Student Essay on Gawain's Heroic Traits

Gawain's Heroic Traits

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Essay

In the story, Gawain and the Green Knight, retold by Susan Thompson, Gawain displays many heroic traits when presented with problems.

He reveals the heroic trait of fearlessness when he accepts the Green Knight's challenge. For example right after Gawain is knighted he accepts the challenge "The other knights at the Round Table admired this young knight who had shown more bravery than they who had more experience"(Thompson 14). Gawain has only been a knight for a few minutes and he accepts the challenge of the Green Knight when even other knights would not. By doing this he shows he is fearless and doesn't back down to anyone. After that when he is on his way to meet the Green Knight "He fought many fierce challengers, several who might have slain him if he had not been such a brave knight" (15). Gawain gave up everything he had in order to make his journey but he showed fearlessness and made it through the forest. If he hadn't been so fearless he probable would have been killed on his journey. As you can see through Gawain's journey he shows his fearlessness in many ways.