A Comparison of Epic Characterizes of Beowulf and a Knights Tale - Essay Example

The word has come to represent a wide range of meanings in contemporary use, the traditional understanding and meaning of the word “epic” refer to a particular genre of writing which follows a standardized mechanism that helps to define it as compared to other popular genres. This brief essay will attempt to analyze Beowulf, Winter’s Tale, and The Knight’s Tale in order to ascertain what is epic and what is not.
Firstly, and most obviously, in order to accomplish such a goal, the reader must have a firm grasp of what specifically defines the genre of epic so that this can be measured against different stories as a means of categorizing them in different ways based upon their attributes. For purposes of this analysis, the author will categorize an “epic” as a type of story in which a hero participates in a journey or quest. During the process of the journey or quest the hero necessarily faces a series of adversaries or difficulties which he/she must attempt to defeat/overcome. Similarly, as a result of the quest and/or journey, the hero returns home transformed in one particular way or another. As a result of the action that takes place within the confines of the epic, the hero exhibits traits or beliefs which guide him/her to the completion of the quest/journey. Although not always the case, the epic often has a hero that is at least slightly “superhuman” in his/her gifts or natural abilities. Although this is not a requirement, it is a recurring theme among many epics and may be seen as an identifying mark.
As with any epic story, hardship is a key element as the epic hero must undergo hardship and difficulty as a function of making their journey through the epic. The Knight’s Tale is no different in this aspect as the Knight must become accustomed to hardship and suffering as a function of his quest. Says the knight, “'But I was hurt right now through-out my ye/Into my heart, that my bane be./The fairness of that lady, that I see/Yond in the garden women to and fro,/Is the cause of all my crying and my two.' (Chaucer 238-242). In this way, the knight relates to the reader readily that the suffering he endures is somehow connected to a higher quest that he must endure so it may bear fruit of its own.
Similarly, Beowulf undergoes a series of hardships and challenges while facing Grendel and her mother. As a function of these hardships and challenges, Beowulf develops a level of courage. This development is indicative of how the epic hero faces hardship and challenge and develops a useful skill or attribute from this hardship. Says Beowulf of the ideal of courage, "Often, for undaunted courage,
fate spares the man it has not already marked" (Beowulf 572-573).
Conversely, Shakespeare’s play “Winter’s Tale” relates a story of a series of monarchs that experience a stressful dynamic of the interplay between their kingdoms as a result of non-monogamous spouses. Read More