The Hero

Over time, things change. Values change, society as a whole changes, and people change. With that being said, heroism also changes. The warrior becomes the knight and their values evolve. I will argue the similarities and differences of “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and the significance of these qualities. Beowulf is humble, brave, wise, strong, capable, and he sacrifices. These are all characteristics of what it takes to be a hero. He is a very honorable man, but his heroic boast creates his downfall. Beowulf wants nothing more but to protect Hrothgar’s kingdom, but he wants everyone to praise him for doing it. He is considered an ideal warrior for the time period. He wears no armor and his splendor shines through. Beowulf’s ego is very important to him. He likes to tell everyone about his accomplishments. His dedication to protecting Hrothgar and his kingdom, however, shows us just how worthy Beowulf is. Even after Grendel is defeated, Beowulf stays around. He even becomes king when Hrothgar dies. When Beowulf takes over, his dedication to protecting the kingdom does not change. There is almost no chaos until years later when the dragon is awakened. The sense of dedication that Beowulf has is what makes him so worthy, and essentially a great warrior. He has all of the characteristics of a hero. “Beowulf” contains interpolation and syncretism. With this being said, there are parts taken out of the story and replaced with Christian values. This also ties in to syncretism, or the blending of two cultures. These two cultures happen to be Pagan and Christian. The story was originally written with Pagan influence, but, due to interpolation it has a Christian feel to it as well. Sir Gawain, on the other hand, is courteous, chivalrous, virtuous, modest, humble, and strong. He too is flawed, however, he is an ideal knight. He does seem to humiliate himself, even though he is all of these things. This is the time of courtly love. Sir Gawain has to balance his knightly code of ethics with his Christian code of ethics. With that being said, he resists temptation but he lies about it. This leads him to self-mortification. His downfall is when he takes Lady Bertilak’s girdle and lies about it. He also flinches with the Green Knight tries to behead him, which shows his weakness. When Gawain returns to Camelot, he is glorified for his sin. Even though he has a difficult time balancing his Christian code of ethics with his knightly code of ethics, he shows that he is human and that humans make mistakes. He represents the flaw in human nature, as does Beowulf. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are different, yet similar. They both have dedications to their king and protecting the kingdom. Sir Gawain evolves from Beowulf in a way. Over time, the warrior transforms into the knight, however, both are heroes. Both men have downfalls, but they are both humble and strong. They possess many of the same characteristics and traits, however, they’re just from different time periods. The same things are expected out of the two men: protect the kingdom, be religious, etc. Another difference between the two stories themselves is the fact that “Beowulf” is told with Pagan elements whereas “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is Christian. It shows the transformation in religious aspects over time. All in all, Beowulf’s characteristics became Sir Gawain’s. The stories may be similar and different, however, they both have the same type of foundation. While “Beowulf” in an epic, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is an elegy. “Beowulf” is Pagan whereas “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is Christian. The two heroes also share similar characteristics, but they also have different ones. Not only do the two stories show the transformation from the warrior to the knight, they also show the differences in religion and how it has changed over time.