Essay on The Changing Concept of Hero - 988 Words

When the hero was first struggling to be defined, there were many different observations and opinions readily available to be thrown into the melting pot of the definition. Because there was no television, the heroes in the beginnings of British Literature were spoken of and read about then passed down through generations. Reading these stories in this day and age is interesting to look at because we can trace the difference in the heroes throughout Beowlf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Faerie Queene and therefore literally throughout time. The differences that can be seen are the characters armor, the enemies that are being faced, and the values of each of them. Beowulf has no known author but it is thought to be written†¦show more content†¦He fights for and works hard to bring together the Danes and the Geats. Beowulf put his life on the line for his people time and again and proved himself each time. His death in the end brought his people together to mourn him as he would have wanted. Beowulf is a hero because of his unfailing faith, his people’s belief in him and his reputation as the greatest warrior in the world. The author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is also unknown but the date of publication is between 1375 and 1400. This is after the Norman Conquest, the Catholic church was the church of the country and the oral representations of stories like this were now being written. Gawain has more humanistic tendencies than Beowulf. He is tempted and can not completely refute that temptation. His humanistic tendencies make him a different hero than Beowulf altogether because Beowulf was a hero who could not seem to fail. Sir Gawain, when put under stress is not able to make a decision about what is the right thing to do. Bringing Sir Gawain down to the reader’s level is a new way to view the hero in that time. Sir Gawain’s armor is elaborately laid out and described unlike any of the other heroes being discussed. According to Professor Bruce McGee, the description of his armor seems to be thought of as a representation of his people’s convictions and standards. The penta ngle in the middle of his shield is eternal and incorruptible as a whole. The five points symbolize five senses faultless,Show MoreRelatedDifferences Between American Films And Hindi Films1297 Words   |  6 PagesDifferent cultures have different concepts of masculinity. If one were to compare American films and Hindi film tropes, there would be some vast differences. For instance the American action heroes tend to treat the damsel as an item, while in Hindi films the character shows his affection openly and often times there is not a rough exterior that must be broken to see the caring man. This idea has also evolved in certain ways in the coming decades of hindi films. 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