Made to Order Hero

Made to Order Hero

Many times in life we encounter an individual that touches us in some profound way. The relation of this individual to the person they are influencing is as diverse as the personal experiences that causes this admiration. This individual, or hero, can impact and totally change the direction of someone's life. A hero can be anyone, from a professional athlete, to a public service figure, to a relative or parent. Each hero is defined by an individual's definition of what a hero is and should be. The definition of a hero has not always been this liberal. As time and the world have progressed so has the definition of the word hero. The poems Beowulf and Sir Gawin and the Green Knight are shining examples of how the definition of a hero can change. Using these two poems I will demonstrate the fact that the standards that need to be met, or the heroic code, is an ever-changing definition that evolves and adapts with the progression of time.

Beowulf and Sir Gawain are both considered heroes by their peers, but they must both conform to a different set of standards to maintain their identity as a hero. Each set of standards seems representative of the times in which each story takes place. The story of Beowulf takes place before the story of Gawain, in a time that is more primitive and violent era, a time when manhood and heroism were defined by the way of the sword and not the way of the word. Gawain on the other hand, appears to dwell in a place and time that puts more emphasis on honoring one’s word and not on proving ones self with a weapon. Beowulf can be considered pre-Christian, thus naturally he followed a more barbaric, violent code. Gawain seems to abide by the Christian code of values, possibly influenced by the church and the Bible. Gawain seems to make an effort to be more noble and less like a savage. This is proven throughout the Gawain poem as the setting and attire appear far more sophisticated and proper than in the Beowulf poem. “Perhaps the repeated emphasis on complex design and lavish display is enough to imply a date towards the end of the century” (Vantuono XVII). The end of the 14th century places Gawain in a time that had been influenced by the Christian belief, therefore explaining why he tends to follow a heroic code that places emphasis on being proper, knowing what to say and when to say it, and less emphasis on just how great of a killer one can be.

Gawain keeps his word to the Green Knight because the laws of that time governed how they acted. Beowulf followed what he believed was right, helping out a friend in need and keeping his word. Gawain searches out the Green Knight and fulfills his commitment because it was how he was raised; it was the thing the law said was right. “…There were penalties for violation of the spoken bond in medieval society, related legality to Christian morality-violation of contracts with man to breaking faith with God” (Vantuono XXVI). Gawain keeps his word in order to stay right with the Lord God, whereas Beowulf does not appear to be influenced by God, only by himself and his belief that he should help out others whom had previously aided he and his family.

Perhaps the story within the Poem of Gawain and the Green Knight provides us with the best possible view of the Christian influence on the heroic code. The story itself seems to somewhat parallel the Biblical story of the life of Jesus Christ. Gawain steps forward and takes on the Green Knight for King Arthur, knowing full well that in one year and a day the Green Knight was to repay Gawain with the same action. This is very similar to the idea that Christ came to earth to take on the sins of His people, knowing full well that the result would be His death instead of ours. Later Gawain must fend off the temptations offered by others to flee and not keep his word. Gawain speaks to a man about directions to

find the Green Knight and the man tells Gawain to run off and hide so that he might live. “Go off by some other road, in God’s own name!”

(Longman 240). Christ was similarly tempted by Satan who offered Christ all he could ever want. But just as Christ rejected the devil’s attempts to change him, Gawain follows through on his word and goes forth to meet his destiny.

The story of Beowulf is a story of a man considered a hero amongst his peers. His feats of great strength and bravery travel far beyond his actual being. Everyone believes that he has no fear and that he cannot be conquered, therefore he is his or her hero. When Beowulf learns of the plight of the people of Hrothgar he knows that he must go to confront the evil that has befallen them:

A thane of Hygelac heard in his homeland

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