Strength, Bravery, and Determination/Honor in both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Medieval Heroes

Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are both poems that give an insight on medieval heroism during two different time periods. In both works, the ideal hero is defined within a masculine society. In the poem Beowulf, the story line takes place during the early medieval era, when men would speak proudly and praise themselves in speech. Boasting, as it was called, was a way for men to express their true worth in society, by reasserting to all others that they would uphold masculinity through their actions. However, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which takes place during the high medieval ages, men often speak humbly about themselves and do not brag about their great accomplishments. Instead, they do so through their actions, proving themselves worthy by doing. Now although the heroes in both works carry themselves differently, ultimately, both Beowulf and Gawain portray the ideal values the society of their time celebrated: strength, bravery, and determination/honor.

One major and important trait that had to be met by all heroes during these time periods was that of strength. Strength ruled in this world and not many possessed it. Because strength was one of the many traits that these people admired, in Beowulf, time and time again, the poem stressed how its hero, Beowulf, was the strongest of all men, and like him there was no equal for, “There was no one else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, highborn and powerful” (Beowulf, 196-198). In other words, Beowulf’s strength was one of a kind—his might stood above all other men. This same notion is again seen in the poem on line 788-789, when Beowulf is depicted as, “the man who of all men was foremost and strongest in the days of his life.” Once more, the poem stresses to the reader that Beowulf was in fact the strongest man during his life time. This great strength of his was known to all people; they would describe him as, “a thane…with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand” (Beowulf, 380-381). Here, one can say that the people’s perception of his strength was one of amazement, as the strength of thirty men is seen as the equivalent of the strength of one of his hands. Beowulf’s strength was so remarkable that even in the worst of times—when he found himself near death—he gathered the strength to speak, “in spite of his wounds, mortal wounds, he still spoke” (Beowulf, 2724-2725).

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, strength is not mentioned as much, but it is stated as a quality of Gawain’s, the poem’s hero. However, in the beginning, Gawain denies any strength and instead modestly regards himself as being “the weakest” (Gawain, 354) when he asks for permission to step up to the challenge of the Green Knight. Here, it is evident that Gawain does not wish to glorify himself in speech; rather, he belittles himself, making himself seem lacking of the qualities of a hero. Later in the poem, Gawain’s actions prove otherwise. It would be rare if “he not met some monstrous foe, And that so fierce and forbidding that fight he must” (Gawain, 716-717). Here, one can see how unlike what Gawain claims, he does possess some strength, for if he did not, he would have lost his life to the beasts he fought, since they were “so fierce.” As it is said, “Now with serpents he wars, now with savage wolves, now with wild men of the woods…Both with bulls and with bears, and with boars besides, And giants” (Gawain, 720-723). From these lines, one can say that these creatures that Gawain is taking on are quite the challenge. The bulls, bears, and giants, would require much physical power from the hero to fight off and defeat, since they are known for being of such great size and of great strength. Serpents and savage wolves are known to be dangerous and therefore, not easy contenders for Gawain to take on, and if he was in fact weak as he claimed, he would have soon met death in those fights. Thus it is safe to say, that the knightly hero Gawain, does possess strength much like the other warrior hero Beowulf.

Along with strength comes bravery, because, after all, strength is worthless if the one who possesses such gift does not exercise his power with bravery. However, Beowulf and Gawain, the ideal medieval heroes, possessed both masculine traits. Beowulf first introduces its hero’s courage when he finds himself eager to defeat Grendel, the evil monster that had perturbed the hopeless Danish king. Beowulf takes it upon himself to “seek out that king, the famous prince who needed defenders,” (Beowulf, 200-201) and “fulfill that purpose…[to] prove [himself] with a proud deed or meet [his] death” (Beowulf, 636-638). In these lines, one can see how courage drives Beowulf to the defense of this king. Although he was well aware of the possibility of death, he was willing to risk his life to prove himself to the rest of society by taking on this challenge. When he arrives, Beowulf openly expresses his fearlessness for this deadly beast he wishes to battle as he says, “I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat” (Beowulf, 425-426) and “I hereby renounce,” my armor and sword “hand-to-hand is how it will be, a life-and-death fight with the fiend” (Beowulf, 436-440). Here, not only is he showing his willingness to fight, but he is taking it a step further by saying that he will take on the beast with his bare hands, surrendering protection from his sword and shield. In saying so, Beowulf is trying to prove himself to all others that not only is he strong, but brave enough to take on the beast that murdered and fed on many innocent people. Sure enough, Beowulf is able to kill the beast, “display[ing]…the whole of Grendel’s shoulder and arm” (Beowulf, 835). Later, when Grendel’s mom tries to avenge her son’s death, Beowulf cuts “deep into her neck bone,” with a sword “and sever[s] it entirely” (Beowulf, 1566-1567). Later in the poem, when Beowulf grows old and dies at the wrath of the dragon, Wiglaf reproaches the warriors who “turned and fled and disgraced [themselves.] A warrior would sooner die than live a life of shame” (Beowulf, 2889-2891). Here, one is shown with the contradicting ideal of courage—cowardice. Beowulf’s men abandoned their king in time of need, a shame to their honor. Wiglaf makes it clear that such behavior is unacceptable in this society, and disgraceful, as warriors would rather die than to live as cowards.

Much like Beowulf, the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight illustrates its hero as one that is full of courage. Much like Beowulf, Gawain takes it upon himself to challenge a beast, and risk his life for that of a king. When Gawain wishes to take on the Green Knight’s challenge, he tells the king, “the loss of my life would be least of any; that I have you for uncle is my only praise; My body, but for your blood, is barren of worth” (Gawain, 355-357). In these lines, Gawain again devalues his own worth, in this case that of his life. Making his life seem of insignificant, he is serving the purpose of speaking meekly about himself, but also showing himself brave enough to give up his life for that of his uncle, the king. Later in the poem, when the hero sets out in search of the Green Knight, he states, “In destinies sad or merry, True men can but try” (Gawain, 564-565). In other words, no matter the fate, a man that values his own worth can only be brave enough and try—see what destiny has to offer. In this case, Gawain is referring to himself. He doesn’t know whether or not he will survive the Green Knight’s challenge, all that he knows is that he must try, have courage, and test fate. After the servant of the castle leads Gawain to the Green Chapel, the servant offers to never tell a soul if Gawain were to flee for his life, but Gawain replies: “if I turned back now, forsook this place for fear, and fled, as you say, I [would be]… a coward; I could not be excused” (Gawain, 2129 – 2132). Here, Gawain makes it clear that he will remain brave and encounter the Green Knight, even if he is to die, he cannot flee and be a coward because that will be the biggest dishonor of all. When Gawain finally meets the Green Knight, he says, “Bestow but one stroke, and I shall stand still” (Gawain, 2252). In this one statement, the hero knows that he is now facing death, yet he accepts it and is not afraid, for he will “stand still” and not flinch as the blade comes down his neck. It is this act of courage like others that proves Gawain’s bravery in the poem. Like Beowulf, Gawain is not afraid of death, for he is brave enough to accept it.

As if being strong and brave wasn’t fulfilling enough for a hero, both heroes possess much determination. Knowing that the reward for their actions will be honor and recognition, they must prove themselves victorious in the face of a challenge. In Beowulf, throughout the entire poem, the hero manages to take on dangerous and life threatening challenges, but always follows through with his plans and never gives up so that he can prove his worth to others. This becomes more evident towards the end of the poem, when Beowulf suffers from old age and is still as willing and open to any challenge as he was when he still possessed all of his strength. When his kingdom is tested by a dragon, Beowulf states, “I marched ahead…always there at the front of the line; and I shall fight like that for as long as I live, as long as this sword shall last” (Beowulf, 2497-2500). Here, Beowulf is reassuring his men that even though he is now timeworn, he will not give up fighting. He will fight till the very end of his life, as the warrior and hero that he is, leading the way for others. Then, Beowulf begins to recall his earlier life and says, “I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning” (Beowulf, 2511-2514). Once again, Beowulf is announcing his willingness to continue to fight for his people, because as king, it is his honorable duty to do so. This act in itself is very heroic, as he again puts himself in a position where he will risk his life for the safety and well-being of others. His determination proves him honorable.

Gawain, much like Beowulf, is very determined to fulfill his duty. He presents himself with the Green Knight’s challenge and spends an entire year in search of him, in an attempt to fulfill his debt. He wishes to meet the Green Knight again than to “gain the world’s wealth!” (Gawain, 1064) and he “would as soon sink down dead as desist from [his] errand” (Gawain, 1067). Here, Gawain is describing his desperate need to follow through with his part of the deal. Duty becomes more important than life and money, since it would be an offense to his honor if he did not finish the task at hand. The value of agreements in this masculine society then becomes evident, as a man must hold his word true, or live a life of dishonor.

Overall, it is evident that the two heroes Beowulf and Gawain valued the same ideals of valor, strength and willpower/ pride for a heroic society, although they differed in character and time setting. In both poems, the main characters, unlike most men of their time, were able to stay true to all those masculine values, and since they each represented the ideal male in their society to uphold them, they were regarded as heroes, and thus celebrated.