Beowulf Vs Sir Lancelot Essay

In both Beowulf and Morte Darthur, the changing roles of heroic figures in literature are portrayed. While Beowulf represents the quintessential hero, Sir Lancelot represents the contrary. The author of Beowulf allows Beowulf to play the legendary hero, but on the other hand, in Morte Darthur, Sir Thomas Malory rebels against the traditional chivalric hero and portrays Sir Lancelot as a flawed protagonist. The distinction between Beowulf and Sir Lancelot as heroes is depicted through the male bonds they form throughout the narrative. Beowulf succeeds in maintaining loyalty towards his male bonds by destroying Grendel, whereas Sir Lancelot betrays his male bonds when he is led astray by the love for Queen Guinevere, thus resulting in a unified …show more content…
Sir Lancelot destroy his connection with King Arthur when he gives priority to love over duty. Sir Lancelot not only sacrifices his bond with the king, but also with the other knights of the kingdom. Sir Gawain is the only one who tries to maintain the male bonds in Carlisle. Sir Gawain fears that if King Arthur finds out about the affair between Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere, there will be destruction in the castle and war will be declared. He takes on the role of unifying the male bonds while Sir Lancelot does not, but as a protagonist is expected to. Moreover, Sir Gawain is even willing to ignore Sir Lancelot’s betrayal as he has saved them from danger many times. Sir Gawain believes that Sir Lancelot as a knight is unbeatable and his presence is required in order to keep the male bonds flourishing amongst the knights and the king (Malory 483). This point is further emphasized when King Arthur blames Sir Mordred for disrupting the male ties amongst his brave knights. He states that Sir Lancelot’s partnership was more precious to him than the queen’s support. King Arthur goes on to say that Queen Guinevere was replaceable, but it would be impossible to find a knight like Sir Lancelot, who protected him from all