beowulf & gawain
Will Rogers once said that, "We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by." His statement not only divides society into two distinct classes, but exemplifies that without the support of the crowd the hero would no longer exist and vice versa. Throughout history, it has been human nature to place the embodiment of absolute good upon a pedestal and in contrast, deem absolute evil undesirable and unwelcome. We've accepted these facts for centuries, but few have ever stopped to ask why. Instead, they simply find a suitable spot along the curb to sit. In posing the question of why, the mind implies that there must be deeper reasoning other than society's say-so, and in the case of heroism, all truth can be found in the individual. The Germanic heroic code that upheld loyalty, courtesy, and pride, was applauded by ninth century society, and portrayed by their heroes. Similarly, tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table were also believed to be heroic epics that followed the same ideals. In knowing that the primitive values of society have not faltered greatly over thousands of years, it is interesting to observe some of literature's original, fictional heroes and their strug
a God-cursed scream and strain of catastrophe, the howl of the loser, the lament of the hell-serf keening his wound. It can be derived from his noble gesture that he would do almost anything for the good of the people. With great confidence in his physical abilities, Beowulf boasts to Unferth and later that evening, encounters Grendel, "The captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth, Every bone in his body quailed and recoiled, but he could not escape. '" ("Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" 113-116) In similarity with Beowulf's nobility, Gawain risks his life for King Arthur's sake. This instance is yet another example of Gawain's undue bravery and persistence. So every elder and experienced council man among my people supported my resolve to come here to you, King Hrothgar, because all knew of my awesome strength. It is implied that if Gawain doesn't face the Green Knight his reputation will further falter, and not wanting anything of the sort, Gawain proceeds. and you are still alive, I firmly believe the seafaring Geats won't find a man worthier of acclaim as their king and defender than you, if only you would undertake the lordship of your homeland. When the Green Knight rides into the hall and offers the challenge to cut his head off Arthur is the only one to step up, "Now has Arthur his ax, and the haft grips, And sternly stirs it about, on striking bent. According to Andrew Bernstein, "The hero is valorous because he stands up to every threat against his values. If it should come to pass that Hrethel's descendant dies . In contrast to Beowulf, Gawain is described as lacking in physical perfection, but he "gains in human credibility what he loses, in ideal perfection. The definition of a hero is in the eye of the beholder, but the success and growth of a celebrated, well-rounded individual may be two transient qualities that mold our definitions.
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