Heroes Through the Ages: Defining the British Dream through Heroes in Literature
A hero is commonly defined as “a person who knowingly, and voluntarily, acts for the good of one or more people at significant risk to the self, without being motivated by reward,” (Riches). There is no obvious reward to consider in the moment of choice between action and inaction, and what that action might be. Since the motivation does not come from the hope of a reward, the act of heroism itself is often seen to be the motivation instead. “Risk makes heroism a distinct form of altruism,” (Kohen). A cursory look at a British hero like Beowulf proves that altruism is not the definition of a British hero, or by extension, the British Dream. The majority of Riches’ definition could apply to many of the heroes in British literature, but the final segment “without being motivated by reward,” (Riches) simply does not fit. Heroes like Beowulf do not undertake any sort of challenge that might end in death simply out of the goodness of their hearts. British heroes always have something more that they gain from putting themselves at risk. Beowulf did not ask for a reward but one is expected nonetheless. In Anglo- Saxon culture, the king was known as a ring-giver and was expected to handsomely reward those who fight for him. This practice lasts for many years, as carried on by feudalism in Britain and the surrounding areas. So reward is very much a source of motivation. As a result, the British definition of a hero based on such literature becomes “a person who knowingly, and voluntarily, acts for the good of one or more people at significant risk to the self,” (Riches) with the motivation of a reward. Reward comes in many forms throughout British literature, such as treasure from the king, honor for upholding chivalry, and a lasting legacy from demonstrating extraordinary bravery and strength. In the example of the most famous Anglo-Saxon hero, the highest rewards are riches and glory.
One of the earliest and most famous ancient British texts is Beowulf. This is interesting in and of itself, as the story is not about the Anglo-Saxons, who would become the British people. Instead the story centers around the Scandinavians, whom the Anglo-Saxons admired enough to write stories about. The Anglo-Saxons wanted their own peoples to be like the Scandinavian image; powerful, capable, brave, and strong. This is clear in Beowulf himself. This hero is brave and strong, and thus able to defend his people from monstrous threats on land and under the sea. Both the Geats and the Danes easily recognize him as a hero. None of his own people try to stop him when he decides take on an evil monster on the other side of the sea, rather they encourage him because they know he is capable (v.A, p. 47, l. 222). The very first Dane that Beowulf and his companions encounter directly calls Beowulf ‘hero’ even though they have just met (v. A, p. 48, l. 298). Beowulf himself knows he is a hero. He does not rely entirely on others to define him in that way. Rather he takes on monsters on the other side of the ocean to establish his status as a warrior and leader. Between traversing oceans and taking on monsters, he finds the time for long speeches and a bragging contest. He takes the time to set the stage before the fight with Grendel such that no matter the outcome, he is a hero (v. A, p. 51, ll. 407-455). If he should kill Grendel, then he is a hero for saving the Danes. If Grendel should kill him, then he is a hero for having died bravely trying. There is no way for Beowulf to lose. Another interesting aspect of this speech becomes evident when Beowulf claims that the outcome of the upcoming fight is God’s judgement (v. A, p. 51, l. 441). As Beowulf was not originally written with the Christian perspective, references like this are not uniformly incorporated into the narrative. However, the monks who wrote down this story and others like it considered Beowulf and belief in God important enough to record in this way.
Since Beowulf remains at heart a pagan hero, his motivations are not the same as a truly Christian hero. Crossing the ocean to defeat Grendel is not entirely about saving the Danes as it is about making a name for himself and building a legacy that will survive him, perhaps in place of children. Without a continuation of his blood line to carry his name and reputation, his own legacy alone will persist after he is gone. Thus he has to make the most of his time on the earthy world. But reputation is not the only result from his adventures. Every time Beowulf takes on a monster, he receives at least two rewards; riches and glory. And he clearly seeks them. When Unferth openly insults Beowulf, the Geat spins the situation into an opportunity to brag about how incredible he is (v. A, p. 54). Unferth attempts at slander include claiming that Beowulf was defeated in a swimming contest by a man named Beca. Beowulf takes this as an opportunity to retell the story such that he not only wins the contest, but does so wearing full armor, carrying a sword, and fighting sea monsters the whole way. He has to make his prowess as a warrior appear great beyond argument in the eyes of his comrades. In his old age, the now king of the Geats chooses to fight the dragon alone, without the support of the warriors that traveled to the dragon’s barrow with him (v. A, p. 92-93, ll. 2345-2354). And he is considered brave for this choice, rather than idiotic or arrogant. This is not the first time he places himself at a disadvantage in the name of fighting fair. Beowulf sets aside his sword to fight Grendel with his bare hands (v. A, p. 56, ll. 675-685). Grendel does not need weapons to wreak havoc, then Beowulf, who should be every bit as strong and formidable as him, will not need weapons to defeat him. This could be interpreted as arrogant. However, in the context of a hero in an epic, this is an act of fairness (Porte 20). Grendel is depicted as too strong to need weapons, but also as too much of a monster and not human enough to be able to use them. Beowulf recognizes this and rather than use it to his obvious advantage, he sets aside his own weapons to even the playing field. Retaining his weapons might leave room for doubt that his victory over Grendel was not entirely due to his own awesome strength, lessening the glory he would receive otherwise. Beowulf’s choice to fight Grendel bare handed can be summarized and explained by the three main characteristics that define him as a hero. “He is strong, fearless, and motivated by the pursuit of honor,” (Porte 1). The last of the defining characteristics led to his quest across the sea in the beginning of the story and to the setup of the final battle that resulted in his death. Even before Beowulf sees the dragon, he feels his own impending death approaching. “He was sad at heart, unsettled but ready, sensing his death,” (v. A, p. 94, ll. 2419-2420). Regardless, premonition does not stop him from facing the dragon alone. If he is going to die, he wants to go out in style, in quite literally a blaze of glory. When he falters in fighting the dragon, the thought of renown and acclaim drive him forward once more. “Inspired again by the thought of glory, the war-king threw his whole strength behind a sword stroke,” (v. A, p. 99, ll. 2678-2679). So while a large parts of his motivation are honor and riches, Beowulf as a hero is brave, strong, and glory-seeking, but not entirely selfish as seen by his choices to fight fair even when he knows he will die for it. Several of these characteristics can be traced to other heroes in British literature, including Judith.
Judith, as a clearly Christian hero, unlike Beowulf, bears some marked differences to him. She obviously relies on God for her victories. While Beowulf credits God for his survival, it is not nearly so emphasized and so integral to his character as it is to Judith. In the same way Beowulf turns to bragging before and after each battle, Judith prays for strength and gives thanks for her success. As God’s favorite, Judith does not have to fight in the physical sense. Holofernes passes out drunk before Judith even arrives at his chambers and God is credited with interceding on her behalf to prevent any harm coming to her from Holofernes’ evil intentions (v. A, p. 112). Upon finding Holofernes defenseless, she pauses to pray for strength and God grants it (v. A, p. 113). She merely takes advantage of the opportunity, mindful throughout that she could not have gotten so far on her own. Judith has often been compared to Beowulf and found not to fill the criteria of an Anglo-Saxon hero because she lacks the physical strength of a male epic hero (Lewis 3). Nor is she counted among the female saints of similar stories, being a widow rather than a virgin (Lewis 11). While God’s favor and intercession allow Judith to kill Holofernes, some credit still belongs to her. None of the other Israelites, the men included, had the bravery or strength to infiltrate Holofernes camp, with or without God’s intercession. In fact, being a woman works to her advantage. A man would likely not have had the same opportunity of being left alone with the general who is unconscious from intoxication.
Judith makes the most of the advantages and opportunities open to her as a woman. The text does describe, if briefly, how she dresses herself in such a way as to appear more desirable in order to gain entry to the enemy camp. In plainer words, she dresses immodestly so that she can seduce Holofernes. Rather than being interpreted as sexually promiscuous, this is seen as intelligence on her part (Lewis 12). Reminiscent of Beowulf’s pride or sense of equality and honor in a fight, Judith raises the question of where the line is drawn when a hero behaves in a way that could be interpreted as less than admirable. In this case, the line is determined around intention. Had Judith dressed up for the sake of seduction alone as opposed to the sake of saving her people, she likely would not have been the namesake and main character of the story.
Motivated by the sake of saving the Israelite people, Judith’s behavior is acceptable. She does receive riches and praise for her actions, but it does not seem to be her main incentive. As noted with Beowulf, receiving riches is important. Thus in the Anglo-Saxon version of Judith, she keeps Holofernes armor and wealth, but in other versions she gives it all away (Lewis 12). Earning and keeping treasure is closely connected with being a hero from the British perspective.
Other similarities tie Beowulf and Judith together in the category of Anglo-Saxon hero. Both are brave, strong, capable, and protectors of their peoples. Each of these characteristics would have been important to the writers and audiences of the time. At the same time, the motivations of Judith differ significantly in some ways from Beowulf. The ideals and characteristics of the heroes change through time to reflect the culture that created them. Gawain from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as a continuation of this trend, appears to be a new category of heroes.
Gawain is not fighting for the survival of his peoples, defending them from monsters or invading forces. Instead he volunteers for a fight for the reputation of his fellow knights. The Green Knight does not directly threaten the lives of everyone there, though his presence alone may seem threatening. Chivalry does not allow him to let the Green Knight’s challenge pass, nor let his king risk his life in this way when no one else will step forward (v. A, p. 211). His high regard to reputation means that he holds to his agreement with the Green Knight, and this gets him into a tricky situation. He unknowingly is set up to be tested again. Three times, Lady Bertilak tempts him. She uses his strengths against him and twice attempts to force him to choose between the two characteristics he values the most, courtesy and chivalry (Porte 31). A knight as noble as him by reputation could not in good manners refuse her, she says (v. A, p. 231, ll. 1297-1301). He cannot refuse acknowledging her as a beautiful woman, as that would be rude, nor can he refuse her kisses because of chivalry (Jucker). Gawain has to kiss her now. But he is able to maintain his honor to a degree and draw the line there. While he tolerates her coming into his bedroom and kissing him, he will not go any further out of respect for his host, her husband. It could still be argued that even kissing Lady Bertilak is going too far, yet no one views this action as crossing the line. “Sir Gawain retains his innocence by exchanging the two kisses of the second encounter with Sir Bertilak’s winnings for the day,” (Jucker). Judith seemingly nears crossing a similar line in the way she dresses, but also like her, Gawain is able to remain pure. “The hero can ‘violate some law… but cannot violate others, particularly the unwritten laws of the community’ “(Porte 20). Gawain may have broken rules, but if so, then he broke the less crucial rules, the ones that he could still get away with breaking and still retain his hero status. Other rules, such as betraying his host or failing to uphold his promises, are not so inconsequential. If Gawain had failed to withstand the Lady’s seduction attempts or chosen not to seek out the Green Knight, he would not have been forgiven (Porte 20).
Gawain succeeds in making the right choices two successive times, but eventually slips up on the third trial. “[Lady Bertilak’s] last test, however, pits his honor against his desire for safety,” (Porte 31). When given the choice between honoring his word to Lord Bertilak and the chance to save his life when the Green Knight comes to collect what is owed to him, Gawain understandably chooses the chance to save his own neck. Gawain, while before demonstrated that he highly values reputation and honoring promises, does in fact have a breaking point. Here he accepts her gift of a magical sash and keeps it from his host in violation of his agreement. The lord of the castle will exchange his catch from that day’s hunting for whatever Gawain should be given that day. But the sin does not instantly strip him of his life or honor. On the contrary, Gawain retains both through repentance. Having seen that Lord Bertilak, also known as the Green Knight, has exacted all the punishment he requires through the tiny cut from the axe on the third stroke, Gawain recognizes and freely admits his sin. He resolves to wear the sash as a reminder of his failure and weakness so that he will not make the same mistake in the future. The rest of the lords and ladies do not view the situation the same way. Rather, they take up the green sash as a “badge of honor instead of a token of sin,” (West). Even Lord Bertilak lacks any sort of condemnation towards Gawain. The third fall of the axe nicks Gawain in retribution for the lie, but no other harm is inflicted nor repayment asked for (v. A, p. 251). “The knights of the Round Table can never achieve perfection in practice ‘but must expect to live their lives in a cycle of venial sin, repentance and penance’,” (West). They understand perfection is beyond men therefore as close as one can get is close enough.
Everyone praises Gawain for his victory over the challenge. Oddly enough, Gawain considers himself least of the knights of the Round Table throughout the whole story. His own introduction of himself includes, “I am weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit; the loss of my life would be least lamented,” (v. A, p. 211, ll. 354-355). This humility and humbleness are traits which Beowulf certainly did not concern himself with. Judith does not seem to dwell much on them either. Courtesy and chivalry, on the rise and more closely associated with the ideal man, affect the definition of a hero.
Gawain is able to remain a hero in spite of his failure because he does not stray too far away from the image of an ideal knight. In Morte D’Arthur, the line between irredeemable and close enough shifts even further in defense of Lancelot for his transgressions against his king. A common trait of the ideal Christian knight is a code of honor. Yet Lancelot retains hero status after an obvious breach of that code; having an affair with his king’s wife. Sir Thomas Mallory strongly suggests in his version that nothing adulterous happened, saying that love in those days is not the same as they are now. “And whether they were abed or other manner of disports, me list not thereof, for love that time was not as love is nowadays,” (v. A, p. 539). Even if that were the case, Lancelot still kills sixteen of his fellow Round Table knights who attempt to bring them in for judgement, fourteen of them the first night he is caught in Guinevere’s chambers and two more when he rescues Guinevere from the stake (v. A, pp. 540-542). Mallory produces a similar retelling of Tristian and Isolde, but he is able to avoid the problem of dishonor from Tristan sleeping with his uncle’s wife by the uncle turning traitor. The same excuse cannot be made for Lancelot and Arthur (Kennedy 71). Both Gawain and Lancelot are portrayed as good Christian knights and similarities can be drawn between their individual actions. Gawain presents himself with humility in every aspect, makes the best out of the tricky situation set up by Lady Bertilak, and when he does make a mistake, he does it out of fear for his life, feels horrible for it afterward, and elects to wear a constant, visible reminder of his sins. Lancelot’s redemption also comes through his repentance (v. A, p. 551). His sin of adultery is seen as forgivable because he repents. Gawain appears to be on the moral high ground compared to Lancelot, but it seems that the line between making a mistake and taking the sin too far to still be considered heroic is drawn differently in the two stories. For Gawain to sleep with Lady Bertilak would have been too far, but the same rule does not apply to Lancelot. Rather the line for Lancelot is less clearly defined, but obviously remaining unrepentant would have been one major mark against him. Lancelot does heartily repent and eventually dies with a smile on his face. There is much grief over his passing having died apparently with God’s forgiveness (v. A, p. 552). He is respected and honored until the very end. After his passing, very similar adjectives are used to describe Lancelot as were to describe Beowulf after his death. ‘Kind’, ‘good’, ‘unmatched in combat’, (v. A, p. 553).
Also like Beowulf, Lancelot is very much presented as the hero of the text, though the story derives its name from King Arthur. That is not to say that Arthur is not a heroic figure, he does exactly as a good king should. “Arthur does his best to reconcile public and private demands of honor,” (Tolhurst). He does not want to think ill of Lancelot on the accusations his other knights alone, instead asks for proof of his queen’s infidelity (v. A, p. 538). However, he orders Guinevere executed and declares war on Lancelot at the counsel of his knights, heeding good advice as a proper medieval king should (Tolhurst). This is reminiscent of the kings, called ring-givers, in Beowulf. Though gift giving is still important, it cannot be forgotten the legend of King Arthur’s return from Avalon, miraculously healed and bringing a golden age of prosperity to England.
Arthur appears unique with his anticipated return from beyond, but his association with prosperity is not. As king of the Geats, Beowulf’s reign is characterized by peace and plenty. He settles a feud between the Geats and a Swedish tribe (v. A, p. 93). “Beowulf is associated with the sun, bringing hope to the land,” (Porte 7). This similarly could be applied to Judith, as she rescues the Israelites from a looming invasion. Gawain too, appears to restore the balance by stepping up to accept the Green Knight’s challenge and following through on his word. Even so, these heroes are not perfect, merely as close as they can get. “Beowulf, Gawain, and Batman, who are unique in their bravery, and loyalty to a certain code, but who also bleed and err,” (Porte 11). They might not be flawless, but they are still heroes.
The heroes through the ages are not always individuals. In Utopia by Sir Thomas More, an entire community is held up as an ideal. The hero of this story is not so much a single person but the society as a whole for having been able to create a ‘utopia’. Heroes like Beowulf and Judith are saviors in how they restore order and peace to their peoples. Beowulf stops Grendel from nightly massacring Danes, reinstating the stability and safety of the hall. Judith kills Holofernes, adverting an invasion that would have destroyed the Israelites. Utopia, as an extension of British literature stories through the ages, bears characteristics of what the saved society might resemble in the aftermath with the guidance of the victorious hero. The island is populated with flourishing towns of peace and plenty (v. B, p. 73). No person is idle with time to make trouble, but at the same time, no one has to work themselves to the bone to support a family or just to survive (v. B, p. 75).
The people are meant to be giving and supportive of each other. Thus everyone works hard but not too hard, such that everyone can have an appropriate amount of leisure time and rest (v. B, p. 76). This feature of the society succeeds to a point incredulously beyond reality. “[The head of the household] carries off [from the storehouse] what he wants without any sort of payment or compensation. Why should anything be refused to him? There is plenty of everything, and no reason to fear that anyone will claim more than he needs,” (v. B, p. 79). This itself might be the most ‘utopia-like’ feature of the society described by More. A widespread love of learning accompanies this mutual trust, allows a society like Utopia to flourish. Mealtimes include moral readings and discussions with full involvement from all. After a short reading, “the elders introduce proper topics of conversation, which they try not to make gloomy or dull,” (v. B, p. 81). The wisdom of the generations is past down in such a way that engages the youth they are teaching. “They never monopolize the conversations with long monologues, but are eager to hear what the young people say,” (v. B, p. 81). There is a system here where the elderly can pass along their knowledge and the youth can absorb and comment in a nurturing environment. The short work days with separate hours dedicated to recreation creates a balance between labor and play (v. B p. 75). Each person works hard to the extent that every person in that society does not have to work from sun up to sun down, day and day out (Zuzanek). The individual pitches in such that every person as a whole community has more time for leisure. In this sense every person that constitutes the society labors to sustain more than just themselves, every Utopian is a hero.
The Utopians bear much in common with the other heroes, but also demonstrate at least one marked difference. The stories of Beowulf and Judith end with rewards of treasures and riches. Beowulf appears unable to get away from it, even if would have wanted to. The leader of the Danes gives him riches for killing monsters, and his own king, leader of the Geats that he will eventually succeed, does the same. His own death, resulting from defeat of the dragon, also ends with vast treasures. Even the only person to speak against Beowulf, Unferth, offers him a gift in the form of a sword (v. A, p. 74, ll. 1455-1458). On the other hand, the Utopians make a marked effort to reject possession of material wealth. Gold and jewels are intentionally associated with slavery and children (v. B, p. 83). The shackles of slaves are crafted of gold in addition to gold collars and earrings to distinguish a slave from everyone else. Jewels are treated like toys for children, such that infants outgrow them. A lack of regard, and even a distain of gold and jewels, is built into Utopian society to the point where visiting ambassadors are embarrassed to continue wearing all the expensive clothing and jewelry they arrived in (v. B, p. 85). This is very unlike Beowulf, who uses one of his last breaths asking to see the treasure he is about to give his life for.
I want to examine that ancient gold, gaze my fill on those garnered jewels; my going will be easier of having seen the treasure… I give thanks that I behold this treasure here in front of me, that I have been allowed to leave my people so well endowed on the day I die. (v. A, pp. 101-102 lls. 2747-2750, 2796-2798) Not only does he want to see the treasure to know that his people will not be left penniless without him, but the sight alone will ease his passing. More like other British heroes, the Utopians are concerned with maintaining their independence and protection from invading forces. Defensive fortifications surround Utopian cities. Tall, wide walls, strengthened with towers and ditches, safeguard each of the towns. The town of Amaurot is strategically built over the source of a river so that enemies cannot cut off their water supply (v. B, p. 73). Despite being a peaceful settlement, thought went into constructing a city that would keep unwelcome outsiders out. Stories like Beowulf and Judith also contain this theme, whether unwelcome outsiders refers to mythical monsters or threatening armies.
The next text features a return to the more traditional hero. Redcrosse Knight, as the main protagonist of the Faerie Queen, and as depicted in the first three books of the tale, is the ideal Christian knight with characteristics shared by many of the heroes throughout the previous texts. Similar to the five point star on Gawain’s shield (v. A, p. 217, ll. 625-627), Redcrosse Knight bears an image of the cross on both his armor and shield (v. B, p. 254). The same theme is seen in Beowulf, where he has to openly announce his belief and worship of God. Simply offering a quiet prayer is not enough, there has to be some sort of outward sign. In Redcrosse Knight’s struggle with the dragon, he pleads for heavenly help. “God help the man so wrapt in Errors endlesse traine,” (v. B, p. 258). His lady Una clarifies that he cannot just ask for help, rather he has to deserve it through his faith. “Add faith unto your force,” she cries (v. B, p. 258). The knight does so, digging deep, and is able to strangle the dragon.
While God’s help is credited as necessary to the defeat of the monster, some credit still remains for the part of the hero. Thus the same need for an outward sign applies to proving the hero’s bravery. Redcrosse Knight demonstrates his fearlessness by taking on the dragon against the advice of his companions. “But full of fire and greedy hardiment, the youthful knight could not for ought be staide,” (The Faerie Queen, v. B, p. 257). The way he is described taking on the monster is reminiscent of Beowulf taking on successive monsters on his own. “The Lord of the Geats unburdened his breast and broke out in a storm of anger,” (Beowulf, v. A, p. 97, ll. 2550-2552). Much like Gawain in his encounter with Lady Bertilak, Redcrosse Knight later turns away from who he believes to be Una tempting him with kisses (v. B, p. 266).
As just described, not every character in the Faerie Queen is entirely good and pure. Like Gawain, the good characters do not always act good. Yet surprise is not an appropriate response when a good character acts bad (Doven). Literature in this period, lead up to by Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Morte D’Arthur, is long past perfect heroes like Beowulf who is presented to seemingly have no flaws. Though he apparently sees her behaving inappropriately, by the standards presented through Gawain, who refuses to reveal Lady Bertilak’s attempts at seduction nor take any sort of action against her, Redcrosse Knight abandoning Una would still be less than chivalrous (Doven). But Gawain himself fails to live up to his own standards, which is made evident by his penance of constantly wearing the green sash as a reminder. The Faerie Queen even more explicitly lays out which virtues and characteristics are required of a hero of this era; holiness, temperance, chastity, friendship, justice and courtesy. Of these, perhaps half are specific to the British Dream. Religion has been a central enough theme that it remains a common thread from Beowulf through Utopia. Holiness definitely applies to the British hero and the British Dream. Knightly figures, including Gawain, Lancelot, and Redcrosse Knight, relate holiness to the ideal British hero, as does Judith. Temperance, on the other hand, cannot be related to these heroes with the same consistency. Warriors like Beowulf and Gawain spend too much time feasting and celebrating for this virtue to apply.
Chastity, however, can be related to many of the heroes through the ages. While it is not even mentioned as far as Beowulf, other heroes like Judith, Gawain, and Utopians fulfill this virtue. An explanation of Utopian laws proves that infidelity and affairs outside of marriage are serious crimes. Premarital dalliances lead to both parties being forbidden to marry for the rest of their lives, with disgrace upon both their families. “They punish adulterers with the strictest form of slavery… a second conviction of adultery is punished by death,” (v. B, p. 98). This last line concludes the section on marriage and divorce, demonstrating in more than one way that there is no redemption after the second offense. As far as the virtue of chastity, Lancelot alone fails to uphold this virtue but he experiences consequences from and repents of his actions. He commits adultery but spends the remainder of his life as a priest (v. A, p. 550). While the topic of chastity has nothing to do with Beowulf, it becomes increasingly important through the time periods.
The other virtues are demonstrated in later books of the Faerie Queen; friendship, justice and courtesy. Friendship is not explored much at all aside from Wiglaf’s refusal to abandon his king the way his fellow soldiers did (v. A, pp. 97-98, ll. 2596-2609). No other hero has a steadfast companion like Wiglaf. Rather, the rest stand alone for the entirety of their adventures. Justice, however, can be much more strongly related to several of the heroes. Beowulf’s fight with Grendel’s mother is more than just stopping a monster. Grendel’s mother’s attack on Herot and Beowulf’s consequent underwater fight with her are acts of the wergild, invoking their right to the price of a life in exchange for those lost (v. A, p. 70, l. 1278). Lord Bertilak nicks Gawain’s throat with the axe in repayment for accepting the green sash from Lady Bertilak (v. A, p. 252, ll. 2356-2357). Lancelot and Guinevere, though they do not pay for their sin of adultery with their lives, they suffer the consequences of a civil war and live out the rest of their lives separated and repentant (v. A, p. 550). Utopians enforce a strict system of rules with repercussions for misdeeds.
But the Utopians deal with their own people more harshly than with others, feeling that their crimes are worse and deserve stricter punishment because they had an excellent education and the best of moral training, yet still couldn’t be restrained from wrongdoing (v. B, p. 96). To sin is far less forgivable for a Utopian than a knight from King Arthur’s court. The lords and ladies around Gawain see that he is doing his best and could have fallen much further. For a Utopian, there is no excuse.
Independent of the extent the code must be adhered to, each of these stories contains rules with consequences that the heroes must deal with should they fail to uphold it. A code of honor is an important aspect of these protagonists, whether or not they happen to be a chivalrous knight. In a similar way, for more than just Gawain, Lancelot, and Redcrosse Knight, courtesy remains necessary for a British hero. The heroes themselves must be just as, if not more, courteous than those around them. Including the relatable virtues from the Faerie Queen, a British hero must be brave, strong, kind and generous, protectors of their people, courteous, holy and chaste. Furthermore, the British Dream can not only be defined by what the British heroes are, additionally by what the British heroes are not. Had Beowulf failed to kill Grendel, or Grendel’s mother, or the dragon, he would have been remembered with honor, as he himself said, but doubtfully would have remained the hero of the story. One sure strike against his hero status would have been not to cross the sea in search of a challenge in the first place. Judith’s inability to stop Holofernes and his army would not have left a people behind to even remember her. Had Gawain or Lancelot remained unrepentant, they would have been unforgiven. Utopia would not be Utopia with people who failed to uphold the values it was built on. If Redcrosse Knight died fighting the dragon, Una would have been eaten, resulting in a story cut rather short. So while there is room for sins and failings up to an extent, as evident with Gawain and Lancelot in particular, there is a line that must not be crossed.
Since none of these heroes crossed that line, they all survived to be rewarded for their heroism. In general, the reward comes in the form of riches. But the form that the reward comes in is not as important as the fact that there is a reward. Beowulf’s return home to the Geats would not have been nearly as exciting to his comrades if he had not been loaded down with expensive gifts to around. Nor would any of the stories be as appealing if any of the heroes failed to receive due praise and glory.
Another attribute that keeps imperfect heroes on the right side of the line is repentance. As discussed with Gawain and Lancelot, a lack of repentance would have resulted in a lack of forgiveness, and therefore, a lack of hero status. So British heroes are more than just brave and strong, they are brave and strong enough to recognize their faults and make right the wrongs they have committed. How the heroes act in each of the texts changes through the time periods. Beowulf is far more proud and war-like than later heroes. In turn, the Utopians are much more focused on the community thriving in everyday life than the rest of the heroes. Throughout and within the time periods, similarities arise, as do the traits characteristic of that period. Gawain demonstrated a reverence for upholding chivalry even at a great cost. More recently in Early Modern Era literature, Redcrosse Knight does the same, taking on a dragon for his lady. The similarities extend beyond related texts in a time period, themes span through the years. While not every text is explicitly religious, they all at least touch on religion. Beowulf may not be Christian in origin, but monks took the time to rewrite by hand his story to fulfill that requirement. Many years later, the hero of the Faerie Queen defeats a dragon with the force of his faith. Every single hero has to struggle in some manner, and is rewarded for the hard work, whether the reward is asked for or not. Judith keeps Holofernes’ armor and sword as spoils of war, a gift from the Israelites in recognition of her heroism. Utopians live a balanced life of labor and leisure that everyone participates in evenly. British heroes are often portrayed as perfect, or at the very least ideal. Even perfect figures have flaws, leading to another common theme. To sin is expected, thus repentance is crucial. The line between hero and sinner is defined by repentance, as shown by Gawain and Lancelot. The writers and their cultures clearly valued repentance, as they did other characteristics, such as bravery, strength, and glory-seeking. To be a hero to these British writers and readers means to be brave, strong, glory-seeking, hard working, and Christian. These authors wrote about what they thought would be a more perfect world, what they dreamed about. A world where heroes rose up to defend their people from invaders and won; as close to the British Dream as they could get.
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Teresa P. Ryan is a junior pursuing a Baccalaureate of Arts in English and Marketing.