Sides of a Coin: Sir Gawain and Robin Hood as Heroic Foils Anonymous College

Sir Gawain, as an extension of King Arthur, and folk hero Robin Hood, are heroic characters that both figure in the British literary tradition. Their narratives have both contributed to the construction of national history, and have been used to depict British identity—as literature is wont to do. Their heroism, as manifested in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and History of Robin Hood, respectively, are equal in significance; however, the values on which their heroism is based differ, precisely because they act as foils to each other. This is further supported when reading into their characters in terms of their social standing, their reactions to the directive of their courts, and their respective villains.

In literature, the term foil has been used to describe characters that contrast each other in order to accentuate certain characteristics. However, there are also instances in which the characters can be dramatically similar, in order to further emphasize their key differences. Sir Gawain and Robin Hood fall in the latter category of literary foils. For one thing, they are both members of the aristocratic elite. In Roger Lancelyn Green's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain introduces himself as "son of...