The Hero Quest In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf.

Maria Valentina Neira Gonzalez

02/14/2019

Profesor Mcgrath
 In this paper, I will compare and contrast the difference between Beowulf and Sir

Gawain and the Green Knight to The Hero Quest or Hero’s Journey, as it is most

common known. According to Mathew Winkler a Hero's journey always starts with the

Hero being in his comfort zone as in Beowulf. Beowulf is a noble warrior with all the

power and the desire to help his king Hrothgar, king of Danes, when the kingdom is been

attacked by the horrible monster Grendel. In Sir Gawain and the Green knight, there is a

bigger emphasis on the first step of the hero's journey, when Sir Gawain courageously

volunteers to fight the mysterious rider. This shows the Comparison with the hero's quest.

Having the hero to accept or be in the position of been out of his comfort zone.

In addition and mostly important part of the hero's quest, is the call of adventure.

In Beowulf, he is empowered to do so, by his will and loyalty to the kingdom and the

king to protect it alongside with other warriors. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir

Gawain is moving forward to play with the mysterious rider and it is to defeat him on this

new task. Showing the call to adventure that the main character has to go and embark

himself in this journey.

Third, the hero's quest is the denial, the refusal of the call or as many say the calling. In

Beowulf, there is no reference about the refusal to the calling to protect the kingdom, as a noble

warrior, there has not been a problem for him to follow his calling. the other hand, Sir Gawain,
as a young knight and along with other knights, has some doubts of going and embarking

himself in this journey.

The fourth hero’s quest, “meeting with the mentor. it is most likely that in this

step the hero finds himself with an assistant. In this case Beowulf is mentored by the

king and is sent off to fight alongside with the king to defeat Grendel and Grendel's

vengeful mother in her underwater lair. Sir Gawain does not have a mentor in this

journey to go with, however, he does keep him in his mind all the time as he embarks to

fight the mysterious rider and be rewarded with his sourd.

In this following step the hero quest, the hero's are set to been sentence to a life

and death situation. Beowulf is sent to fight grendel's mother alone with the

king,unfortunately the king does not succeed. Leaving beowulf to the task and he

succeeds in the process being faced with death and life. Sir gawain is faced with the

situation of living or dying after been embarked in a new adventure to be send of the

the green chapel finding out that the sourds previous owner was the lord of the castle and

his wife. This been a great example of the fifth hero quest journey the ordeal.

The six in the hero quest journey is the road back. Giving our carathers have

accomplish their journey they are head home. Most of them been rewarded as heros and
noble warriors. Beowulf for example been rewarded as king and ruling for 50 years. Sir

gawain returning to the king arthur's castle and becoming a round table knight one of the

most honorable positions their is to be. Along on deciding that green should be the new

color to remember importance and honesty.

Seventh and almost last hero quest, resurrection hero. In this step the hero is face

with his final stage of adventure been sent to fight his last and most important task of the

journey. In beowulf he is send to fight a terrible new monster a dragon approaching the

castle with his loyal servant wiglaf succeeding in the process of defending the dragon but

losing his life in it. Sir gawain is waken up of this journey to find out that it was all a trick

but up from Morgan le fay arthur's sister a powerful sorcerer that tricked the whole

kingdom.Waiting for the last cretick form the king, but this one only lights and rewards

him been part of the round table.

Last and most important hero quest journey, the return of the hero. In Beowulf he

is an unable to return due of his death but leaves a great legacy behind. Sir gawain returns

to be rewarded been part of the round table and be consider one of the knights.