Harwell 1

Trinity Harwell

Ms. Winter

AP Brit Lit, Period 2

16 September 2016

What is a hero?

What is a hero? According to The American Heritage College Dictionary, a hero is [a]

person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, [especially] one who has risked or

sacrificed his or her life; however, the dictionary fails to qualify the necessity for heroes in tales

(The American Heritage College Dictionary 648). Heroes exist in stories to give hope to the

readers of the time period, and therefore, the idea of the ideal hero changes with time. For

instance, as the epic poem Beowulf was written during a different time period than the poem Sir

Gawain and the Green Knight, the heroes in each story differ. Beowulf was written during the

Anglo-Saxon period, when opposing forces were constantly attacking England, and Sir Gawain

and the Green Knight was written in the Medieval era, when England was involved in fewer, less

frequent battles. The heroes, Beowulf and Sir Gawain, both uphold the moral standards of their

respective periods, though due to the difference in time periods, there are different standards for

each; Beowulf is highly accomplished and boastful, and possesses supernatural powers, whereas

Sir Gawain is less accomplished and humble, and is a mere human who is loyal to the king.

(Revised version includes a historical paragraph here)

Beowulf is a highly accomplished warrior, and he displays his greatness to his audience

through boasting. For example, in order to prove his worthiness to singlehandedly defeat

Grendel, the monster terrorizing Scyldings, Beowulf tells the king of Scyldings, [M]y people,

the best wise earls, advised methat I should seek you because they know what my strength can
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accomplish. They themselves looked on when, bloody from my foes, I came from the fight

where I had bound five, destroyed a family of giants, and at night in the waves slain water-

monsters, suffered great pain, [and] avenged an affliction of the Weather-Geats on those who had

asked for trouble (Beowulf 8). Beowulf is proud and confident, and though he may sound

conceited, his level of confidence is a heroic attribute that the English Anglo-Saxons needed to

hope for. Enemies were constantly attacking England during the Anglo-Saxon period, so the

ideal warrior needed to have confidence no matter what struggles he faced. (Revised version

includes a section about supernatural strength here, followed by a paragraph break)

Antithetically, the Medieval era was under much less frequent attacks, and therefore, their hero,

Sir Gawain does not require the confidence or skill level that Beowulf possesses. (Revised

version includes a historical section here, followed by a paragraph break) In fact, in asking King

Arthur if he may stand in his place and perform the task of administering a blow to the Green

Knight, Sir Gawain admits, I am the weakest, I wot, and the feeblest of wit, and it will be the

less loss of my life if ye seek sooth (Sir Gawain 4). Sir Gawain is aware that in taking Arthurs

place and striking the Green Knight, he is quite possibly signing up for a suicide mission,

however, as the Anglo-Saxons were infrequently attacked, they needed a hero to look up to who

was willing to give his life for the king despite his dim chances of survival. The Anglo-Saxons

needed to look up to bravery, though not necessarily confidence, and Sir Gawain fulfills that

standard.

In addition to extreme confidence, Beowulf also has the advantage of supernatural

strength, a feature characteristic of heroes in the Anglo-Saxon period. For example, to kill

Grendels Mother, Beowulf used a victory-blessed blade, an old sword made by the giants,

strong of its edges, glory of warriorsthe best of weapons, except that it was larger than any
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other man might bear to war-sport (Beowulf 27-28). Beowulf has enough strength to lift a blade

that virtually no other man can lift, a supernatural strength that was looked up to in the Anglo-

Saxon period. The Anglo-Saxons believed their heroes were blessed by God, and thus,

presumably possessed supernatural powers from God. If they did not believe supernatural

strength was real, they certainly hoped for it to exist, as they attributed it to Beowulf, as well as

other heroes of the time. Conversely, Sir Gawain has a knights training, though he is merely a

human. Whereas Beowulf risks his life due to the knowledge that he can defeat his opponents,

Sir Gawain risks his life solely for fidelity to King Arthur, for he think[s] it not seemly when

such challenges be made in your hall that ye yourself should undertake it, while there are many

bold knights who sit beside ye, referring to the challenge of striking the Green Knight (Sir

Gawain 4). Sir Gawain does not back down from his challenge, and when the Green Knight

instructs him to meet him at his home in a year and a day, though he knows that he will seek a

deadly blow, andno more wield his sword in fight, (6) he still [makes] ever good cheer, and

[says], Nay, wherefore should I shrink? What may a man do but prove his fate? (6). One could

argue that Sir Gawains display of bravery in spite of the grim odds of the situation is, in fact,

more courageous than Beowulfs decision to ascend into battle, for Sir Gawain knows he will

likely die and continues to go through with his plan in order to protect Arthur. This fidelity was

important in the Medieval era, as England needed their forces to stand strongly together when

they were involved in a battle. This level of mutual respect was more important in the Medieval

era than the Anglo-Saxon period, as in the Anglo-Saxon period all they needed were strong

fighters, as indicated by the fact that Beowulf is not from Scyldings but Hrothgar still lets him

fight for Scyldings without question. Beowulf has fidelity to Hrothgar due to Hrothgars aid in

Geats some years before the tale begins, though their relationship does not require the same level
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of closeness as the armed forces in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Closeness in Arthurs

army is a necessity, as they are an organized force and need to work in conjunction with one

another, as opposed to the Anglo-Saxon ideal of one hero fighting an entire war.

Due to the exponentially changing eras, the idealism of a hero changes to fit the needs

and desires of the people. As Anglo-Saxon England fought in constant battles against their

enemies, they needed an all-powerful hero with confidence, experience, and supernatural

strength who could presumably save the citizens from danger singlehandedly, and therefore,

Beowulf is an ideal hero for the time period. However, Medieval England was not as heavily

attacked, so they had opportunities to build their army, and army which requires courage, a

knights training, and fidelity to one another and to their leader, and thus, Sir Gawain is an ideal

hero for the Medieval era. So, what is a hero? A hero is the embodiment of what each time period

values.
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Works Cited

Beowulf.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Class Handout.

The American Heritage College Dictionary. Fourth ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, n.d.

Print.