Beowulf
Are your beliefs worth dying for?
Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are two clear examples of cultural values. In each of the stories the heroes embody the virtues of bravery, honor, strength, and their challenge of helping others. These two heroes help the reader understand how a hero from the middle Ages would be like and what they were willing to do for their battles and necessary triumphs. Although Beowulf and Sir Gawain are represented in a similar way of heroes, each fill a different representation within their particular societies, and their different ethos as well.
First of all, Beowulf is represented as a leader who is willing to do anything for his own people in times of need, as well as for his own kingdom. He would always put them first yet he is arrogant and lacks of humility, but his loyalty is something you should not doubt about it. On the other hand, there is Sir Gawain, who is also well disposed to fight during times of conflict; he always stays humble and true to his closed ones. Moreover, the heroic characters described in Beowulf and Sir Gawaian and the Green Knight are the consequence of their heroic adventures, and their different set of values and moral codes. For example, we get to see an important value in Beowulf, which would be his bravery, when he is battling to kill Grendel’s mother, he seems to fear no death. He is willing to get to the end of it, and even though his sword fails him, it was only the use of his bravery that made him use his substantial strength to end with it. When we go through the text, it says, “Beowulf got ready, donned his war-gear, indifferent to death; his mighty, hand-forged, fine-webbed mail would soon meet with the menace underwater. It would keep the bone-cage of his body safe…” (1442-1452) The part where it says “indifferent to death”, that makes it clear that he could care less about death in that moment. He was making an excellent role based in loyalty and honor. Furthermore, the motivation
Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are two clear examples of cultural values. In each of the stories the heroes embody the virtues of bravery, honor, strength, and their challenge of helping others. These two heroes help the reader understand how a hero from the middle Ages would be like and what they were willing to do for their battles and necessary triumphs. Although Beowulf and Sir Gawain are represented in a similar way of heroes, each fill a different representation within their particular societies, and their different ethos as well.
First of all, Beowulf is represented as a leader who is willing to do anything for his own people in times of need, as well as for his own kingdom. He would always put them first yet he is arrogant and lacks of humility, but his loyalty is something you should not doubt about it. On the other hand, there is Sir Gawain, who is also well disposed to fight during times of conflict; he always stays humble and true to his closed ones. Moreover, the heroic characters described in Beowulf and Sir Gawaian and the Green Knight are the consequence of their heroic adventures, and their different set of values and moral codes. For example, we get to see an important value in Beowulf, which would be his bravery, when he is battling to kill Grendel’s mother, he seems to fear no death. He is willing to get to the end of it, and even though his sword fails him, it was only the use of his bravery that made him use his substantial strength to end with it. When we go through the text, it says, “Beowulf got ready, donned his war-gear, indifferent to death; his mighty, hand-forged, fine-webbed mail would soon meet with the menace underwater. It would keep the bone-cage of his body safe…” (1442-1452) The part where it says “indifferent to death”, that makes it clear that he could care less about death in that moment. He was making an excellent role based in loyalty and honor. Furthermore, the motivation