Compare and contrast sir gawain and the green knight

Comparison And Contrast: Medieval Characteristics

Comparison and Contrast: Medieval Characteristics 1

Sir Gawain is shown to be courteous, formidable, fierce, compassionate and a loyal person to the king and his family. The story portrays the hero to be more human. Sir Gawain is faced with Green Knight challenge. This is because when Green Knight appeared in court belonging to King Arthur he caused the disturbance by asking all those present in court to strike each other promising to give away his finely-crafted axe as the prize. The test which appears to be simple puts Gawain into conflict with Green Knight. Gawain honors his uncle King Arthur when Knight came to challenge him in his castle (Dolsen, 2011).

Sir Gawain faces several physical challenges as he tries to look for the Green Chapel a characteristic used to determine if one will become a hero. Gawain comes into constant battles with wolves and serpents in the process of proving to be a hero. Gawain is also tempted in Bercilak's castle by Lady Bercilak's who gives him advances and gifts that he refused to take. He, however, accepted her green girdle meant for protection and in the end, it becomes clear that his true enemy was not Green Knight but rather his true self since he feared death. He, however, overcomes the fear but fails since he had taken the girdle. He becomes a true hero by realizing his mistakes and continued wearing the green girdle to signify his disgrace (Dolsen, 2011).

In Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid story, there is the creation of supernatural being. The two stories show the concept of a fixed order of events known as fate. First, laws exist that govern some parts of men's lives including afterlife and human mortality. Secondly, fate concerns itself with results that men and God cannot change or simply inevitable results from some events (Dolsen, 2011).

There is an existence of unchangeable laws in both Homer and Virgil heroin story including the mortality of human beings. This is shown widely in the story when character after the character dies in war. For instance, in Virgil's, when Aeneas visits his father in Hades he talked to several warriors who had died in the Trojan War. The death of the warriors symbolizes the mortality of human beings. The period of limbo is also an unchangeable law that awaits the souls of the unburied after death. The two stories, therefore, shows the belief in life after death especially when Homer indicates the law by writing about the return Patroklos' spirit to remind Achilles that he must wander the world until he is properly buried. This, therefore, shows the belief of Virgil's and Homer on the unchangeable law (Dolsen, 2011).

The second fate of unchangeable destined happening of an event is shown with the fall of Troy. Homer argues that the destruction of Troy had been foretold by Hekuba's son in his dream that Paris' will be the cause. A seer confirmed the prophecy and although Hekuba tried to change the disaster by having Paris killed, fate took cause and Troy was destroyed due to Paris' judgment on the golden apple of discord. Virgil also has a similar situation when Venus pleads with Jupiter to help Aeneas with his journey. At the end of the two wars, every hero was to kill their one enemy. Achilles ended up killing Hector who was the bravest among the Trojan army and Aeneas kills Turnus who was the Hero of the Latins (Dolsen, 2011).

The heroes theme is characteristic of medieval literature in the sense that at the time heroin stories portraying heroes as supernatural being beings got drummed well into the ears of people at the moment. The feeling of having warriors with extra powers fighting in battles gave human being a sense of safety since by virtue of their heroes being able to do unexpected made the stories more saleable. Medieval literature portrays the church to be a powerful institution and for one's literature to survive one had to write texts that were appealing to the teaching of the church. The heroes themes, therefore, had to be appealing to the people of that time (Dolsen, 2011).

The three heroes have the similarity of them having extra powers or showing bravery when faced with challenging situations. Gawain, for instance, went to war to save his uncle while Achilles and Aeneas ended up killing their enemies. The aspect makes them be seen as brave and cannot back down irrespective of challenges faced. This shows that all heroes are brave and are always willing to protect their loved ones but at the end of the day still remain human because of their weaknesses (Dolsen, 2011).

The three heroes are however different in their own ways given that Gawain feared death by all means but Achilles and Aeneas were supernatural and believed in life after death. The aspect portrays that despite one being a hero they are bound to die after all. The selected medieval piece during its time motivated and gave people the urge to continue with their daily fights and at the same time be hopeful that they will win (Dolsen, 2011).

References

Dolsen, R., (2011) Holding out for a hero: Tribune Business News; Washington: 09 Oct 2011