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Quests In Beowulf

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In Heaney’s Beowulf, Beowulf is an epic hero because he is on a journey to find self-knowledge.
To begin with, quests are a multi-step process; and in order for Beowulf to become an epic hero, he must follow the main structure of a quester. In Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines he states, “The quest consists of five things: a quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go, challenges and trials en route, and a real reason to go there” (Foster 3). Quests are no simple matter, and in order for a hero to be considered epic, they must pass the series of different characteristics. First of all, an epic hero must be someone who does something outside of his daily routine. Foster states, “A quester is just a person who goes on a quest, whether or not he knows it’s a quest” (3). The epic hero must be exceptional, there must be something remarkable about him. In the same way, an epic hero should be leaving somewhere to do something. Foster also says, “A place to go and a stated reason to go there should be considered together: someone tells our protagonist, our hero, to go somewhere and do something” (Foster 3). The hero must venture out of the comfort of his home for him to be considered epic, that way he is not selfish in what he is accomplishing. The hero must also have some reason to go on this journey, some threat or mission he must fulfill. Adding to that, challenges must be overcame for your hero to be considered epic. Foster quotes, “A knight, a dangerous road, a Holy Grail, at least one dragon, one evil knight, one princess” (2). Whatever challenges he may face, he must face them for the betterment of humanity. And finally, an epic hero must be on this journey not just because it is necessary, but because he is trying to find something along the way. Foster notes, “The real reason for a quest never involves the stated reason” (3). The quester is not going on this journey simply because he is asked to, there must be some reason pushing them to make these decisions. Foster’s description of a quester proves that epic heroes must be on a quest for glory and self-knowledge.
Along with that, The story of Beowulf shows that he is, in fact, a

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