Beowulf is a Danish man, who is a guard for the kings' hall, Hereot. Sir Gawain is an English man, and a knight of the round table. Both work for important people, King Hrothgar and King Arthur. Both men also have a great power. Beowulf has supernatural physical strength, and Sir Gawain has moral strength.
Beowulf's test is to defeat the evil creature Grendel, protecting his hall and soldiers. Sir Gawain's test is to resist temptation to steal a magic belt, and steal the master's wife! Even though both tests are different, Beowulf's test and Gawain's test both test courage. The courage to take on a monster and the courage to resist stealing and keeping you're word! In the end, both succeeded, Grendel was killed, and sir Gawain received his blow, and stayed alive, but both had consequences. Beowulf's friends got killed, and later on Grendel's 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 it's 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 Arthur's knights, and not a mortal enemy.
The main difference in the two poems is the language. The main reason for the change of writing is that both are set in different times. Beowulf is set roughly in the 6th century while Sir Gawain is set in the 10th century. Therefore Beowulf is in Old English and Sir Gawain is in Middle English. Both use very little figurative language at all, which is surprising. In Beowulf there is a simile, describing Grendel. ''From his eyes shot a light in unlovely form of fire''. Both, though, use very descriptive words and give a visual picture. Like in Beowulf when Grendel is eating his victims. '' Gnashed to his bone joints, bolted huge gobbets, sucked at his veins, and had soon eaten, all of the man, from fingers to feet.'' This gives a horrible image using a lot of description, but is very effective. In sir Gawain when the green knight is offering his neck to sir Gawain,'' neatly showing the naked neck, nape and all.'' As well as being descriptive, this phrase uses man words starting with the same letter. This is called alliteration.
Alliteration is the main way both give their poem's rhythm and sound, rather than rhyming. There are many other examples of alliteration in sir Gawain. The next example is in Middle English. ''Steppez into stelbawe and strydez alofte.'' In Modern English this means '', stepped into the stirrup and swung aloft.'' In Beowulf there is also a lot of alliteration. ''A sleeping soldier, savagely tore him,'' and one in Old English,'' Da com of more under misthleopum.'' And in Modern English. ''From off the moorlands misting fells.'' Also in Beowulf, and Old English, compound words are used and like in German, two words are linked to make another word. An example of this in Beowulf is ban-hus, or bone-house or body. Also woruld-Candul, World-candle or the sun.
Both Sir Gawain and Beowulf are excellent poems with great plots. This is what drew me to the poems. Both have courageous heroes, with supernatural powers, and great willpower. In both the villains are also supernatural, and appear to be quite horrible. In both the heroes face a test, and come out mostly victorious, through trials and tribulations. This is a lesson to us all, and was written for society. It sets us an example, so we are selfless, and help others. We will succeed through struggle, and will get a reward. Heroes will always flourish in society, and they both educate and entertain us.
