values of the pentangle and secular elements is beginning to decompose. Beowulf acknowledges God as his protector throughout the poem. " ( line 753)His speech is religious and reflects piety. In the pagan society people believed that his courageous deeds will live on in his descendants. Bertilak says at the end, that Gawain did far better on the impassable test than any other knight or man could do. He is offered a gift, fist a gold ring, which Gawain refuses twice and then he is offered a girdle which has magical power of life protection.
Common topics in this essay:
Green Knight,
Sir Gawain,
Earth God's,
Virgin Mary,
Cain Testament,
Pater Ave,
Bertilak Gawain,
Green Chapel,
Knight Beowulf,
Christmas Eve,
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sir gawain green,
pagan society,
day lord hunts,
day lord,
mortal blow,
lord hunts,
secular elements,
gawain reacts hunted,
castle day lord,
courageous hero,
elements beowulf,
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Acceptance Essays
