Sir Degare retains relevance to a modern audience because it contains the storytelling elements of the ever familiar “hero tale;” in contrast, the Robin Hood tales, most specifically A Gest of Robyn Hode, tell the tale of the popular “anti-hero.” The story elements in these tales are timeless, but what makes them last beyond their time are that they both give an answer to the purpose of human existence. In this case, the question asked is this: in life, do people need to prioritizes themselves, or others? Sir Degare proposes that people’s main responsibilities are to themselves. A Gest of Robyn Hode proposes that people must prioritize others.
In Sir Degare, the message to prioritize yourself is not done for selfish reasons. Rather, the story …show more content…
Degare is undoubtedly selfless, however the purpose of his journey is not to help people. Instead, the point of his journey is to find himself and establish his identity, and everything he does leads into that. He defeats the dragon and the knight to prove that he is strong, but that is something he already knows about himself. The first time Degare uses his strengths in an unfamiliar task is when he fights the king—his grandfather—in the jousting tournament. He also tries to defeat the king so he can gain the kingdom for himself. This does not help anyone accept for Degare, but it proves to be his most important step to discovering his identity, as the king turns out to be his grandfather, and the princess is Degare’s mother. He is also in it for himself when he travels to bring his father back to their kingdom; of course uniting his parents will be a benefit to the entire family, but Degare’s main goal is to restore his own home and identity.
So, Degare is a hero who does good and helps others, like any stereotypical medieval knight archetype, but his story also addresses a more important point: the most important thing in life is to help yourself. In Degare’s case, he must find his identity and purpose. Once he does, he finds the place where he belongs and the people he needs to protect, and these important things give him a reason to use his