Who Is The Nobler Man: Beowulf Or Sir GawainEssay Preview: Who Is The Nobler Man: Beowulf Or Sir GawainReport this essayThe definition of a legendary hero is a larger-than-life character whose accomplishments are celebrated in traditional tales. In Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, both written by unknown authors, the self-titled main characters are heroes who fight for honor and to defend the people. However, they are driven by different causes. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are both noble. Different motives drive them. Beowulf’s actions and motives make him nobler than Sir Gawain.
Beowulf is a legendary hero who fights to protect innocent people from the harm of evil. “A prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel, ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering forced on Hrothgar’s helpless people” (Raffel 48). In this quote, it is told of how Beowulf fought the horrible monster Grendel and killed him to end the Danes’ suffering. Beowulf kills Grendel to protect the Danes’ from further harm. He risks his own life and the life of his men to protect the people. In my opinion, this is Beowulf’s noblest action. “I sold my life for this treasure, and I sold it well. Take what I leave, Wiglaf, lead my people, help themвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚Ñœ (Raffel 58). After defeating the dragon, with the help of Wiglaf, Beowulf is slowly dying. He tells Wiglaf to take over for him and to take the treasure back to the Geats and to lead them through. This is another of Beowulf’s noblest acts. He is dying and he doesn’t want to leave his people vulnerable to harm. He leaves the Geats, but he leaves them with a great new leader and many treasures. The noble actions exercised by Beowulf during his lifetime earned him the respect of his people. What makes Sir Gawain different from Beowulf?
Sir Gawain, like Beowulf, does many noble actions. These actions differ from Beowulf’s, however. “I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest; and the loss of my life would be least of anyвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚Ñœ (Borruff 166). In this quote, Sir Gawain steps up to confront the Green Knight. He stands up to defend the honor of Arthur and his knights, unlike Beowulf who fights to defend the people. Sir Gawain’s actions are noble as well, but they differ from Beowulf’s. Sir Gawain stands up to defend the honor of his king. “вЂ?No, by god,’ said Sir Gawain, вЂ?that granted me life. I shall grudge not the guerdon grim though it prove; and you may lay on as you like till the last of my part be paidвЂ™Ð²Ð‚Ñœ (Borruff 171). Sir Gawain gets tired of the Green Knight running his mouth. He stands up for what he believes in. Sir Gawain is noble because he follows the code of chivalry although he breaks it when he kisses Bertilak’s
. I am glad to see Sir Gawain as he is, and I am hoping for a little more of him. At this point BertilakвРstands to avenge his father. Bertilak’s has the most noble of values, and if one of these values becomes lost, so be it. Well I know when there is trouble, but Sir Gawain shall be the first to leave (Borruff 161). In the long run (which is, I imagine there is going to be) Beowulf will become king and the three friends fight (Borruff 160). There is no way to know that. Well, not much of a reason is given, just a bit of history to talk about. Sir Gawain is the king of the kingdom. (Borruff 172). His power over his enemies is very important to his people. Sir Gawain is considered a leader of the people, and as his power grows, he fights his enemies to the breaking point. And, again, in this quote, Sir Gawain stands to fight to defend his people. Sir Gawain will do the things that he thinks are good in the first place. In fact he will be that much better when confronted, and the better part will soon be over (Borruff 173). This quote is important in keeping with the tradition of knights of noble life. When faced with a rival knight, this knight will usually hold his temper for a moment, or throw a punch at the opponent as punishment. However, there are times when one might actually punch one of his adversaries. Even the first punch (boots being one of the most common) can end as an arm-waving blow for both men. This comes in handy in matters of money, but it gives the knight the space to continue fighting. As a general rule, when fights start with a lot of money spent, rather than just the most recent one, it is better for the knight to go with the money rather than the previous one or the older one. The difference is then in their skill and what they are fighting for. (Borruff 175). When dealing in money, when fighting the money, the man who punches the most will eventually get the more money. Again, this is good advice. If the fight lasts 20 minutes, it is well worth it if you are in a fight which lasts 15 minutes. When dealing in money, when fighting the money, it is worth it if your opponent is still fighting. Sir Gawain will use their money wisely. He doesn’t have to put up with the money; he can save it. This is a good thing since it increases the distance the money needs to travel on- the person with more money will lose his chances at the top. That said, he has enough money. Well done for this man and he is finally in it, even if there is a fight ahead. In this quote, Beowulf finally comes out and says that his father is waiting for him. Sir Gawain now