Compare And Contrast Beowulf And Sir Gawain - 1358 Words

Beowulf and Sir Gawain are both heroes, one is a warrior who becomes a King and the other a Knight in King Arthur’s Court. Beowulf takes place in 6th century Denmark and Sweden, it was written during the Anglo-Saxon Literary Time Period. Beowulf’s journey takes place over many years. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an Arthurian romance believed to have been written in the late fourteenth century by an anonymous author (Baker). Sir Gawain’s journey takes place over one year’s time, from Christmas to Christmas. These two poems may be different in their settings, enemies, and time frame, but their themes are very similar. In both Beowulf and Sir Gawain we are presented with a hero. Both heroes are given a task and or journey that they†¦show more content†¦During the first and second part of the poem, Beowulf is represented as a young man. In the third and final part, Beowulf is an old King who in the end kills the Dragon, with the help of a younge r man, it is after this fight that Beowulf dies. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Romantic Poem. â€Å"Sir Gawain belongs to the so-called Alliterative Revival† (Greenblatt 183). What that means is that it was written with four stressed lines with a rhythmic pause in the middle. The unknown author of this poem uses a literary technique known as a â€Å"Bob and Wheel.† According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the â€Å"Bob and wheel, in alliterative verse, a group of typically five rhymed lines following a section of unrhymed lines, often at the end of a strophe. The bob is the first line in the group and is shorter than the rest; the wheel is the quatrain that follows the bob† (Bob and Wheel). â€Å"It is now widely believed that Beowulf is the work of a single poet who was a Christian and the poem reflects well-established Christian tradition† (Greenblatt 37). Both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight take part in Christian philosophy. Beowulf th anks God for his help killing Grendel’s mother, he is sure that he would not have survived the fight, â€Å"if God had not helped me, the outcome would have been quick and fatal† (Beowulf 1657-1658). There are also biblical references in the Poem, Grendel is described as a descendant of Cain, from the Old Testament. Sir Gawain exemplifiesShow MoreRelatedCompare And Contrast Beowulf And Sir Gawain796 Words   |  4 Pagesabilities to face their greatest fear. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are great examples of heroism who defend their honor and their people. Unlike Beowulf who is a king and the Sir Gawain is King Arthur’s nephew. Both characters defeat their obstacle to prove their loyalty to society no matter if it’s costing their lives. The character of Beowulf can be seen, with great simplicity, as a man of bravery. Beowulf’s dealings with the monster rooming around and Beowulf without so much as a pause for a plan continuesRead MoreCompare and Contras t of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight600 Words   |  3 PagesCompare and Contrast of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Beowulf is an epic poem that was written in the Anglo-Saxon time period where only a few privileged people were able to read and write while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which is also an epic poem, was written in the Middle English time period where reading and writing was more wide-spread. While both the epic poem Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight have similar protagonists, the main character of each poem also hasRead MoreCompare And Contrast Beowulf And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight761 Words   |  4 Pagesliterary works Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, an admirable warrior and knight are depicted. Although Sir Gawain and Beowulf both possess such characteristics as bravery and strength, readers can observe differences in other traits that make them heroes of their own time that is attributable to the societal mindset in which the poems were written. The goal of this essay is to compare and contrast how Beowulf, which was written in the early eleventh century, and Sir Gawain and the GreenRead More Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf Essay499 Words   |  2 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf â€Å"My body, but for your blood, is barren of worth; And tis I have asked for this folly not fit for a King.† These are the words of a true hero. One who is willing to sacrifice his own existence for the life of another. These are the words and actions of Sir Gawain, a character from the beloved British tale, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Beowulf, another character from an ancient British epic entitled, Beowulf, is also portrayed as a â€Å"heroRead More Compare and contrast images of heroism in these two poems. Essay1421 Words   |  6 PagesCompare and contrast images of heroism in these two poems. Heroism is a trait that we seem to have no problem identifying, yet when asked to define what a hero is a myriad of answers emerge. This phenomenon is not unique to today’s society; the definition of a hero is something that is constantly under revision and debate. An example of this can be seen in two older pieces of English literature: Beowulf, written circa 750-900, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written circa 1375-1400Read More Epic of Beowulf Essay1818 Words   |  8 Pagesbook. I would like to compare and contrast Beowulf, Lanval, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with some of the modern day creations especially in looking at the values, and belief systems in all of the three â€Å"classic† stories. I will apologize in advance to those who will read this and are not familiar to the texts that are mentioned, due to restrictions in size I must mention all of my topics without specific description of how the stories are told, please at least read â€Å"Beowulf† before consideringRead MoreWomen s Unequal Portrayal, And The Struggle For Identity Of Female Writers1777 Words   |  8 Pagesthe moth // And from a woman a woman’s wickedness.† The Judeo-Christian creation myth, where â€Å"man was not made from woman, but woman from man† gave the philosophical ‘proof’ of inequality. One of the most illogical representations of women, in contrast to Eve as a selfish temptress, is the Virgin Mary. She was an immaculate motherhood figure, but remained ‘uncorrupted’, which obviously was unattainable for real women. 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