Similarities Between Sir Gawain And Beowulf

A true hero is someone who displays loyalty, integrity, and courage. Heroes have been the focal point of stories for centuries; for instance, the epic “Beowulf", translated by Gareth Hinds between the 8th and the early 11th century, tells of a man of high honor that proves himself to the people by defeating the town’s worst beast: Grendel. Another example of heroes in writing is the poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" transcribed by Simon Armitage and is believed to be written around the 14th century. The narrative of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is about a knight named Sir Gawain who is tested by the Green Knight by a game of beheading to observe if he is an honorable knight or not. Sir Gawain eventually gets to live on, after realizing his mistakes of trying to avoid the returned strike of the Green Knight. Although both Sir Gawain and Beowulf are excellent depictions of heroes, Sir Gawain is more heroic in the aspects of bravery, loyalty, and understanding of wrongdoing.

Beowulf shows a fair amount of bravery in his titular epic. The difference between Beowulf’s bravery and Sir Gawain’s is how his antagonist was already well known and he knew what he was facing, while Sir Gawain’s is not well known and he was going into the situation blindly.. Knowledge prior to battle is relevant because it is less daunting to go into battle with a beast that is well known and predictable, rather than an unpredictable green giant that shows up out of nowhere. In “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” the author states “Amazement seized their minds, no soul had ever seen a knight of such a kind— entirely emerald green” (Armitage 242). Sir Gawain stepped up to participate in the beheading game with the Green Knight not knowing what he was capable of. In contrast to Sir Gawain’s vague ordeal, Beowulf is summoned to defeat Grendel and is well prepared for it, rather than Grendel being a