Comparing The Hero In Beowulf And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

What is the basis for an ideal hero? According to Oxford dictionaries, a hero is “A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” (“hero.”)In this essay, we will discuss the requirements for an idealistic hero. We will also analyze the actions of Beowulf and Sir Gawain in the epic poems Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This process of analyzing their actions will give us clarification on whether or not these supposed heroes fit the mold of what it means to be a true and ideal hero. Before we can truly decide whether Sir Gawain and Beowulf are heroes, we must first analyze the specific and ideal requirements to be a true hero. The previously mentioned definition gives three requirements to be a true and ideal hero; they are as follows: A true hero must be courageous, have outstanding achievements, and have noble qualities. If an individual perfectly embodies these standards, they are an ideal hero. We will start by discussing what it means to be

If one shows qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor, they are noble.( “noble.”, American Heritage Dictionary. ) In addition, someone who is noble in character means that individual has or shows high or elevated character. (“noble.”, Collins English Dictionary.) Furthermore, according to the free dictionary, a related word for being noble is honorable. Due to this information, one could argue a knight’s code of honor could represent a hero’s ideal noble qualities. In regards to a knight’s code of honor, there are five specific traits required to uphold ones honor. The traits are as follows: Generosity, friendship, purity, courtesy, and compassion. The majority of Gawain’s noble qualities are due to his code of honor and we will discuss these qualities. Whereas, with Beowulf we will discuss what his noble characteristics