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Beowulf & King Arthur

            Comparison and Contrast of King Arthur and Beowulf .
             King Arthur and Beowulf are both kings of tragic destinies whose deaths affect the people in very different ways. They are both tales of high adventure with a mythical element. Both tales deal with good and evil and loyalty and betrayal. With this mix comes compassion for the kings in the story. The reader's looking and hoping for the happy ending and then trying to find the moral of the story in the unhappy one.
             Beowulf and King Arthur are both great kings who wanted to create a perfect kingdom. King Arthur in his quest to do this is betrayed by his loving wife and first knight. Beowulf who is single throughout the tale is also betrayed, but by his followers. Both of the kings take the betrayal hard and the betrayal is important to the fall of the kings themselves.
             In their quest to build ideal empires, both kings fight several battles. Beowulf's battles are against mythical beings that we today find fairytale like. King Arthur on the other hand fights battles with other empires, someone always trying to bring down the great nation. Both Kings have great swords, with mythical forces on their side. Magic is definitely something that surrounds both of these men. .
             Both of these kings have a great outside support for their battles and their reigns. King Arthur has his knights of the round table and Beowulf has his supporters. One is a select group where the other is a large group. The coincidence in this would be that the betrayal for both of these kings comes from within these support groups.
             These kings" deaths impact their people greatly, but in very different ways. King Arthur's death leaves his people with hope of a better place and rebirth. Beowulf's death leaves his people with pessimism and ultimately disintegration. In life and in death both kings" rule their nation.
             Both of these tales are timeless. Way back when they started orally and eventually moved to the written word.


Essays Related to Beowulf & King Arthur

1. Christian Ideals in Beowulf

... / inflicting constant cruelties on the people, / atrocious hurt- (Beowulf 36). The stage is set for our hero, Beowulf. At the court of King Arthur, the literary birthplace of chivalry, a barbarian knight issues a challenge to the court. Gawain, Arthur's un-proven nephew, picks up the gauntlet; for his own ... honor and the honor of the court, the challenge is accepted. In both of these scenarios, the stage set for Christian ideals in time of transition. In comparison with each other, it is evident that in Beowulf ... which a supernatural challenger offers to let his head be cut off in ex...

  • Word Count: 2583
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Beowulf Vs. Arthur

... is Godly is a good person. He did no wrong for he was a true server of God. King Arthur is another character in English literature that has heroic traits. Like Beowulf, Arthur sought to protect people from evil. Arthur's kingdom was feuding with Mordred's kingdom due to extreme disagreements. The king knew that his people would suffer greatly if these circumstances were not resolved soon. Having honor ... the Lady of the Lake, he was the only one who should use that sword, so he had it returned to the lake where it would be at rest. Unlike Beowulf, King Arthur had no supernatural powers...

  • Word Count: 863
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Arthur Vs. Beowulf

... is Godly is a good person. He did no wrong for he was a true server of God. King Arthur is another character in English literature that has heroic traits. Like Beowulf, Arthur sought to protect people from evil. Arthur's kingdom was feuding with Mordred's kingdom due to extreme disagreements. The king knew that his people would suffer greatly if these circumstances were not resolved soon. Having honor ... the Lady of the Lake, he was the only one who should use that sword, so he had it returned to the lake where it would be at rest. Unlike Beowulf, King Arthur had no supernatural powers...

  • Word Count: 863
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

4. The Epic of Beowulf and Sir Gawain

... Knight is a romantic poem that takes place in the Arthurian period. This poem introduces King Arthur's nephew, Sir Gawain. A mighty warrior he is, Sir Gawain is challenged with an ultimate test of his faith and loyalty to the covenant. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are epic heroes, not because they fought many battles, but because they ... sex. The ideas of chivalry and honesty are not the same in today's society like they were during the Arthurian time. What Sir Gawain, and King Arthur, and the rest of the men of the round believed to be the rules of life, and what you had to abide by, are now ...

  • Word Count: 2599
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

... Knight is a romantic poem that takes place in the Arthurian period. This poem introduces King Arthur's nephew, Sir Gawain. A mighty warrior he is, Sir Gawain is challenged with an ultimate test of his faith and loyalty to the covenant. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are epic heroes, not because they fought many battles, but because they ... sex. The ideas of chivalry and honesty are not the same in today's society like they were during the Arthurian time. What Sir Gawain, and King Arthur, and the rest of the man of the round believed to be the rules of life, and what you had to abide by, are now...

  • Word Count: 2583
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Beowulf

... seen many great leaders. King Arthur of "Morte D" Arthur" and Beowulf of "Beowulf" are both considered excellent leaders. The two men share many qualities, but also greatly differ. While the men share many different traits, the ways in which they lead their men are very different. They both follow different codes, and ultimately, their admirable characteristics lead to their deaths. Beowulf and Arthur both posses many heroic ... final bathe with the Dragon. He is an elderly king who does not need to fight any of his own battles, however, he still proceeds to fight on his own. Arthur dif...

  • Word Count: 1003
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Beowulf And Gawain

... gone, old feuds re-emerge: Now the Geats must make ready for a time of war, for the Franks and the Frisians, in far off-regions, will hear soon of the king's death... (Beowulf 2899-2902) This passage shows, first of all, that a civilization's threats come not only from uncivilized monsters and dragons, but also from conflicts between and within civilizations. It reinforces ... the need for leadership and heroism to unify and protect their people. This is the space filled by the British with Beowulf and later with Arthur, the once and future king, and his knights of the round table. They...

  • Word Count: 3062
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Beowulf and Sir Gawain: Personalities of Heroes Reflecting C

... on, and the people that revered Beowulf moved on. Soon, a more modern, yet still archaic hero would arise. Sir Gawain Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written during the Middle Ages and translated by John Gardner, is a story of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table, who embarks on ... a quest to prove his chivalric nature. On this quest, we see Gawain exhibit certain qualities that combine Christian and military values: loyalty, bravery, and, most of all, honor. In early tales, Gawain was presented as the greatest and most distinguished of Arthur's knights ( ... is necessary...

  • Word Count: 1151
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

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

... by lords and by ladies, by all living men". Both heroes act in polite and humble manner towards others, and especially towards their king. Before addressing the people at Herot, Beowulf asks the lord and master if he would graciously allow him to greet him in person and report his errand. Sir Gawain too asks ... risk his own life instead of placing Arthur at risk. Heroes also seem to always fight for some type of common good. In the cases of these two heroes, they are fighting as an act of loyalty to their kings. Just as Beowulf fights with "pride in defending his king" Sir Gawain also ...

  • Word Count: 1559
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

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