The Hero Cycle in Arthurian Literature Among the

Among the many themes that dominate all Arthurian literature is that of the hero on a cyclic quest, in pursuit of some greater good or cause that speaks to the obligation of the knight to protect others. In this brief essay, two versions of this hero cycle will be compared. The first version is the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a poem that is an account of a typical chivalric adventure. The second work is T.H. WhiteÆs novel, The Once and Future King which traces the life of King Arthur from the lyrical phase of his youth through the disillusioning early years of his tenure as king and into the period in which he initiates a search for the Holy Grail.

The hero cycle moves from a journey through acts of initiative and sacrifice to a transformation of the knight engaged in a quest and his return from that quest. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain sets out to seek the Green Knight, promising that within a yearÆs time, he will return a blow delivered to him by this knight. Over the course of a year, Sir Gawain fulfills his vow: ôBid me bowe fro this benche and

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Approximate Word count = 762
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page)