Beowulf & Sir Gawain

Before recorded literature existed, heroes dominated spoken tales of adventure. As the human race grew older and wiser the definition of a heroic individual evolved. Various qualities of a hero changed over time yet other details remain constant. Consequently, the main characters in works of literature set three centuries apart possess different as well as similar characteristics. An Anglo-Saxon epic, Beowulf, and a chivalric romance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, contain men with parallel and distinctive features.

A hero may not exist without physical combat. The reasons why the heroes of these two works fight are antitheses of each other. Beowulf’s first battles are fought in defense of a whole nation because the protagonist’s “duty was to go to the Danes’ great king. . .” to destroy the evil himself (Raffel 46). Beowulf later takes on a dragon which menaces his kingdom to protect his civilians. Therefore, the Anglo-Saxon hero foremost must defend others. Whereas Sir Gawain’s motivation is to stay loyal to his king. Chivalry requires him to defend Arthur’s honor. Consequently, Gawain volunteered to fight the Green Knight.

The pivotal characters in both legends act differently. When Beowulf arrives at the court

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/ And for this folly befits not a king. Gawain politely asks the court to judge his claim to fight while Beowulf commands it.

Also, both characters relied on God to help them. After he defeats the dragon and receives gold and jewels from it’s booty Beowulf thanks God. Sir Gawain is exalted as a hero because he closely followed the code of chivalry. Beowulf perseveres through his battle with Grendel’s mother and the dragon.

Sir Gawain and Beowulf are similar in other manners. Gawain feels prayer is his only hope at receiving divine intervention whereas Beowulf’s faith is more fatalistic and tinged by Paganism. of King Hrothgar to slay Grendel he quickly boasts of his past triumphs in which he “drove five great giants into chains, / Chased all of that race from the earth. They fought for unlike reasons and possessed different manners – the Anglo-Saxon hero is full of braggadocio while the chivalric hero is nearly subservient. The Anglo-Saxon culture focuses on heroes who are greater than an average man and can save the people of a country. Sir Gawain endures the cold forest of North Wales for two months. Sir Gawain demonstrates the ideal of chivalry by politely asking to defend his lord while belittling himself.

Approximate Word count = 970
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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