Many stories, such as Beowulf, The Green Knight, and The Wife of Bath, all follow the same plot sequence called a monomyth. A monomyth consists of three main stages. They include the separation or departure, initiation, and the return. Within the three main parts, there are a total of seventeen stages. Some examples of these are the call to adventure, the belly of the whale, temptation, freedom to live, road of trials, and crossing of the return threshold. Characters, Beowulf, Sir Gawain, and the knight, all have a similar series of events on their journeys. One example of a monomyth is the story of Beowulf. A great warrior of Geat, Beowulf, receives word from Hrothgar, the king of Denmark, that his people are in trouble. Beowulf
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Sir Gawain, nephew of King Arthur, has accepted a challenge from the Green Knight. They take turns attempting to sever their opponent’s head from their body with one swing of an ax. Since the Green Knight was not killed with the first swing, it is now his turn to take a swing at Gawain after a year and a day of waiting. While waiting for that day, Gawain travels to the Green Knight’s home where the knight’s wife tempts him. This stage of the “Initiation” part of a monomyth is called “Temptation”. The hero is tempted to stray from his or her quest by some offer of personal gain. Each day while the Green Knight is away, the lady attempts to seduce Sir Gawain and give him gifts. She is relentless in pursuing him. "She implored him again, still more earnestly, but again he refused it and swore on his knighthood that he could take nothing" (line 205-206). Sir Gawain finally gives in and accepts a sash from her. He knows that it is against the rules to wear it during the challenge because it will prevent the ax from hurting him. “If the gift meant remaining alive, it might well be worth it” (line 239). Another stage that Sir Gawain goes through is “The Freedom to Live” in the “Return” part of the story. With the journey complete and the hero integrated back into the world, he or she is now free to live his or her life as he or she sees fit. After the Green Knight attempts to kill Sir Gawain, Gawain …show more content…
His experiences are a stage called “The Road of Trials” in the “Initiation” of a monomyth. The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. After raping an innocent woman, a knight is sentenced by the queen, wife of King Arthur, to go on a journey to find out the one thing that women desire the most. “‘You are to go a twelvemonth and a day to seek and learn sufficient answer” (lines 84-86). Along his journey, he receives a variety of different answers. This leaves him confused, and his days come to an end with him not knowing which answer he is going to give to the queen. One of the stages in the "Return" of the story is called "The Crossing of the Return Threshold". The journey has changed the hero and he or she must learn to integrate this new knowledge with his or her old life. At the end of the story, an older lady asks the knight to keep his promise of granting her one request. After all, she had provided him with the answer that saved his life. With this being said, they get married. The knight must adjust to this drastic change in his life. He has troubles because of the great age difference, but everything works out for the best in the
Sir Gawain, nephew of King Arthur, has accepted a challenge from the Green Knight. They take turns attempting to sever their opponent’s head from their body with one swing of an ax. Since the Green Knight was not killed with the first swing, it is now his turn to take a swing at Gawain after a year and a day of waiting. While waiting for that day, Gawain travels to the Green Knight’s home where the knight’s wife tempts him. This stage of the “Initiation” part of a monomyth is called “Temptation”. The hero is tempted to stray from his or her quest by some offer of personal gain. Each day while the Green Knight is away, the lady attempts to seduce Sir Gawain and give him gifts. She is relentless in pursuing him. "She implored him again, still more earnestly, but again he refused it and swore on his knighthood that he could take nothing" (line 205-206). Sir Gawain finally gives in and accepts a sash from her. He knows that it is against the rules to wear it during the challenge because it will prevent the ax from hurting him. “If the gift meant remaining alive, it might well be worth it” (line 239). Another stage that Sir Gawain goes through is “The Freedom to Live” in the “Return” part of the story. With the journey complete and the hero integrated back into the world, he or she is now free to live his or her life as he or she sees fit. After the Green Knight attempts to kill Sir Gawain, Gawain …show more content…
His experiences are a stage called “The Road of Trials” in the “Initiation” of a monomyth. The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. After raping an innocent woman, a knight is sentenced by the queen, wife of King Arthur, to go on a journey to find out the one thing that women desire the most. “‘You are to go a twelvemonth and a day to seek and learn sufficient answer” (lines 84-86). Along his journey, he receives a variety of different answers. This leaves him confused, and his days come to an end with him not knowing which answer he is going to give to the queen. One of the stages in the "Return" of the story is called "The Crossing of the Return Threshold". The journey has changed the hero and he or she must learn to integrate this new knowledge with his or her old life. At the end of the story, an older lady asks the knight to keep his promise of granting her one request. After all, she had provided him with the answer that saved his life. With this being said, they get married. The knight must adjust to this drastic change in his life. He has troubles because of the great age difference, but everything works out for the best in the