The poets within Beowulf sing about tales of heroes and their heroic deeds. The sing about these deeds, even if some of them have failed. They sing their songs to King Hrothgar, his subjects, Beowulf, and his men. The poets sang to share these stories, back then stories were always passed down orally through
A Hero's Journey thru Life Throughout life there will be many challenges that will present themselves some of them will be caused by someone else but others will be caused by yourself. Some people will call these people Foes or Anti-Heros. They can range from a monster called Grendel to just a teacher at your high school or just earning the high school diploma. The “Hero” will need to overcome the foe in whatever way they chose. For a high school student there are many foes that one might need to overcome, one of them is graduating high school.
Through the perils of its lair and its poisonous fangs, “the ground-burner” embodies man’s fear of inevitable death (2713). After finding the man who awoke the beast, the Geats encounter the dragon’s home. Beowulf enters “an underground barrow near the sea-billows” to face his enemy alone as his men wait outside on the crag (2411). The beast’s lair symbolizes
The third and final evil Beowulf must face is the dragon. At this point in the poem, Beowulf has been the “ring-giver” or king for half a century (Beowulf 2207). The role of a king in Germanic times included rewarding warriors with treasure captured in battle; however, the dragon keeps his treasure to himself. This greediness is in direct opposition to the qualities of a good king, and the dragon becomes the representation of selfishness and destruction. Beowulf takes on the role of a warrior once again, and defeats the dragon.
As Beowulf’s final fight in the epic he is faced with a dragon on his own land. The dragon was used to represent a serpent of Satan’s whom is a liar and thief. Beowulf fights a long battle with the help of Wiglaf, and finally defeats the dragon. He is killed by a stab to the side after many slashes already occurred.
Beowulf assumes the throne and reigns peacefully for 50 years, though there is still a trial to be completed. His final test is the hardest in terms of the monster he has to face and how high stakes the battle is. A dragon is razing all the villages and burning them down. Although Beowulf knows that this fight could be his last, he chooses to face the Dragon anyway, because if he doesn’t it could ensure the destruction of all of his kinsmen. This conforms to the Resurrection stage of the hero’s journey as the dragon is nothing like anything he faced in the
The imagery employed in Beowulf's death scene vividly depicts the hero's unwavering bravery and resilience in the face of his final battle. As the dragon emerges from its lair, the poet masterfully describes it as a "fire-dragon on the prowl" (line 2276), instantly evoking an image of a ferocious and menacing creature wreathed in flames. This visual imagery heightens the tension and emphasizes the overwhelming odds against Beowulf as he prepares to confront this formidable adversary. Furthermore, when
In the epic Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is depicted as a heroic figure who fights monsters and defends the weak. During its time, Beowulf would be considered a great hero, however in today 's standards Beowulf would only be considered a great warrior. That’s because a hero should value the lives of the people and not seek to be rewarded. Instead, Beowulf committed heroic acts for his own selfish reasons and never shows to values the lives of the people. From fighting Grendel to slaying the dragon, Beowulf only fought because he value the fame and fortune that comes along with those accomplishments.
Mythic heroes are set apart from the known and are expected to do unbelievable accomplishments while facing overwhelming odds. Throughout Campbell’s life, he noticed the same challenges heroes endured and came up with stages that a hero goes through. There are many examples of that prove that Campbell’s theory is true. Beowulf is a prime example of the stages to qualify as a mythic hero because he goes through the three main parts: departure, initiation, and the return.
To be considered an epic hero, one must not only exhibit acts of courage but also perform acts of being superhuman. Beowulf, known for his great feats of strength, is considered to be one of the greatest epic heros of all time. He posses all the qualifications necessary for him to be categorized as being an epic hero. What does it take to be an Epic hero? It's a name given to few.
Beowulf comes from a well respected family. His dad, the King of the Geats, allows Beowulf to step up as a hero and prove himself. He led his hero’s journey by conquering many, as well as keeping his reputation of coming out on top when it came to fighting battles. He shows many hero-like characteristics throughout the book such as bravery, courage, honor, and leadership which students and teachers alike still consider honorable in today’s day and age. Being a hero requires one to conquer many obstacles.
The Heroic Deeds of Beowulf In the epic poem, Beowulf, the hero’s decision to travel across the ocean to defeat the nefarious Grendel can be attributed to his compassion, faith, and humility. Beowulf’s journey, along with his bravery and courage are indicative of the heroic attributes described in The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. Campbell defines a hero as going on a journey that consists of a departure, a fulfillment, and an end. This is an attribute Beowulf exemplifies in his departure to cross the dangerous ocean in order to defeat a monster terrorizing a foreign land.
"I am ripper, tearer, slasher, gauger. I am the teeth in the darkness, the talons in the night. Mine is strength, lust and power. I am Beowulf. "This is how Beowulf speaks.
The adventurous journeys Beowulf took during this epic poem are well told with many literary devices strategically placed throughout the book. These devices are not easily distinguished in old literature, although it is clear that alliteration, kenning, and foreshadowing are key components to the stories. Without each of these techniques the poem would lose rhythm and meaning. Although there are many more techniques to point out, alliteration, kenning and foreshadowing give this poem a lot of charm and character one may not expect. Keep in mind that this time period, during 507 B.C., the Danish and Swedish full-heartedly believed in fate.
Once upon a time, there was a marvelous warrior that was a hero to so many and king to some. In the story of Beowulf, the hero, Beowulf, must follow and go through the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey has twelve stages, or three acts. The stages go in the order: 1) The Call to Adventure, 2) Assistance, 3) Departure, 4) Trials, 5) Approach to the Inmost Cave, 6) Crisis, 7) Treasure, 8) Result, 9) Return, 10) New Life, 11) Resolution, and 12) Status Quo (Winkler). Since Beowulf is facing three different monsters, there is not only the story’s significant journey, but also multiple inside it.
