Allegory is a depiction or symbol of an abstract or spiritual meaning through tangible or material forms. Relatively a story, poem, or portrayal that could be elucidated to divulge an unknown and clandestine meaning. In the following tales of the erratically depicted heroes such as the gallant yet reluctant figure known as Sir Gaiwan to the courageous yet audacious individual known as Beowulf, these men are known for their honor, unrighteousness, and integrity. Also within comparison to these divine, fierce, and distinctive individuals is a character in which Chaucer calls the perfect knight in The Canterbury Tales.
These parables exonerates examples and illustrates three atypical barrages of character from profound Middle Age literature. In this essay I will compare and contrast the Canterbury knight to Sir Gaiwan and Beowulf theorized by their allegoric symbolic fights and beliefs. Beowulf represents the brave, stout, and heroic. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight portrays the chivalrous, magnanimous, and somewhat cowardice and Canterbury Tales portrays conventional, bourgeois, and fairly conservative. Beowulf seems to attain supernatural foes who are cold-hearted and merciless that he has to overpower and overcome.
His encounter he has with the horrendous creature known as the mother of Grendel could be viewed as a relevant Christian allegory. When Beowulf plunges and reels his way to the underground of the moors or “to hell” as stated in the book (). Presumably being a dim dark gloomy place filled with evil, wickedness, and hatred. Conceivably so, he has traveled deep into the underworld to have an epic face-off with Grendel’s mother coherently being the devil in this peculiar situation. Even though Beowulf nearly gets defeated, God seemingly concedes a sign to him envisioning a sword that eventually aids this warrior to bask and wallow in triumph.
He slays and massacres the devil, and a nimble glow and luminosity from heaven seals and engulfs hell as a true benediction. Beowulf formerly returns from the cringes and creases of hell to grasp the eternal elegance of heaven. In this allegory, Beowulf epitomizes Jesus’ Christ descending down to hell and returning back to existence such as the Resurrection. While comparing Beowulf and the knight of the Canterbury Tales. The knight imputes in religious battles and hostilities because he feels as though he is brawling and battling for God. In contrast Beowulf’s only reason for combat is to kill and conceive honor and praise.
His disputes are solely based on bragging rights. As heroes, in my opinion the Knights charisma, reputation, and character is seen on a higher pedestal than Beowulf. The Knight, who is the most admired character in The Canterbury Tales, is very humble and modest. The Knight never has any need to boast, whereas Beowulf boast of all his victories and amazing defeats. Beowulf thinks that popularity means everything. He enjoys hearing people talk of his greatness, and he especially likes compliments. The humble Knight is moral and goes to church in his battle clothes just to be near to God.
While in Church he ask for forgiveness for the killing he does in the wars. Beowulf is also moral but he believes in pagan gods. Beowulf does not ask for forgiveness for his killing, for he is proud of it. The difference between the knight in the Canterbury Tales and Sir Gaiwan and the Green Knight is that the one has total faith in God and truly believes he doesn’t have to begin to fathom about any other protection. Whereas, Sir Gaiwan kept true virtue into his word and everything he believed in until his life was eagerly insured to him with a green girdle.
He denied the outmost temptation but coincidently lost faith in God. By accepting the girdle he jeopardized his loyalty to Sir Bertilak, and cowardly justified his true virtue and integrity in which he is deeply ashamed. While comparing the Sir Gaiwan and Beowulf we can forsee that both of them fight an enemy who have preternatural powers themselves or powers supporting them. [Grendel is a monstrous descendant of Cain; Lord Bertilak is connected to Morgan LeFay who was courted by Merlin and sorcery and sent the green knight after Sir Gaiwan. “Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend/Grendel who haunted the moors, the wild/ Marshes, and made his home in a hell. /Not hell but hell on earth. He was spawned in that slime/Of Cain, murderous creatures banished/ By God, punished forever for the crime/ Of Abel’s death. ” Both represent forces of good fighting against evil (Grendel is “a shepherd of evil” and the Green Knight is representative of the nature worship that characterized prechristian tribal paganism. that total faith in God’s protection is all man needs.
When Gawain prepares to receive the blow from the axe “standing so stout, so stern there and fearless, / armed and unafraid, [the Green Knight’s] heart it well pleased. Although symbolism and faith directs theses courageous acts in alternate paths, these are just bits and pieces of allegory in Middle Age literature. In the book the Fairie Queen, although the lion has no name in the story it is still part of Spensor’s allegory. A lion is the king of the jungle; it inherently signifies natural law. Which could be vehemently ferocious when it has to, but seemingly sympathetic to Christian reality.
Rendering to Christian divinity, natural law crafts and creates part of God’s celestial law. Of human nature Christian is not an antagonist, it acts in harmony and unity with it. The lion instinctively assists and protects Una. Conversely, why is it no contest for the knight Sansloy? Without the law, act, rule, or decree of God, who maneuvers outside the circumference of heavenly law? The natural law symbolized and personified in this lion holds no power nor influence above Sansloy. Sansloy is capable of manipulating and destroying the lion because he isn’t subjected to the indefinite laws of nature.
Nevertheless, the lion can trounce, conquer and overwhelm the robber, who infringes and disobeys the natural law by constantly stealing, committing larceny, and indulging embezzlement. In conclusion, these chronicles replicate and reiterate mutual material comprehensible to most authors and novelists of the Middle Ages. While reading these depictions and historic tales, you will vehemently find the heedful yet significant thing was not the originality and innovation of the story. Relatively, it was the teachings, morals, and lessons to be acquired from these particular passages.
