Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Trinity Harwell
Ms. Winter
16 September 2016
What is a hero?
What is a hero? According to The American Heritage College Dictionary, a hero is [a]
person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, [especially] one who has risked or
sacrificed his or her life; however, the dictionary fails to qualify the necessity for heroes in tales
(The American Heritage College Dictionary 648). Heroes exist in stories to give hope to the
readers of the time period, and therefore, the idea of the ideal hero changes with time. For
instance, as the epic poem Beowulf was written during a different time period than the poem Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight, the heroes in each story differ. Beowulf was written during the
Anglo-Saxon period, when opposing forces were constantly attacking England, and Sir Gawain
and the Green Knight was written in the Medieval era, when England was involved in fewer, less
frequent battles. The heroes, Beowulf and Sir Gawain, both uphold the moral standards of their
respective periods, though due to the difference in time periods, there are different standards for
each; Beowulf is highly accomplished and boastful, and possesses supernatural powers, whereas
Sir Gawain is less accomplished and humble, and is a mere human who is loyal to the king.
Beowulf is a highly accomplished warrior, and he displays his greatness to his audience
through boasting. For example, in order to prove his worthiness to singlehandedly defeat
Grendel, the monster terrorizing Scyldings, Beowulf tells the king of Scyldings, [M]y people,
the best wise earls, advised methat I should seek you because they know what my strength can
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accomplish. They themselves looked on when, bloody from my foes, I came from the fight
where I had bound five, destroyed a family of giants, and at night in the waves slain water-
monsters, suffered great pain, [and] avenged an affliction of the Weather-Geats on those who had
asked for trouble (Beowulf 8). Beowulf is proud and confident, and though he may sound
conceited, his level of confidence is a heroic attribute that the English Anglo-Saxons needed to
hope for. Enemies were constantly attacking England during the Anglo-Saxon period, so the
ideal warrior needed to have confidence no matter what struggles he faced. (Revised version
Antithetically, the Medieval era was under much less frequent attacks, and therefore, their hero,
Sir Gawain does not require the confidence or skill level that Beowulf possesses. (Revised
version includes a historical section here, followed by a paragraph break) In fact, in asking King
Arthur if he may stand in his place and perform the task of administering a blow to the Green
Knight, Sir Gawain admits, I am the weakest, I wot, and the feeblest of wit, and it will be the
less loss of my life if ye seek sooth (Sir Gawain 4). Sir Gawain is aware that in taking Arthurs
place and striking the Green Knight, he is quite possibly signing up for a suicide mission,
however, as the Anglo-Saxons were infrequently attacked, they needed a hero to look up to who
was willing to give his life for the king despite his dim chances of survival. The Anglo-Saxons
needed to look up to bravery, though not necessarily confidence, and Sir Gawain fulfills that
standard.
strength, a feature characteristic of heroes in the Anglo-Saxon period. For example, to kill
Grendels Mother, Beowulf used a victory-blessed blade, an old sword made by the giants,
strong of its edges, glory of warriorsthe best of weapons, except that it was larger than any
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other man might bear to war-sport (Beowulf 27-28). Beowulf has enough strength to lift a blade
that virtually no other man can lift, a supernatural strength that was looked up to in the Anglo-
Saxon period. The Anglo-Saxons believed their heroes were blessed by God, and thus,
presumably possessed supernatural powers from God. If they did not believe supernatural
strength was real, they certainly hoped for it to exist, as they attributed it to Beowulf, as well as
other heroes of the time. Conversely, Sir Gawain has a knights training, though he is merely a
human. Whereas Beowulf risks his life due to the knowledge that he can defeat his opponents,
Sir Gawain risks his life solely for fidelity to King Arthur, for he think[s] it not seemly when
such challenges be made in your hall that ye yourself should undertake it, while there are many
bold knights who sit beside ye, referring to the challenge of striking the Green Knight (Sir
Gawain 4). Sir Gawain does not back down from his challenge, and when the Green Knight
instructs him to meet him at his home in a year and a day, though he knows that he will seek a
deadly blow, andno more wield his sword in fight, (6) he still [makes] ever good cheer, and
[says], Nay, wherefore should I shrink? What may a man do but prove his fate? (6). One could
argue that Sir Gawains display of bravery in spite of the grim odds of the situation is, in fact,
more courageous than Beowulfs decision to ascend into battle, for Sir Gawain knows he will
likely die and continues to go through with his plan in order to protect Arthur. This fidelity was
important in the Medieval era, as England needed their forces to stand strongly together when
they were involved in a battle. This level of mutual respect was more important in the Medieval
era than the Anglo-Saxon period, as in the Anglo-Saxon period all they needed were strong
fighters, as indicated by the fact that Beowulf is not from Scyldings but Hrothgar still lets him
fight for Scyldings without question. Beowulf has fidelity to Hrothgar due to Hrothgars aid in
Geats some years before the tale begins, though their relationship does not require the same level
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of closeness as the armed forces in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Closeness in Arthurs
army is a necessity, as they are an organized force and need to work in conjunction with one
another, as opposed to the Anglo-Saxon ideal of one hero fighting an entire war.
Due to the exponentially changing eras, the idealism of a hero changes to fit the needs
and desires of the people. As Anglo-Saxon England fought in constant battles against their
enemies, they needed an all-powerful hero with confidence, experience, and supernatural
strength who could presumably save the citizens from danger singlehandedly, and therefore,
Beowulf is an ideal hero for the time period. However, Medieval England was not as heavily
attacked, so they had opportunities to build their army, and army which requires courage, a
knights training, and fidelity to one another and to their leader, and thus, Sir Gawain is an ideal
hero for the Medieval era. So, what is a hero? A hero is the embodiment of what each time period
values.
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Works Cited
Beowulf.
The American Heritage College Dictionary. Fourth ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, n.d.
Print.