The Knight & Heroism Often when we think of the Middle Ages, we think of the medieval knights that existed in that era. These knights often followed the Code of Chivalry. The Code of Chivalry was an important aspect of knighthood. “The Code of Chivalry dictated that a Knight should be brave and fearless in battle, but would also exhibit cultured knightly qualities showing themselves to be devout, loyal, courteous and generous” (Medieval Life and Times). A knight was expected to follow this Code of Chivalry, no matter the circumstances. Some of these qualities in the Code of Chivalry are reminiscent of what some may consider are qualities of a hero. A hero should possess leadership qualities and be courageous. Most importantly though, a hero
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Near the end of the book of Beowulf, Beowulf is the king of his people and a threat of a dangerous dragon emerges. Beowulf rashly decides to fight this dragon all by himself. He successfully defeats the dragon, but Beowulf’s wound is too fatal, and he dies along with the dragon. Beowulf’s death holds many consequences. “So it is goodbye now to all you know and love on your home ground, the open-handedness, the giving of war-swords. Every one of you with freeholds of land, our whole nation, will be dispossessed… a warrior will sooner die than live a life of shame.” (Heaney 195). Wiglaf predicts that the Geats, Beowulf’s people, are now in danger of being invaded by neighboring tribes due to them not having their king. Beowulf’s rash decision making is antiheroic. A hero should put his people first in this sort of situation and think strategically when facing a threat such as the dragon. Beowulf should have known that taking on the dragon by himself in his old age would be extremely risky. A hero should be aware of the dangers his people may face if he is absent among them. Wiglaf speaks about Beowulf’s actions, “Often when one man follows his own will, many are hurt” (Heaney, 207). In the end, Beowulf’s hasty decision only brought death to himself and eventually to his
Near the end of the book of Beowulf, Beowulf is the king of his people and a threat of a dangerous dragon emerges. Beowulf rashly decides to fight this dragon all by himself. He successfully defeats the dragon, but Beowulf’s wound is too fatal, and he dies along with the dragon. Beowulf’s death holds many consequences. “So it is goodbye now to all you know and love on your home ground, the open-handedness, the giving of war-swords. Every one of you with freeholds of land, our whole nation, will be dispossessed… a warrior will sooner die than live a life of shame.” (Heaney 195). Wiglaf predicts that the Geats, Beowulf’s people, are now in danger of being invaded by neighboring tribes due to them not having their king. Beowulf’s rash decision making is antiheroic. A hero should put his people first in this sort of situation and think strategically when facing a threat such as the dragon. Beowulf should have known that taking on the dragon by himself in his old age would be extremely risky. A hero should be aware of the dangers his people may face if he is absent among them. Wiglaf speaks about Beowulf’s actions, “Often when one man follows his own will, many are hurt” (Heaney, 207). In the end, Beowulf’s hasty decision only brought death to himself and eventually to his