Compare And Contrast Beowulf And Sir Gawain And The Green...

Epic Heroes Across Medieval Culture In the literary works Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, an admirable warrior and knight are depicted. Although Sir Gawain and Beowulf both possess such characteristics as bravery and strength, readers can observe differences in other traits that make them heroes of their own time that is attributable to the societal mindset in which the poems were written. The goal of this essay is to compare and contrast how Beowulf, which was written in the early eleventh century, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which was written in the late fourteenth century, indicate an evolution in cultural ideals of values such as morality and virtue that ultimately differentiates the authors’ views of†¦show more content†¦Beowulf himself is half- human and half God; yet, Sir Gawain is a humble knight who does not boast of any superhuman ability. However, Sir Gawain possesses admirable traits that Beowulf lacks. In the late fourteenth century, or middle ages, knights were to be morally intact men and were held to a high ethical standard. Unlike Beowulf who is boastful, proud, and often test his limits, Sir Gawain is modest, cautious, and is a conscious decision maker. As this class progresses, I always find the role of women in each piece to be increasingly interesting and enjoy discussing them. In Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight alike, women are depicted as seductresses; however, Lady Bertilak’s sexual prowess was of central importance in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In Beowulf, Enkidu’s introduction to human sexuality through his interaction with a hartlet leads her to be shamed. However, Lady Bertilak is one of the most prominent characters in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight although her role is essentially centered on her attempts to seduce Sir Gawain and get him to violate the oath of honesty that he vowed to her husband. This type of display goes against the Christian views that were emerging during the writing of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight because of its adulterous premises, yet Lady Bertilak is not humiliated as is the loose woman in Beowulf. Although this difference could simply be because of Lady Bertilak’s status as the lady of theShow MoreRelatedCompare and Contrast of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight600 Words   |  3 PagesCompare and Contrast of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Beowulf is an epic poem that was written in the Anglo-Saxon time period where only a few privileged people were able to read and write while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which is also an epic poem, was written in the Middle English time period where reading and writing was more wide-spread. While both the epic poem Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight have similar protagonists, the main character of each poem also hasRead More Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf Essay499 Words   |  2 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf â€Å"My body, but for your blood, is barren of worth; And tis I have asked for this folly not fit for a King.† These are the words of a true hero. One who is willing to sacrifice his own existence for the life of another. These are the words and actions of Sir Gawain, a character from the beloved British tale, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Beowulf, another character from an ancient British epic entitled, Beowulf, is also portrayed as a â€Å"heroRead More Compare and contrast images of heroism in these two poems. Essay1421 Words   |  6 PagesCompare and contrast images of heroism in these two poems. Heroism is a trait that we seem to have no problem identifying, yet when asked to define what a hero is a myriad of answers emerge. This phenomenon is not unique to today’s society; the definition of a hero is something that is constantly under revision and debate. An example of this can be seen in two older pieces of English literature: Beowulf, written circa 750-900, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written circa 1375-1400Read More Epic of Beowulf Essay1818 Words   |  8 Pagesbook. I would like to compare and contrast Beowulf, Lanval, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with some of the modern day creations especially in looking at the values, and belief systems in all of the three â€Å"classic† stories. I will apologize in advance to those who will read this and are not familiar to the texts that are mentioned, due to restrictions in size I must mention all of my topics without specific description of how the stories are told, please at least read â€Å"Beowulf† before consideringRead MoreWomen s Unequal Portrayal, And The Struggle For Identity Of Female Writers1777 Words   |  8 Pagesthe moth // And from a woman a woman’s wickedness.† The Judeo-Christian creation myth, where â€Å"man was not made from woman, but woman from man† gave the philosophical ‘proof’ of inequality. One of the most illogical representations of women, in contrast to Eve as a selfish temptress, is the Virgin Mary. She was an immaculate motherhood figure, but remained ‘uncorrupted’, which obviously was unattainable for real women. The dual imagery of the Madonna and the ‘Gateway to Sin’ established that womenRead MoreThe Sonnet Form: William Shakespeare6305 Words   |  26 PagesShakespeare’s Sonnets William Shakespeare The Sonnet Form A sonnet is a fourteen-line lyric poem, traditionally written in iambic pentameter—that is, in lines ten syllables long, with accents falling on every second syllable, as in: â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?† The sonnet form first became popular during the Italian Renaissance, when the poet Petrarch published a sequence of love sonnets addressed to an idealized woman named Laura. Taking firm hold among Italian poets, the sonnet