The Romantic Hero vs. The Epic Hero (Sir Gawain vs. Beowulf)

There are some elements of heroism that are thought of as the universal characteristics of a hero and no matter what culture a hero emerges from, you can accurately assume that they fall somewhere in these guidelines. Even though Beowulf is viewed as an epic hero and Sir Gawain is viewed as a romantic hero, t

Society and social class play a large role in the life of a hero. The hero’s personality is usually derived from the surroundings to which he or she grew up. Those elements that exist outside of the social sphere are seen as crude and savage. The most explicit example of this is seen in Beowulf. Grendel is seen as one who exists outside of Germanic society because he would never make peace with any Dane, nor stop his death-dealing, nor pay the death-price. Because Grendel does not follow the custom of paying a death-price when one is killed, he is viewed as being anti-social and thus, an outcast from society. It is also important to note that Grendel is a descendent of Cain, who was also banished from society for killing his brother. The Germanic society represents the same perfection as the Garden of Eden and once one is banished from that society, they are banished from all well aspects of life. The Green Knight also seems to exist outside of the normal realms of society. Just as Grendel does not abide by the social custom of paying a death price, the Green Knight shows great disrespect towards Arthur and the court when “Not a greeting he gave as the guests he o’erlooked”. This complete abandonment of the chivalric code of honor to a lord is viewed as being savage and thus he is not considered to be a member of civilized society. His physical appearance also illustrates the view that Sir Gawain has of those outside of his society. They are green and monsterous-like. While these two heroes fight in order to maintain normalcy within their societies, the political and social aspects that lie behind their motivation to fight are quite different. In Beowulf’s Germanic culture, all lands are continuously feuding. There is always a threat of attack on any tribe’s soil, and for that reason the most important aspect of this Germanic society is the loyalty of a thane to his king. There is a large threat, courpse-making mongering death in the sheildings’ country. Because this threat is unlike any other that Beowulf has ever encountered, he may accept this challenge against Grendel as a way to enhance his own personal glory in addition to helping the Danes. Sir Gawain does not accept the challenge of the Green Knight because of fear of invasion or because large numbers of peo

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