Beowulf and Sir Gawain: A Study in the Continuance of
Noble Characteristics in the Middle Ages
In literature, the protagonist, or the hero, serves to hold as the prime demonstration of what is morally correct in respect to their time frame. They subconsciously reveal the ideals and values of their surrounding societies, and through these characters, the reader learns the mores of the protagonists’ communities. In the Middle Ages, for example, Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight both clearly and precisely reveal standards of nobility, pride, courage and honor bestowed upon them by their era. These heroes although living in two different settings that of the Anglo-Saxon being characterized as barbaric and brutal, and the Middle Ages of being chivalrous and noble, both of these heroes partake in these similar values. Thus Beowulf and Sir Gawain, encompass similar cultural paradigms continued from the Anglo-Saxon Period into Middle English culture clearly seen when one studies the archetypal structure of these works. As the protagonist, Gawain, is sitting at the round table with his uncle King Arthur on Christmas day, when a mighty green…show more content… In Beowulf, the reader can see the hero let his pride lead to his destruction. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the reader is exposed to the concept of redemption through truth. The honor both of these heroes is clear as studied through their archetypes and their actions. The moral value of honor has continued to be an important quality of an ideal noble man in distinctive time periods. Thus Beowulf and Sir Gawain share similar cultural paradigms through their moral values but have applied them differently the passage of time has definitely influenced the power of these values. As seen by Sir Gawain’s hesitance, the qualities of nobility have certainly faded over time leading to what seems to be the dissipated moral values found in modern
