Comparing and Contrasting Beowulf & Sir Gawain as English Archetypal Heroes
**This was written for a class assignment**
Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are English poems with unknown authors, though the versions referenced were translated by Seamus Heaney and J.R.R. Tolkien, respectively. Beowulf, as a character, goes from being a loyal acolyte to a hero and king in his own right. Sir Gawain similarly goes from being a knight in King Arthur’s court to facing the Green Knight. Ruth Karras writes, “Medieval culture… placed a high importance on the rejection of wordly status… lack of self-reliance, and utter dependence on God in all things” (Karras). Part of medieval culture, of course, was the stories told over generations. [As part of the collective unconscious, Heroic archetypes from these stories can be used to analyze cultural ideas.] The personal ambition, self-identity, and fatalistic beliefs of Beowulf and Sir Gawain as characters express an evolution in English archetypal heroes.
The personal ambition of Beowulf and Sir Gawain are limited, showing a “rejection of wordly status”, and therefore emphasizing their roles as archetypal heroes. Their differences also express a change over time. Beowulf’s personal ambition is limited to honoring his lineage. Gawain’s sacrificial bravery in challenging the Green Knight and his resistance to Lady Bertilak’s advances come as a result of his intrinsic motivation to honor the values of knighthood. Beowulf, in his first address to Hrothgar, promises a “hand-to-hand” battle with Grendel “to heighten Hygelac’s fame” (Heaney 30). He ventures to Geatland to “follow up an old friendship” of his father’s and extols Wiglaf as “the last of us”; Beowulf’s intrinsic motivation is clear (Heaney 27, 189). Beowulf’s devotion to his kin is core to his heroic actions. Sir Gawain provides an evolution of this devotion.“The dominant medieval model of masculinity”, and therefore of archetypal heroes, was the “chivalric male”, according to Karras (Karras). The Gawain poet describes the five pillars of chivalry as“hasped upon [Gawain] harder than on any man else”. This shows how instead of a devotion to kin, the focus now is on chivalry (Tolkien 48). In contrast, even the competition with Breca is beneficial to the legacy of Beowulf’s family. Helterman writes, “The battle is not Beowulf vs. Breca, but men against the sea… [Beowulf] succeeds in opening the sea lanes to the commerce of man” (Helterman). Besides allowing his kin access to the sea, Beowulf, according to Helterman, proves his worthiness to defeat Grendel, and therefore, honors his lineage, by winning the challenge. In summary, Beowulf expressed a heroic archetype that relied on familial devotion, while Sir Gawain instead showed an archetype based on values.
The self-identity of Beowulf and Sir Gawain also shows a difference in archetypal, English heroes. Beowulf’s first speech to Hrothgar contains references to his “great triumphs” and “awesome strength”; he also promises to only use “[his] own men to help [him], and nobody else” (Heaney 30–31). Beowulf, as an archetypal hero of the time, expresses arrogance when compared to Sir Gawain. In his request to fight the Green Knight, Gawain proclaims that “[he] is the weakest… in wit feeblest, and the least loss”, and is therefore best suited to the task (Tolkien 37). Gawain even “lamented his misdeed” of praying for comfort on Christmas, though he suffered the whole time he was traveling in the forest. (Tolkien 52). Gawain’s attitude towards his sacrifice shows a shift in archetype. While Beowulf didn’t necessarily seek “wordly status”, the example above shows a relishing of the status he had. Gawain, unlike Beowulf, expresses humility by “rejecting” any status he had. This shows an evolution in the English hero archetype.
Beowulf and Sir Gawain express a change in the idea of fate as a protector; while both characters have an “utter dependence on God”, their thoughts on fate differ. Helterman described the role of fate in Beowulf this way: “In his symbolic role, Beowulf determines his own fate… as historical man, his fate is determined by God” (Helterman). Gawain differs in this respect. His response to worries about his fate early on explains it all: “Why should I be dismayed? Of doom the fair or drear by a man must be assayed” (Tolkien 45). In the Beowulf poet’s descriptions of battles; for example, Beowulf being protected by his “war-gear” is a “victory” that was “decided” by “holy God” (Heaney 107). Beowulf himself says, when referring to the coming battle with Grendel, “whichever one death fells must deem it a just judgement by God” (Heaney 31). Gawain does not mention a belief in God while alleviating his fears; he simply accepts that the “doom” may or may not be severe, and pushes onward. Though Beowulf made the choice to wear this gear and fight Grendel, his success is attributed to God. Beowulf, the archetypal hero of the time, is written so that his fate is determined by a higher being and not by his own actions. Gawain, in his quote, expresses an idea of personal intervention as part of fate — “by a man must be assayed” — in contrast to the Beowulf poet. This, in turn, shows an evolution in the English heroic archetype from one whose fate is reliant on the whims of a God to one with the ability to take charge in that aspect.
Carl Jung’s idea of archetype expresses that certain ideas cross time and place. The hero archetype in particular is one based on cultural ideals. Beowulf was a hero driven by lineage, one who wasn’t afraid to indulge in his status, and one who relied on outside forces to determine his fate. Gawain was a hero driven by morals: chivalry, humility, and interventionism. The evolution of English archetypal heroes from Beowulf to Sir Gawain mirror our own emotional maturation. English culture matured from the time of Beowulf to the time of Gawain, just as we do when we stop acting on our emotions and start acting on our morals. A civilization can’t be built on feelings alone; this evolution reflects that. Similarly, a mature individual can’t be one who acts on impulse; a set of values must guide their actions. The changes in archetype from Beowulf to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight express this concept.
Works Cited
Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf (Bilingual Edition). W. W. Norton & Company, 2001.
Helterman, Jeffrey. “Beowulf: The Archetype Enters History.” ELH, vol. 35, no. 1, 1968, p. 1, www.jstor.org/stable/2872333?read-now=1&seq=5#page_scan_tab_contents.
Karras, Ruth M. From Boys to Men: Formations of Masculinity in Late Medieval Europe. U of Pennsylvania P, 2003, books.google.com/books?id=wZGLIP9NUvgC&dq=medieval+english+masculinity&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s.
Tolkien, J.R. R. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo. Random House Digital, 1980.
