Perfection in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green KnightThe heroes of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are fighters. However, the traits they have in common are far fewer than those that set them apart. Each being described as perfect by his contemporaries, it should be possible to portray both the model warrior and the paragon knight by comparing Beowulf and Gawain. The first question that arises is that of leadership. In Beowulf, the hero is called “prince”*, “helmet-of-the-Weders”** or “master-friend”***. This is not without reason: in the times of the epic, strongest literally did right. Therefore, one who was to be an accomplished warrior had to demonstrate the qualities of a leader as well as his combat prowess. As for the knights, they had their designated sovereign, King Arthur, and none thought of defying him. None of the knights distinguished themselves as generals either; all their exploits were accomplished single-handedly. Now let's focus on the fight. Beowulf fights many battles during his life, and while some of them are only briefly mentioned (the famous sea monsters, for example), the more titanic ones are described in full and detailed detail. The confrontation between the Geats and Grendel can serve as an example here: “Now more than one earl of Beowulf brandishes an ancestral blade,( ) The outlaw has been mortally wounded. »* And this continues for fifty-one verses. And this is just one of the hero's armed encounters! Obviously, you have to fight a lot to be a great warrior. The question is entirely different when it comes to knights. While Gawain's skill with sword and spear is highly praised throughout the poem, his battles are only hinted at while... middle of paper ...... e himself the notes, "Nothing is said of Beowulf's wife in the poem., but Bugge assumes that Beowulf ultimately accepted Hygd's offer of kingdom and treasure and, as usual, accepted her in the bargain "*** - which reflects the lack of interest a true warrior should show when dealing with women. There is, however, one trait both warrior and knight have in common: both have a set of rules that they must obey. And although the regulations that force Beowulf to come to Hrothgar's aid are not as well organized as Gawain's chivalrous code embodied in the "pentangle" ****, the idea of ​​being obliged to act in a manner dictated by generally accepted rules appears in both poems. We have thus drawn images of ideal men from two different ages, and have proven in the process how much the notion of perfection has changed from Beowulf to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight..