Main Ideas and Themes of Beowulf Essay - 1138 Words

Beowulf and Sir Gawain have many things in common. We will be discussing them later on, but their main similarity is that theyre both heroes. A hero is a person who must pass through a test and a battle (mental, spiritual or physical) to help someone else. He must be selfless, and act for others rather than himself. All societies have supported heroes, like the ancient Greeks Hercules and the modern day Spiderman. These are hero stereotypes, with supernatural powers. Heroes dont have to be stereotypes, but can be firemen, policemen or soldiers. Two famous heroes in ancient literature are Beowulf and Sir Gawain. Beowulf is about a guard who must destroy a destructive monster who has†¦show more content†¦Beowulfs test is to defeat the evil creature Grendel, protecting his hall and soldiers. Sir Gawains test is to resist temptation to steal a magic belt, and steal the masters wife! Even though both tests are different, Beowulfs test and Gawains test both test courage. The courage to take on a monster and the courage to resist stealing and keeping youre word! In the end, both succeeded, Grendel was killed, and sir Gawain received his blow, and stayed alive, but both had consequences. Beowulfs friends got killed, and later on Grendels mother attacks him, and sir Gawain had been given a cut to his neck, and lost his honor. The test the heroes have to face, is often put up by a villain, and both have their fair share of villains. In Beowulf the enemy is a dark monster, which eats human and has super-strength, enough to bend iron. In Sir Gawain, the apparent villain is the green knight, who challenges sir Gawain to a grueling beheading contest. After its head falls off, he is not harmed, so he has some weird magical qualities. Both have supernatural powers and striking appearances, but the difference is that in sir Gawain and the green knight, the green knight is just the master of the kingdom in disguise, testing the nobility of King Arthurs knights, and not a mortal enemy. The main difference in the two poems is theShow MoreRelatedGood vs. Evil Found in Beowulf807 Words   |  3 PagesGood vs. Evil Found in Beowulf In the story of Beowulf, there are many different themes found. Many people argue the main theme found in this story. This has been argued for a very long time and will go on for many more years to come. Although many themes in this story stick out and a main theme will never be accepted, one main theme is very noticeable in the story of Beowulf. The main theme found in Beowulf is good versus evil. 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