In the Old English poem Beowulf, warrior culture is centered on heroic codes. Those who are members of Hrothgar's court are ranked based on the identity and reputation of their ancestors. It can be said that the armor of these warriors, as it has traveled from generation to generation and from warrior to warrior, is emblematic of the very reputation that these warriors consider most important. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight too, armor plays an important role. It is representative of the virtues that Sir Gawain is challenged to uphold and, on a larger scale, it also symbolizes the test to which the entire chivalry system is subjected. Thus, both poems, although different in plot and some general cultural characteristics, contain a weave motif that opens the doors to themes concerning the importance of ancestry and reputation as well as themes of chivalrous chivalry and Christian morality, respectively. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay As Beowulf is fundamentally a tale of heroic deeds, the identity and reputation of those who have and will perform these deeds are clearly at the heart of the story. interpretation and understanding of the poem. In the opening passages, the reader enters a world in which each male figure is known as his father's son. Characters constantly reference lineage when identifying themselves and discussing their backgrounds. The presence of this major concern for ancestry in Geatish and Danish warrior cultures can be attributed to the poem's central emphasis on kinship ties. Men are proud of their ancestors who acted courageously and achieved commendable status among their relatives. Additionally, these men have a set of standards to meet, based on the performance of the aforementioned ancestors. Upon closer examination of the values ​​of Beowulf's warrior culture, it is evident that armor provides an analogous historical connection to these men's ancestry. In some ways, the story of a warrior's armor parallels and mirrors the story of the warrior himself – not only in the details of its construction but in the results of its performance. Simply put, "...the troops themselves were as good as their weapons" (40). Thus, the historical aspects associated with armor in Beowulf directly correspond to the theme of the importance of a warrior's reputation. With armor comes the story of its performance from generation to generation, and this story opens up the theme of the reputation of the possessor. the armor. Although a warrior's heritage provides models of heroic and noble behavior and helps establish one's identity among those close to them, the text shows that a good reputation is the key to solidifying one's identity. As the narrator so astutely remarks in the poem's prologue, "admired behavior is the path to power among people everywhere" (34). Beowulf boasts of being a great warrior and then backs up his claims by defeating Grendel; he is then celebrated and received among the warriors as a hero. Unferth, by comparison, boasts emptyly, ultimately proving unwilling to fight the monsters. So while boasting about one's heroic abilities is important in the overall construction of warrior culture, it is a hero's actions that define his reputation. Take, for example, Shield Sheafson. Orphaned from a very young age and therefore without a father to contribute to the establishment of his identity and his reputation as a warrior, he must train hisown identity by performing many valiant deeds for which he will become famous and remembered. He uses his exceptional performances to help form his reputation and eventually becomes the initiator of the Danish royal line. It is also important to note the armament in relation to its aesthetic details. From the beginning, the reader discovers the importance of armor through the detailed descriptions provided by the poet. When the Danish guardian finally offers to lead the Geats to Heorot, the reader sees the "boar shapes" that "gleamed/above their cheek-guards, the brilliantly wrought work/of the goldsmiths, watching over/those men in their faces severe”. (40). The boars engraved on the helmets provide the warriors with an additional form of protection, and it is almost as if the animal is with them as they march into battle. Furthermore, when the warriors arrive at Heorot, they are presented as worthy of attention, since "by their weapons and their appointment they seem well born/and worthy of respect" (41). The role of armor in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is somewhat similar, although it strives to bring out the theme of chivalry more than the themes of reputation and legacy. However, it could be said that adherence to chivalric ideals contributes to the establishment of a person's overall identity and reputation. In this poem, Gawain's shield is undoubtedly the most important piece of armor presented so far. At the center of his protective equipment, the shield is the perfect symbol of the virtues and ideals to which Gawain aspires: generosity, courtesy, friendship, chastity and piety. The pentangle on Gawain's shield represents the formation of the endless knot. The side of the shield that faces Gawain when he wears it features Mary's face, another important aesthetic aspect. The shield thus represents not only the profound heavenly protection of Christianity that was central to chivalric culture, but also protection from earthly harm via the security of Mary, a mother figure whose womb signifies a place of safety. Although it is clear that Gawain's adherence to these virtues is put to the test throughout the poem, it is quite possible that the examination is not limited to just his personal virtue. Ultimately, Gawain's shield symbolizes not only the ordeal he personally endures, but also a test of the chivalry system as a whole. King Arthur's court relies heavily on the code of chivalry, which seems to place more importance on appearance and symbols than actual legitimacy. Arthur is introduced as “the most courteous of all,” a clear indication that members of this court are ranked based on their obedience to a particular code of conduct (163). The first time the values ​​of this chivalric code are called into question is when the Green Knight challenges the court, ridiculing his knights for their apprehension of simple words. This suggests that words and aesthetics may have too much power over the knights of King Arthur's court. In his quest for the Green Chapel, Gawain leaves Camelot, home of the only chivalric code he has ever known, into the wilderness - a place where he is forced to abandon these familiar chivalric codes to find the necessary means of physical comfort to his survival. Once Sir Gawain prays (to Mary in particular) for help, he is immediately rewarded with the sudden appearance of a magnificent castle. Upon entering this new, heavily fortified castle, Sir Gawain discovers a new form of chivalry, based more firmly on the values ​​of truth and reality. The people who make up Bertilak's court are firmly linked., 2006. 160-213.