According to Joseph Campbell (1949), a hero can be defined as a man/woman who has been able to battle past his/her personal and local historical limitations to the generally valid normal human (pg. 20). Though they were written years apart the renowned Beowulf, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, and William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice exemplifies heroism. Therefore, during the Middle Ages by definition the three characters Beowulf, Sir Gawain and Portia are all certainly portrayed as heroes due to their possession of courage, bravery and selfness, which are all qualities of a hero. Though their acts of heroism are somewhat similar, their calls to adventure contrast. Campbell (1949), states that “the hero’s call signifies that destiny has summoned the hero and transferred his spiritual center of gravity from the pale of his society to a zone unknown” (pg. 58). We see in Beowulf, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, and Merchant of Venice that each hero left their place and took risks on their own, expect for Portia who was accompanied.
Beowulf exemplifies the trails of the perfect hero and seems more naturally heroic. The poem managed to explore Beowulf’s acts of heroism through three separate and difficult conflicts where he came into contact with Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon. In his youth, Beowulf is characterized mainly by his act of strength and courage. When he discovered the torment, Grendel was causing on the Danes he decided that he would step in and help. Grendel is the demon who was said to have descended from Cain “he was spawned in that slime of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for the crime of Abel’s death” (pg.20). However, it Is important to note that Beowulf ventured off to the land of the Danes on his own violation. He was not ordered by the king to do so, instead he was the one that told them of his desire to help the Danes defeat Grendel because he knew to himself that he could. According to Campbell (1949), “the hero is the one who comes to know” (pg.116). he held himself into a code that he did not need to and risked his life for a country that he did not even belong to.in fact, every fight that enters, he fights with honor. Beowulf’s drive stemmed from his own personal desire to become an honorable and well-respected man. Nevertheless, he defeats Grendel with just his bare hands since Grendel decided to fight unarmed and nailed his arm to a wall as a trophy. He (Beowulf) became known as the greatest hero in the Danish history.
Thereafter, Beowulf encountered Grendel’s mother who came to seek revenge for the death of her son and she too was slaughtered. His defeat of Gredenel and Grendel’s mother validated that he was a true hero because it seemed almost impossible considering the live s that were lost to Grendel’s attacks over the years. In addition, coming down to the end of his life it was seen how Beowulf transitioned to king following Hygelac’s death. During his year as king a monster arises to terrorize the Geats and it was then that the poet decided to reflect on the responsibilities of a king which involved him acting for the good of his people and not for his own glory. Beowulf knew to himself that he could lose his life, but he was still willing to sacrifice his life for his people. “The hero is the man of self-achieved submission” (Campbell, pg.16). He defeated the dragon but died due to poisoning from the dragon’s bite.
Unlike Beowulf who is more of a boastful character, we are introduced to the humbler Sir Gawain who is considered the hero in “Sir Gawain and the Green knight”. Both Gawain and Beowulf showcased their bravery and loyalty for attempting to honor their kings and Kingdoms. However, not many believed that Gawain was as heroic as Beowulf who bravely sacrificed his life to save his people because of the fear he possessed in the beginning and the end of the challenge. Sir Gawain at first was reluctant to accept the Green Knight’s challenge but he knew to himself that he had to accept the challenge to protect King Arthur. Though fearful, he begged the Green Knight to allow him to take up the challenge and spare king Arthur’s life since he believed to himself that he was a weak and lowly Knight “ I am the weakest of your Knight I know and the dullest minded, so my death would be the least loss , if truth should be told only because you are my uncle am I praised to be praised no virtue I know in myself but your blood” (354-357). On the other hand, the Green knight ensured that he reminded Gawain of his knightly duty to keep his promise and that if he failed to carry it out he would damage his own reputation “ See Gawain that you carry out your promise exactly and search for me try sir until I am found , as you have sworn in the hall hearing of the Knights” (448-450).
Gawain was also very religious man, he wore his shield and on the inside of it he had a picture of Mary whom he gained his courage from. He battled several beats along his journey and struggled through a harsh, cold country which was bound to kill any man that was weaker or faithless. Once Gawain enters the castle it was then he was challenged tremendously and his title as a heroic man was questioned. He was ordered by the lord of the castle to share their winnings with each other for the three days that he would spend there, but where they received it from was not a part of the deal so in that area Gawain was safe. Gawain faithfully exchanged his winnings for the first two days, but we see on the third day that he broke his vow to trade since he decided to keep the green sash given to him by the lady of the castle which guaranteed that he would be saved from death. Gawain knew what he was up against the next day with the Green Knight and as a result he decided to accept the sash because of his love for his life and did not plan to take the fair blow like the green knight did. Apart from the epic fights that Beowulf fought that made him a hero, this is what separated the two. In the end, Sir Gawain was not a selfless hero, but he held on to the sash to remind himself of the “fault and frailty of the foolish flesh”.
Finally, we are introduced to the third hero who was not masculine like our previous heroes. Portia from William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice is what we consider a modern-day hero. Though she does not fully fit the description of a hero under Campbell’s definition, she exemplifies the qualities of a hero. Portia was not tasked with fighting any battles to save/show her loyalty to a king or kingdom, but instead she did something out of the kindness of her heart, she took a risk to save someone’s life. Something we may all have done at one point in our lives. In some ways I would say that Antonio was a hero as well because he risked his life to save his friend, but it was Portia’s ultimate selfless act that put her above him. Once she learns that Antonio could not afford to repay Shylock for the money borrowed for Bassanio she told him to take 6,00 Ducats and give it to Antonio. Once Shylock denied this to gain revenge on Antonio, Portia new that she had to do something. She pretended to be a lawyer and ordered that Shylock must only take a pound of flesh, nothing more less, and he is not allowed to cause Antonio to bleed or else he would lose his wealth and Shylock chose to die rather than lose his wealth. As a result, Antonio’s life was saved. She was his super hero.