Shrek as an Epic Hero

The poem the Odyssey and the movie O Brother, where Art Thou are epic movies with epic heroes such as Odysseus and Everett. To be an epic hero you must be smart, travel a vast setting, be famous, and have a little help from a god.

Joseph Campbell dedicated his whole life researching patterns that appear in almost every hero story or movie. He discovered that there are a few basics stages that just about every hero character goes through. This cycle is called “the monomyth” or more commonly known as “the hero’s journey.” This paper will compare and contrast Beowulf and Shrek and how each fits into the monomyth. Every story that involves a hero will subsequently follow the concept of the Heroes Journey.

Shrek began as an animated movie from DreamWorks Studios in 2001 based on a children’s book of the same name. It was a huge success, spawning three sequels, a spin-off, and the musical adaption reviewed here. The movie, about the eponymous ogre hired to rescue Princess Fiona by Lord Farquaad, is an irreverent take on traditional fairy tale conventions, and subverts many of the most common archetypes found in fairy tales. Though tongue-in-cheek and at times slightly crude, the themes of reserving judgment and the value of friendship are distinct throughout.

An epic hero is one who exhibits courage, strength, bravery, intelligence, and a desire to achieve. Odysseus, from "The Odyssey," is a person who perfectly fits the definition of an epic hero. Odysseus has been one of the most frequently portrayed figures in literature. He performs many courageous acts throughout his journeys: He uses his intelligence to overcome obstacles and learns from his mistakes along the way. In this essay I am going to point out how Odysseus personifies an epic hero.

In the movie, Shrek, directed by Andrew Adamson, the main protagonist Shrek experiences many stages of a hero’s journey. Throughout the movie, Campbell’s ideas are displayed as Shrek experiences changes that shape the way he views the world and ultimately leads to his metaphorical rebirth through the departure, initiation, and return stages.

Shrek leaves his ordinary world when he leaves his house, then goes to the Lord’s castle. Shrek leaves the Lord’s castle sets his way out to the castle which encases Princess Fiona. Donkey, Shrek’s mentor, helps Shrek throughout his tests. Shrek’s enemy is prevailed as soon as the movie starts. Shrek’s rival would be Lord Farquaad because he wishes to only marry the princess, so he can be a monarch. The earliest test would be where Shrek goes against the Lord’s men in a fight. This is where the Lord decided Shrek’s expedition. Without Donkey, Shrek would have never found the Lord’s castle. Shrek proceeds to go through another test. He must rescue Princess Fiona from the highest room in the tallest tower, without dying from the dragon or the lava that encircles the fortress where Fiona is held hostage until someone liberates her from her bedroom in the

Winston Churchill once stated “The price of greatness is responsibility.” In any epic story, achieving greatness is an enormous entitlement for any hero,however by having so much responsibility in life and dealing with responsibility very successfully will bring greatness. Beowulf is well-known story, which many readers would say it give tremendous journey of many epic battles with dreadful beasts and also teaches about pride and honor. However, Beowulf encounter many obstacles throughout the story but conquers the challenges in the end, giving this word “epic hero” it's true meaning.

An epic story is one that combines elements of supernatural powers and heroic deeds with plebeian troubles. In Beowulf , the unknown author paints a typical yet magnificent tale that is one of the great epic chronicles of the Middle Ages. Like the poems of Homer, Beowulf possesses terrible monsters, men with supernatural powers, the search for glory, and deadly defeats. However, this medieval account brings a new element into the folds: the association between established religious forces and personal choices. The concepts of predestination and fate intertwine in this work with the idea of free will.

If you have ever found yourself captivated by a novel, or whisked away following a journey, you have most likely read an epic. An epic by definition is “a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation”. Every epic has a main character that undergoes the same archetypal journey as all other heroes, an epic hero. There are specific qualities one must have to be considered an epic hero. Each epic hero possesses superhuman strength, displays a strong sense of leadership, and reflects their culture in a positive, admirable manner.

“The whole earth is the tomb of heroic men and their story is not given only on stone over their clay but abides everywhere without visible symbol woven into the stuff of other men’s lives,” said Perculus (PR). You’re born, you live a little, and then you die. There is no simpler way to sum up life. Often times this is done through oral tales, paintings, and various other ways. For those whose lives were truly something great, something memorable, their stories are transcripted into writings. Whether these are simple biographies or symbolic fictional works, stories are often based on someone greater than the writer. These “epic heros” are protagonists that fulfill their potential of greatness through using their bravery, strength and

Shrek overcomes series obstacles that transform him in the process. When the three were going back to Lord Farquaad they meet Robin hood who has mistaken Fiona as a “Damsel in distress” and need saving. In the sequence of events Fiona shows her fighting skills and at that moment Shrek and Fiona begin bonding romantically. In this hero’s journey story, the treasure is the princess that Shrek falls in love with. At Shrek’s status quo, he is an isolated and mean character to bond and develop feelings for Fiona shows that Fiona is Shrek’s treasure. Donkey confronts Shrek “Hey, what's your problem, Shrek, what you got against the entire world anyway, huh?” then the hero reveals the need for the treasure to change his status quo, Shrek replies, “Look, I'm not the one with the problem, okay? It is the world that has a problem with ME! People take one look at me and go "Aargh! Help! Run! A big stupid ugly ogre!" They judge me before they even know me - that's why I'm better off alone...” In this case, the hero is in need for companion as a resolution to a new

The story of Beowulf is clearly an epic of mass proportions. It takes its readers through an immense journey of great battles with horrific beasts and also manages to teach about pride and honor. The main character Beowulf faces many challenges throughout the epic but conquers them in the end, giving the word “epic hero” its true meaning. The use of Alliteration, the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, emphasized the certain image of nobility and principle.

In the movie, we meet Princess Fiona. She is beautiful and is looking for her Prince Charming. Shrek is far from a handsome prince and is not what Fiona was expecting. It turns out, Fiona was not a normal princess, but actually a secret ogre at night. This is ironic because she would make fun of Shrek during the day and get angry at how he was not supposed to rescue her since he was not handsome.

A comparison of Homer’s Achilles and Virgil’s Aeneas brings up the question concerning what makes someone an epic hero. Although each poet lived in a dramatically different time period, with different literary integrity, Homer and Virgil each portray an epic hero using different development of the characters, but similar themes and influences. Achilles and Aeneas demonstrate that an epic hero will do whatever it takes to fulfill their duties while simultaneously displaying the difference between Greek and Roman Society. The question will be answered by first, analyzing the individual characteristics of Achilles, a merciless warrior, and Aeneas, a civilized leader, then

An epic is a long, episodic narrative poem that recounts the adventures of a historical or mystical hero. Episodic narratives have a larger story broken down into closely connected, but individual and separate sections. Some important qualities that distinguish an epic are unrealistic antagonists, the Gods and Goddesses playing important roles, and a story involving the re-establishment of a proper leader. “The Odyssey”, by Homer, is an epic because Odysseus (the hero) faces supernatural antagonists, the gods and goddesses play an important role, and Odysseus is being restored as a rightful leader.