“WHAT YOU GOT WORTH LIVING FOR?”

That’s the question Miracle Max shouts in the ear of Westley in The Princess Bride. Our mostly-dead hero dredges up two words from the romantic depths of his soul: “True love.”

Which only shows how the ideal heroic character has changed.

Take the story of Lancelot and Guinevere. We celebrate their love and even the love triangle with King Arthur. But that’s far from the view of Thomas Malory’s 15th century Morte d’Arthur, our main source for the tale. In mediaeval eyes, the affair between Guinevere and Lancelot was a betrayal that eventually destroyed the special fellowship of the Knights of the Round Table.

Or take Beowulf, the hero of the Old English epic poem that bears his name. In keeping with his times, Beowulf’s virtues are his unrelenting pursuit of his enemies, his desire for fame and renown, his loyalty to his comrades and his king. We have only the faintest whiff of a potential love interest — an unnamed woman who mourns his passing at the end of the tale.

Would this satisfy a 21st century audience?

Not likely. Anyone writing a novel about Beowulf — such as myself — would need to soften those edges and give the man a heart.

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Bones and Keeps: https://www.amazon.com/Bones-Keeps-Dena.../dp/1773170147

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Painting: Lynd Ward (from his "Beowulf" series)