Introduction
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the chivalric quest is undoubtedly the literary type most closely identified with medieval literature. It includes themes of the feudal system, heroic fighting, courtship, brave sacrifice, and religious meditation. A literary masterpiece from the Anglo-Saxon era called Beowulf depicts the mythological and archetypal hero quest. The summon, the challenges, the culmination, and the return are all essential elements, just like in any piece of literature that features a hero’s quest. Beowulf, the primary character, represents a hero throughout this historical period. Both characters are indeed brave and courteous by nature, yet they differ in terms of pride, purpose, and moral codes.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
While one of the most well-known Arthurian narratives, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is profoundly unique for several reasons, the poem might provide several interpretations or commentary on the chivalric quest’s fundamental characteristics. It’s a poem that is acutely conscious of its status as a specific literary or artistic form, one in which the public is mindful of how the characters are expected to behave. The poem’s intense feeling of tension plays on both the audience’s and the protagonists’ anticipation of what will unfold, only to surprise us in the finale since the mission that Gawain sets off on is revealed to be for a different reason than it was initially intended. The supposed purpose of the quest is the dreadful confrontation with the Green Knight at the Green Chapel (Raymond). However, it is a rather clever ruse to put the hero on an entirely different trial. The world’s numerous hints and symbols prove to be more cryptic and deceptive than the protagonist or the readers realize.
Beowulf
During his life, Beowulf faces several difficulties in his role as the leader of the Geats, including the need to slay Grendel in order to aid the Danes. Over his life, Beowulf undertakes a number of missions and challenges—not for himself but for his compatriots. Hrothgar requested the assistance of Beowulf, a Geat commander, to deal with the dangerous Grendel creature (Zuraikat). Beowulf resolves to continue this perilous voyage since he is concerned about other people’s lives. For fifty years, Beowulf’s battle with the Grendel brought about peace. However, the fire dragon presented another threat to his country fifty years later. He utilized all his strength and sacrificed himself to eliminate the dragon ultimately.
Comparison
The fact that Beowulf and Sir Gawain are both heroes serves as their principal point of comparison. Beowulf is a hero since part of his journey entails traveling across the country to battle wicked creatures who pose a threat to his village and the civilians. He battles them to save his people, but he also takes pleasure in the reputation he gains. Considering his goal is to rescue his uncle, Sir Gawain is a hero. In lieu of his uncle, King Arthur, he heads off on a quest to confront the Green Knight and engages in combat with him. When they finally do, the Knight hurts Gawain but leaves him alive, showing that the entire battle tested Gawain’s faithfulness. However, Beowulf is a warrior, but Sir Gawain is a knight; thus, that makes a difference in this regard.
Beowulf feels proud of his accomplishments and enjoys his reputation as a hero. On the other hand, Gawain ultimately goes home to inform everyone of what has happened to him. His inability to uphold the values represented by the points on his shield makes him feel as though he must first acknowledge them, even embody them. According to Tolkien and Gordon, he berates his “cowardly and covetous heart! In you is villainy and vice, and virtue laid low!” (464). While rejecting the offer to continue company at the castle, Gawain resolves to make the girdle the symbol of his transgressions, including his weakness and avarice.
A courageous, obedient, respectful, outstanding courage or capability that is recognized for their valor and noble traits might be characterized as adhering to the code of chivalry. Gawain demonstrates the qualities of a valiant warrior in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He displays that by wandering with kindness, politeness, and loyalty, facing several temptations throughout his quest as he searches for the Green Knight. Sir Gawain demonstrated chivalry throughout the dialogue with him and the “Lady” by being loyal to the king and refraining from kissing his wife. Beowulf, in contrast, is a perfect illustration of the heroic code. The emphasis on courage, winning in combat, heritage, pride, and other traits are a depiction of how the Beowulf heroic code, the Germanic code, or the Anglo-Saxon heroic code, is demonstrated. According to Alexander, Beowulf claims, “Often, for undaunted courage, Fate spares the man it has not already marked. However, it had occurred. My sword had killed Nine sea monsters.” (572). He takes notice of both his bravery and his many triumphs in battle, revealing his pride.
Conclusion
Beyond everything, Sir Gawain makes the argument that the genuinely chivalric hero must find comfort in misstepping, or rather, to be amazed at his own faults along the road. It depicts the hero’s journey as one through harsh and magnificent terrain, but it also shows that the most complex struggles the hero faces come from inside. Beowulf follows the Germanic heroic code, trusts in his power, pursues fame, kills the monster and the monster’s mother, and is hailed as a hero. These characters’ heroic quests are highly diverse from one another, demonstrating differences in their missions, personalities, and moral principles. However, what unites them is the fact that they are unquestionably heroes in their narratives.
Works Cited
Alexander, Michael. Beowulf. Penguin Classics, 2013.
Raymond, Dalicia. “Journeying through (an)Other World.” Examining the Role of Magic and Transformational Otherness in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 1st ed., Routledge, 2021.
Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel and Gordon, Eric Valentine. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Clarendon Press, 1925.
Zuraikat, Malek. “Questioning the Centrality of the Hero in Beowulf.” Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, vol. 46, no. 1, 2019, pp. 329–335, Web.