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

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On the third day, the lord hunts the fox. He fears for the mortal blow his body must take and accepts the girdle out of his secular concerns. Bertilak hunts the deer, the boar and the fox and in the same way Sir Gawain is hunted by the lady in the castle. But eventually he thanks Jesus for his good fortune. Bertilak says at the end, that Gawain did far better on the impassable test than any other knight or man could do. ” ( line 753)

His speech is religious and reflects piety. God’s will is identical with fate (wyrd in the old English) which entirely determines about lives of men, who will live and who will die. But on the other side Beowulf has the strength of thirty man “…and God in His mercy, has sent him to save us ” (line 369), says Hrothgar when he meets Beowulf. This behaviour goes astray from his religious beliefs. ” (Norton 45) While we see references to Cain and the devil which are both Christian elements, we are told that they are sent by fate, a pagan element. The five stars of the pentangle represent the five senses (sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell) and the five wounds of Christ on the cross and a!

lso the five joys of the Virgin. It is a sign of Solomon and a symbol of truth. However, he does make a mistake by taking the gift from the lady, which eventually appears as a test for his integrity. Gawain is introduced as a noble and virtuous knight,

who cannot make mistakes.

Approximate Word count = 1897
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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