Beowulf and King Arthur

The Great Ones Reveled Numerous stories about numerous heroes have been told and then retold. All of these heroes do different things and all of them have a different set of qualities which make them heroes. Due to the fact that there are only so many heroic adventures and qualities, most are shared in part with at least one other hero. Such is the case between the great hero, Beowulf, from the epic poem Beowulf and King Arthur from the story of Morte d’Arthur. These great heroes have strong similarities and a great deal of differences. Once their similarities have been compared and then dismissed it is evident that Beowulf is the greater hero of the two. True heroes do good things for good people. Such is the case in Beowulf, Beowulf leaves his homeland to help the Danish people rid themselves of the human eating monster, Grendel. This heroic quality is also evident in Morte d'Arthur, as Arthur consciously rides into a battle in order to rid his people of an evil knight who would not allow others to pass. Both heroes are displaying their concern for others by risking themselves in battle for the greater good. In the same aspect they are also striving for love and respect from the people they protect. In order to obtain maximum respect per battle, both Beowulf and Arthur enter into battle somewhat alone. Beowulf specifically asks, “That [he], alone and with the help of [his] men, / May purge all evil from [the] hall” (Beowulf, line 165-166). His request is granted by Hrothgar, King of the Danes, so he and his man enter into the battle themselves and when Grendel is defeated, the glory, love and respect belong solely to Beowulf and his men. Arthur does the same, “he met with his man and his horse, and so mounted up and dressed his shield and took his spear, and bade his chamberlain tarry there till he came again” (Morte d’Arthur paragraph 20). Although Arthur begins his journey alone he does meet up with Merlin, the court magician and faithful companion, who accompanies him. Much like Beowulf, Arthur gains great respect and praise from all men of worship by fighting alone, even though it is not necessarily the smartest thing to do. The characteristic of being fearless when faced with death is often a trait of heroes because it is associated with courage and strength. King Arthur and Beowulf are not afraid to die, thus showing their courage to their adversaries and peers. When Arthur is faced with death he declares, “welcome be it when it cometh, but to yield me unto thee as [cowardly] I had liefer die than to be so shamed.” (Morte d’Arthur, paragraph 34). Simply put he would rather die than admit to defeat and being cowardly. Beowulf feels much the same way about death. He illustrates this by showing no fear for his own life but instead expressing concern for the honor of King Higlac by asking that, “if death does take [him], send the hammered / Mail of [his] armor to Higlac” (Beowulf, line 186-187). In sending his King his armor it recommits himself to his country and lets his King be reminded of his bravery every time he looks upon it. That is the extent to which Beowulf and King Arthur are similar. Beowulf has way more confidence in his fighting ability then Arthur has in his. This is evident in the fact that Beowulf fights Grendel unarmed, he says “my hands / Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life” (Beowulf, line 172-173). His reasoning behind this is that Grendel’s, “scorn of men / Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none [so] / Nor will [he]” (Beowulf, line 167-169). By facing Grendel unarmed to shows that he is brave and more importantly unafraid to be equal to Grendel. Since Grendel is going to fight without the use of weapons, Beowulf creates equality and therefore more respect upon himself by doing the same. Were as the much less confident Arthur fights only with weapons and once his wounds were amended his first thought was, “I have no sword” (Morte d’Arthur, paragraph 41) followed by the task of finding him a sword. This demonstrates Arthur’s weakness in his dependence of weapons and thus Beowulf’s greatness in comparison. Beowulf is

indeed the greater hero as the help he received from his men was useless, not by fault of his men but by the simple fact that Grendel, “had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells / That blunted every mortal man’s blade” (Beowulf, line 322-323). Since Beowulf’s men could give him no help due to Grendel’s spell, he had to defeat the monster by himself with his bear hands. Arthur on the other hand lost his battle. First Arthur lost a jousting match then lost on the ground when “the knight smote King Arthur’s sword in two pieces” (Morte d’Arthur, paragraph 32). Merlin had to come to his rescue at this point and by using his magic he put the knight to sleep for a period of three hours. So to recap Beowulf defeated a monster with no aid from his companions and Arthur could not even defeat a knight, he instead he had to rely on the aid of magic from Merlin. Even thought both King Arthur and Beowulf are great heroes, Beowulf emerges as the greater of the two. He does this through his successful feats only, not through his heroic qualities. For when comparing the heroic qualities of Arthur and Beowulf they come up pretty even. Both demonstrate a great love for others as they both try to do good things for commendable people. Their differences in heroism might be due to the fact that Arthur is a young hero in comparison to Beowulf who is an experienced hero. Either way they, like most heroes, have similarities and differences, this makes them who they are, commendable and memorable fantasy characters.

A Comparison of King Arthur and Beowulf

      Sir Thomas Malory brings forth a courageous character , "King Arthur", utilizing weaponry and leadership, to enlighten the reader of the unique characteristics of a true hero, on the other hand, the unknown author of "Beowulf", depicts the Anglo-Saxan era to tell a story of one who fights to better society.  The noble King moves as a unit with his men and pride to protect and serve the kinsmen of his realm.  Beowulf wards off evil, unaccompanied, with nothing but his hands.

      As a distinct hero of the Medieval Period, King Arthur relied greatly upon his arms and retainers.  "Take thou here Excalibur..."  The King had a extraordinary sword which he brought forth and kept at his side  at all times.  He fought many battles and bore great trust into his prominent sword.  "`Now give me my spear.'  Then the King got his spear in his hands and ran towards Mordred."  The mighty Arthur depended largely upon weapons as an alternative to hand-to-hand combat.  "He behold that noble sword - That the pommel and the haft was all preious stones."  The distinguished Excalibur was carried and shown with dignity.  Immense care and respect was imposed into the weapons of the king.  The noble King Arthur utilized the arms of his time, opposed to Beowulf's unarmed way of battle.

      Described as the strongest man in the world, Beowulf voyages across seas slaying evil demons with nothing but his bare hands.  "...Knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man whose hands where harder."  In the confrontation of Grendel and Beowulf, our hero brings forth a force greater than the unmerciful dragon.  Weaponless, Beowulf slays the dragon with his divine tools of god.  "And was instantly seized himself, claws bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm."  Beowulf was seen as a hero who conquered

the evils with his sheer strength.  "Strongest of the Geats - Greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in the world."  Beowulf was a hero for who he was, a physically superior being.  Additionally, he was adored by the Geats for his personality and mentality, along with his accomplishments of bettering society.

        King Arthur and Beowulf differed in their beliefs and ways of battle.  "I alone...... may purge all evil from this hall..."  Alone and unarmed, Beowulf fights as a hero.  Beowulf does not fight in a group or army.  "The battle was over, Beowulf had been granted new glory."  Unlike the noble King Arthur, Beowulf fights unaccompanied to improve society.  "And when the host of both parties saw that sword raised, they blew beams, trumpets, and horns, and shoned grimly."  The two sides, at the battlegrounds, where organized, united and lead under the control of King Arthur and Mordred. Orders proposed and given by the leaders governed the actions of the soldiers unlike Beowulf's solitary way of fighting.

      King Arthur, a distinguished leader, relied greatly upon the use of arms.  He lead an army, of "men in mail", against other troops.  Beowulf, fought to rescue a group of people and help the needy.  Both heroes fight and exploit characteristics found in models to society. Bravery, strength, leadership, helping the underprivileged, are attributes seen in the "good guys" of today.  These characters have adapted these methods and utilized them in the situation.

Beowulf, Sir Gawain and King Arthur - Three Heroes    

The three heroes discussed here, Beowulf, Sir Gawain and King Arthur, are heroes for different reasons. Beowulf, our earliest hero, is brave but his motivation is different than then other two. To Sir Gawain personal honor and valor is what is important. King Arthur, Sir Gawain's uncle, is naturally the quintessential king of the medieval period. Though all men to a certain extent share the same qualities, some are more pronounced than in the others. It is important to see how these qualities are central to their respective stories and how it helps (or hinders) them in their journeys.

The greatest value of Beowulf is his bravery, some may say bravado. There is no doubt that he is a great warrior. Beowulf's heroism belongs to a different time than that of King Arthur or Sir Gawain. For that reason his bragging about his prowess might seem decidedly unheroic. When he tells Unferth "I count it true that I had more courage, More strength in swimming than any other man" (514-15 (41) it might be interpreted in a poor way. What he is saying though is true. In addition, in order for him to succeed he must orally deliver his resume. Nevertheless, bragging aside, Beowulf is undoubtedly a brave man. When Beowulf sets out to kill Grendel's mother he simply "donned his armor for battle, Heeded not the danger..." (1328-29 60). When his sword fails him he uses his physical strength: "On the might of his hand, as a man must do Who thinks to win in the welter of battle Enduring glory; he fears not death" (1420-23 62). Certainly he is in search of fame. Though this is true it must not discount his brave actions. He gains his fame truthfully by doing battle with menaces to society. He does not lie or

manipulate to achieve fame, he uses what is rightfully his, his bravery. Beowulf's bravery differs from that of King Arthur's for several reasons. King Arthur by being king must be brave, to rule the state people must respect him. Beowulf's bravery carries the story. One because it details his ascension in fame and secondly it also outlines his downfall.

The honor of Sir Gawain is his best value, though he suffered a set-back. His honor is the catalyst for what happens through the rest of the poem. First Sir Gawain respectfully asks to participate in the game with the Green Knight. He feels he is the person to act in the game as he is "the weakest, the most wanting in wisdom...And my life, if lost, would be least missed, truly" (354-5 295). This surely is not true, but to Gawain the valor is necessary. It is also honorable as King Arthur had first accepted the challenge by the Green Knight. King Arthur's possible death, as head of the state, would be devastating to the community. As Gawain tells King Arthur: "this affair is too foolish to fall you" (358 295). The rules of the game are set and Gawain swears to find the Green Knight again in a year. "Here is my oath on it, in absolute honor" (403 296)! He proves his honor by setting out to find the Green Knight a year later; even though he does not know where he lives and is certain his death will come about form the meeting. The poem's main theme is Gawain's honor and it is tested. He basically keeps his honor even in the face of great temptation. As when the Lady of the house tries to seduce him. Nevertheless he falters in trying to protect his life. But he does redeem himself by admitting his duplicity to the Green Knight, and learning from his experience. Beowulf in contrast does not learn. That is why he finds himself battling a dragon in his advanced age. Gawain's honor differs from King Arthur's as I believe Gawain feels he has more to prove than King Arthur. King Arthur naturally is honorable and wise. He acts when it is necessary.

King Arthur's best value is his natural humble leadership ability. He differs from the other heroes the most because these abilities seem to be natural-born. He does not have to work at his abilities. King Arthur never purposely set out to prove his worth, as both Beowulf and Sir Gawain did. The title of his story Le Morte D'Arthur leads to an important point: King Arthur is most eloquent even in his death. While he is fatally wounded, he has the humility to wax kindly on his fallen knight: "this to me a full heavy sight, to see this noble duke die for my sake, for he would have helped me, that had more need of help than I" (454)! This quotation proves his worth, for he truly appreciates the allegiance to him. He even has patience with Sir Bedivere, who betrays his orders. It is only after Sir Bedivere twice disobeys him that King Arthur loses his patience: I shall slay thee [with] my own hands, for thou wouldst for my rich sword see me dead (455). It can be argued that Beowulf would have hacked the man apart after he first disobeyed him. King Arthur's values are important to story as he must lead the country. As King it was necessary for him to stand up to the Green Knight even if he thought it foolish. Certainly since his time, the future kings of England have had to compete with his legend.

Surely the three men described here, Beowulf, Sir Gawain and King Arthur are heroes. They hold heroic qualities such as bravery, valor and chivalry. But it is interesting to note that there greatest qualities are often their downfall. If Beowulf was less brave, most likely he would not have been fighting a dragon as an elderly person. Sir Gawain's honor is the cause for his encounter with the Green Knight. he forgets it and falls into the Green Knights trap. King Arthur's sureness in his loyalty with his knights leads Sir

Bedivere to waste precious time that might have saved his life. In considering heroes it is important to remember that for as strong as the values are, if they are to be considered true heroes, they must have their faults. This should not discount from their achievements, but serve to enhance them. By showing that any person, regardless of their heroism, is a tangible human being with blemishes.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Song of Roland

        In mythological Europe, knightly heroes abounded whereever one could choose to roam.  There are hundreds of tales of knights who embodied the concept of chivalry, slew huge dragons, slew legions of foes in single combat, and still made it home in time for dinner.  Of all these tales, ballads and poems, a few have risen to the fore front of the genre as an example for the rest of the stories to follow.  I will be comparing the positive and negative personality traits of two heroes from the famous poems "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "The Song of Roland."          On the lighter side, both Gawain and Roland had more positive attributes than they did negative.  Both men were honorable, almost to a fault.  For example in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" Gawain agreed to be on time for his own execution:  "Nor I know you not, knight, your name nor your court. But tell me truly thereof, and teach me your name, and I shall fare forth to find you, so far as I may, andthis I say in good certain, and swear upon oath.”(G&GK, pt.1, ln. 400-403)  

        Gawain's agreement might have been honorable, but it doesn't strike me as particularly bright.  Roland had the same type of problem.  His honor also got him to into trouble.  One perfect example of this was when Roland made his Uncle Ganelon so angry by antagonizing him that Ganelon used Roland's concept of honor to make Roland take the rear guard and be slaughtered.  Roland antagonized Ganelon by saying:  "Quoth Roland:  ' Ganelon my step she is the man" (SOR, ln.229)  Roland also felt honor bound not to call for reinforcements against the pagan horde until almost every single one of the knights were dead.  "Companion Roland, your Olifant now sound!  King Charles will hear and turn his armies round; hell succour us with all his kingly power.'  Roland replies:  'may never god allow that I should cast dishonour on my house or fair France!"  (SOR, ln.1063-1068)  To go along with that incredible sense of honor, Gawain was the best man in King Arthur's court with weapons.  Gawain might have been fairly humble about it, but the poet emphasizes Gawain's prowess with weapons by self deprecation.  "While so bold men about upon benches sit, that no host under heaven is hardier of will, Nor better brothers-in-arms where battle is joined;  I am the weakest, well I know" (G&GK, ln. 351-354)  Roland was even more so, fighting exquisitely with sword, lance, and ax to defeat legions of pagans in "The Song of Roland."  "Leopard nor lion ne'er grew so fierce as he (Roland)"  (SOR, ln.1115)  Both Roland and Gawain are portrayed as totally above board and honest.  Gawain promises to show up for his execution, and indeed he does.  Roland promises to take up the rear guard with a minimum of men.    Both of these men embodied the attributes of chivalry.

        On the other hand, some of those same attributes helped to get Gawain and Roland into trouble.  For example, even though both Gawain and Roland were honorable, Gawain nearly lost his head due to his honor when he made his deal with the Green Knight to trade blows in 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'.  Gawain's lack of fear also caused him to take on opponents much more dangerous than he could handle by himself.  When the Green Knight suddenly popped into existence in the middle of King Arthur's hall on a green horse, it shouldn't have taken a rocket scientist to figure out that a non-magical fighter isn't going to fare too well against this particular opponent.  Roland had the same problem. Taking on incredibly long odds was apparently a knightly characteristic that wasn't on the 'most desirable chivalric habits' list.  Neither of the two appeared to be much of a people person, antagonizing and fighting with people who were better off being friends.  Gawain was involved in an affair (stole some kis ses!) with the Green Knight's wife while he was vacationing in their castle prior to his scheduled meeting with the Green Knight as he had agreed to the previous New Year's Eve.  Roland angered  Ganelon and paid for it with his life. Roland just wasn't too bright when it came to politics, apparently.  All of these attributes might be considered undesirable in a knight.

        Though the characteristics of honor, fearlessness, and poor people skills might seem to be perfect for a knight, a perfect hero just doesn't seem realistic to a listener or a reader with out some sort of a vice or flaw.  It makes them seem closer and more human to who the reader.  This is important to a good story, simply because if a hero is totally unbelievable the ballad becomes more of a tall tale or a story to be laughed at.   And while it might be fun to laugh at a "B" ballad every once in awhile, it just doesn't compare to a good action plot line.  As a result, Gawain and Roland each flaws.  Roland's just happens to be terminal.