Examples Of Archetypes In Beowulf

An Archetypal hero is a type of character in literature with defining characteristics, Beowulf fits the definition of an Archetypal hero but is never betrayed in the story. Beowulf performs heroic deeds, is the son of a great warrior, and is in a position of established power. Beowulf displays acts of Apotheosis, god like abilities, during many of his battles in his search for fame and glory.

The poem does not give this insight of what happens before, or from Grendel's point of view. Seeing this scene in the movie gives the audience a better understanding of why Grendel and also his mother attack the Danes. Later in the movie Beowulf says, "He's no more human than you and I", which is true. If the Danes didn’t kill Grendel's father, the outcome of the story could have possibly been changed because Grendel would have had a different life and not seek revenge on the Danes, specifically the one who Grendel had seen kill his father. In the poem Grendel fights Beowulf, rather than avoiding Beowulf most of the time in the movie. In the poem, Grendel is seen as an evil monster that kills and eats the Hrothgar warriors and cannot be penetrated by weapons, rather than just human, or troll, like the movie. When the battle with Grendel occurs in the poem, it is said that Beowulf had cut off his arm to defeat him. While in the movie, Grendel finds himself stuck hanging, and must cut off his own arm to escape from Beowulf and his men. Both the movie and poem result in the death of Grendel, eventually leading to the revenge of his mother.

In the epic, Beowulf, in the first battle the hero travels across a sea to defeat a monstrous beast that has been terrorizing the Danes, killing warriors at will. Beowulf, a Geat, goes to Denmark to defeat the embodiment of the evil of killing one’s own family. The monster he faces is Grendel, who has be ravaging and gorging himself on the Danish people for twelve years. Grendel was spawned from the sin of Cain killing Abel. Young Beowulf’s hopes are high in this battle, because not only is he proving himself to the king, but to all of the Danish people. The first fight has a positive outcome for the Danes and builds Beowulf’s reputation, but he isn’t satisfied with how he defeated Grendel. Beowulf managed to mortally wound Grendel, but he wasn’t able to end the creature's life in the Mead Hall. The

Beowulf, the wonderful--yet very tragic--epic poem expresses the true importance of heroes and outcasts within any given myth. A hero is a character who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities; while an outcast is a character who is separated from society due to a physical impairment or an emotional or physiological realization that makes him/her different. These characters are also known as archetypal characters. Some of these characters include Beowulf, Wiglaf, Grendel, and Grendel’s mother--all of which are essential to the completion of Beowulf. For a myth to be successful, an outcast and hero must be present because each plays a significant role in the storyline.

Imagine being called a monster although you can think, feel and have goals like any other human. Though, due to looking like a beast no humans believe you aren’t hostile. Archetypes are used exactly to show how one can be seen in a story, demonstrating what group they fit in that story.

In the Anglo Saxon epic poem Beowulf, written down by two Christian monks, archetypes are highly prevalent and the hero archetype is filled by the main character Beowulf, this position being filled by Beowulf is very heavily throughout the book. One example of this position being filled is his close following to the hero’s quest. Throughout the book he closely follows many of the stages of the hero's quest such as his repeated cycle of fighting evil after defeating it already, we first see this with grendel, then grendel's mom and then the dragon, in the hero's quest the hero constantly has to fight off evil as he is the only one who is able to do it. The first quote in which we see this fighting of evil happen is “So times were pleasant for the people there/ until finally one, a fiend

Beowulf is an epic poem whose earliest surviving copy was written in 1000 A.D. The story consists of three thousand one hundred and eighty two lines that follow the life of the title character. The original author of the epic poem is unknown mainly because it started as a verbal tale passed down orally through the ages. Finally someone wrote it down in a document now called the Nowell Codex. The epic tale is centered on Beowulf and his actions in an adventure to repay a debt owed by his father to Hrothgar, a Danish king. A gargantuan monster that is terrorizing Hrothgar’s mead hall is Beowulf’s target and Beowulf sails across the sea to aid his father’s

The story of Beowulf is a heroic epic chronicling the illustrious deeds of the great Geatish warrior Beowulf, who voyages across the seas to rid the Danes of an evil monster, Grendel, who has been wreaking havoc and terrorizing the kingdom. Beowulf is glorified for his heroic deeds of ridding the land of a fiendish monster and halting its scourge of evil while the monster is portrayed as a repugnant creature who deserves to die because of its evil actions. In the epic poem, Beowulf the authors portrays Grendel as a cold-hearted beast who thrives on the pain of others. Many have disagreed with such a simplistic and biased representation of Grendel and his role in the epic poem. John Gardner in his book, Grendel set out to change the

Another significant part of the quest pattern in Beowulf is the use of archetypal situations. Beowulf hears of the “terrible deeds of Grendel” (9); a fiendish monster in the land of the Danes. Accepting the quest to save Hrothgar’s kingdom he set sail to go “Over the swan-road to seek the king / Who suffered so sorely” (9). Upon arriving in the Danish kingdom he is told to “Enter now [...] to Hrothgar’s hall. / But leave your shields and the

"The incitement to violence depends on the total transvaluation of the ordinary values. By a single stroke, the most criminal acts must be converted to heroic and meritorious deeds" (Gardner 117). Red Horse, Hrothulf’s adviser, describes perfectly the black and white Anglo-Saxon culture that leaves Grendel confused and alone. John Gardner’s novel, Grendel, pushes the idea of a world of gray where neither hero nor villain exists, everyone a combination of damning and redeeming traits. Although Gardner includes some elements of Anglo-Saxon culture such as boasts and raids upon other nations, he satirizes them so they are viewed as meek attempts at comfort in a world where everything is meaningless.

across a foreign land to help the townspeople. He kills the demon Grendel in order to stop his

In literature we often see a hero. The hero is often the main character of a who story goes on a quest, faces dangerous risks, and battles good and evil along the way. In the narrative poems Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight we as readers witness two examples of the epitome of a true hero, according to the cultures that produced these works. Beowulf, the Geatish hero of an Anglo-Saxon folk epic, sets out on a quest to kill Grendel, a monster who has caused much chaos in the land of the Danes. Beowulf embarks on this quest for the safety of Hrothgar’s people, but also (and primarily) to further his own fame and renown. In addition, Sir Gawain also exemplifies a true hero for the readers of the Late Middle Ages as he accepts the challenge of the Green Knight and embarks on a hopeless journey that involves presenting his head for decapitation. Even though Sir Gawain contradicts himself in the end because of his disloyalty, he triumphs in the battle of good vs. evil. These archetypal characters both represent a force of “good” within their narrative poems in terms of how their respective cultures defined

Beowulf was an epic poem that embodied many of the themes of the time period that it was written. Many ideas such as the obsession was wealth, power, and fame are well documented throughout history. While Beowulf was certainly fiction, there is no reason that the unknown creator of the epic would not have taken elements from the surrounding culture to enrich the story. This theory would justify the recurring elements of masculine male warriors and a lack of women as anything other than wives or bargaining chips. It is no secret that women have not always been treated as equals, especially in a time where most societies were patriarchal. All of the ancient societies also tend to have their legends and heroes. Beowulf was simply an exaggeration

The death and destruction of three larger than life monsters define Beowulf’s legacy. The tradition of battle provides a sense of purpose for young warriors as they seek to attain acceptance and acknowledgement for their acts of bravery. Beowulf’s final battle offers some controversy because of the dragon’s unusual behavior. In order to fully understand the difference between the final battle and that of the first two, one must examine the way in which the battle commences. The narrator introduces the first two monsters rather abruptly, without providing the audience with any context to Grendel’s reign of terror. The dragon’s existence differs greatly from Grendel’s because his existence revolves around protecting a treasure hoard void of violence to the townspeople. Grendel’s mother also differs from the dragon because she does not exhibit any signs of reason during her fit of rage. Furthermore, the narrator provides a different perception of the dragon because he seems to exhibit human qualities and reacts with a warrior-like mentality. The dragon’s tale serves to highlight Beowulf’s inability to resist glory through battle, which in turn, victimizes the dragon whose existence revolves around protecting his hoard and reclaiming his stolen treasure.

A history of moral challenge, warriors and monsters consume most of the old English literature dating back to the Anglo-Saxons story of a hero's and kings in which Beowulf flourished. A structure of interlaced storytelling and moral challenges consumes the composition crafting it in such a way that it can pull the average reader into its depths of Beowulf's poem. "Beowulf" consists of once a hero, who helped the King of Danes slay a joy eating monster Grendel and his revengeful mother, turned to a king who protects his own people against the distraught of a mighty dragon. Beowulf does so with great strength and courage but such humanlike resemblance its often seen as encouraging. What makes it so is the format and composition that entrances and shift as you read the folktale and the relatable moral obligations with a human-like resemblance to entrance the audience.