Heroic Ideals of Three Stories Essay

Heroic Ideals of Three Stories

The protagonists of both the anonymous Beowulf and Thomas Malory's Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are true heroes. However, the traits they have in common are far less numerous than those that set them apart. As each of the two is dubbed perfect by their peers, it is possible to illustrate them as both model warriors and ideal knights.

The first question to arise is that of leadership. In Beowulf, the hero is referred to as "prince of the Geats" and "master-friend." This is not without reason: in the times of the epic, if you had the power, the spoils were yours. Therefore, those who wanted to be a skilled warrior had to demonstrate a leader's qualities as well as expertise in combat. As for the knights, they had their appointed ruler (King Arthur), and none thought of challenging him. Neither did any of the knights classify himself as a general; all of their feats were done single-handedly.

In the area of fighting, Beowulf fought many battles during his lifetime, but we are told of three battles, Grendel, Grendels mother, and the dragon. We are told of these fights in great detail. For example, the clash between Grendel and the Geats (Lines 4-5, 25-26) It goes on to explain the rest of the battle. This is but one of the heros encounters, he fought hard and it made him a great warrior through it. This can be quite different for a knight. Sir Gawains skill was with a sword and a spear is highly looked upon throughout his tale but his battles are briefly mentioned. Altogether, his guts show when confronted with the ugly winter is protrayed as a much more important story then his victories over the monsters. While this is not a general rules for romances, it is an indication of the tendency that brute strength is less important than other qualities.

One of these worthy qualities is faith. Gawain was wholly devout, and his belief in the Lord was well worth it. For example, "No sooner had Sir Gawain signed himself thrice than he was ware, in the woods, of a wondrous dwelling." (lines 763-764) Such direct divine intervention was not uncommon in the world of knights. It can also be found in Beowulf, but it seems a bit out of place in the harsh reality of the Danes. It is true that in the epic, magic (such as the mysterious sword in Grendel's mother's lair, or the spell protecting Grendel and his family) seems to have much more importance than any religious occurrences. When the ideal knight was expected to dutifully fulfill the will of God, the warrior was presumed to utilize ancient spells or relics.

Another issue to contemplate is the heroes' entirely different approach toward women. To a knight, a lady was almost sacred; he owed her respect and admiration. When speaking to the lady of castle, Gawain demonstrated these qualities (lines 1546-1548) Beowulf, on the other hand, did not attach much importance to women. He saw their role as either an attractive one, or as supporting the feeling of greatness surrounding the hero. This was the case with Helming's Lady (lines 62-69) Beowulf's wife was never mentioned in the poem, which reflects the lack of concern most warriors showed when dealing with women.

There is, however, one common trait to the warrior and the knight: the two both had a certain set of rules they were expected to obey. Eventhough these rules that compelled Beowulf to come to Hrothgar's rescue were not as organized as Gawain's code of chivalry, the idea of being obligated to follow these rules appeared in both poems.

Obviously, the characters of Beowulf and Sir Gawain are exceptionally different. Their depiction of leadership, combat, faith, pride and humility, and their view of women set them apart, but their similar code of conduct unites them. They represent the image of the ideal men of two different ages, and they also symbolize true heroes, even in the present day.

In todays world, there are some true heroes out there but whether we truly recognize them as such is up to the person who sees them as a hero or as an individual who just does what s/he does as a career and not as a hero.