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Examples Of Archetypes In Beowulf

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Beowulf follows the mythological/archetypal Hero Quest, but the unknown author still manages to throw in surprises to keep the readers on their toes. The basic mythological Hero’s Quest, most often, has twelve main sections throughout each story. The traditional components being the call to adventure, accepting the call, and the archetypes developed in the hero’s journey. However, Beowulf does not follow most of the traditional mythological Hero’s Quest. The unknown author creates Beowulf's outside the box story through his own words. The long-established Hero Quest was constructed by a man named Joseph Campbell. Campbell recognized similar elements within hero myths, told around the world. The research he did led him to discover basic elements …show more content…

“After defeating the enemy, surviving death and finally overcoming his greatest personal challenge, the Hero is ultimately transformed into a new state, emerging from battle as a stronger person and often with a prize.” (Bronzite 1) Beowulf didn’t change after any of his fights. He remained the same prideful warrior as when he went into the fight. If anything, he became more prideful due to the outcome of the fight being his victory. Beowulf did, however, receive an award from Hrothgar for defeating Grendel and Grendel’s mother. His kingdom, when he was older, received to treasure from the dragon's keep and buried it with Beowulf. So, he technically received an award for defeating the dragon, but he gave his life to get it and never got to really enjoy it. Of the last three stages, Beowulf only connects with the first one, the road back. “This stage in the Hero's journey represents a reverse echo of the Call to Adventure in which the Hero had to cross the first threshold” (Bronzite 1) Beowulf journey’s home after his fight with Grendel and Grendel’s mother, and gives his rewards he earned to his king. However, there was no journey home after Beowulf’s with the dragon. Beowulf’s fight with the dragon was his last hero

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In the last stage of Beowulf’s epic hero journey, fatalism determines his grand finale against the dragon. The warrior king’s long journey is now coming to a close and before going into battle against the dragon, Beowulf realizes that, “After many trials,/ he was destined to face the end of his days/ in this mortal world; as was the dragon,/ for all his long leasehold on the treasure” (Beowulf 2341-2344). After facing Grendel and his mother, fate has lead Beowulf to the crisis of his journey. The dragon is the final monster he must defeat in order to complete his monomyth cycle. He is a symbol of the deadly sin, greed.

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The Quest archetype in "Beowulf" is represented by the titular hero's journey to defeat the monstrous Grendel and later the dragon. Beowulf is depicted as a great warrior and a hero who is willing to risk his life to protect his people. The Quest serves as a demonstration of Beowulf's bravery and his determination to overcome evil and restore peace to his kingdom. Through the Quest, Beowulf becomes a symbol of hope and inspiration for his people, demonstrating that even in the face of great adversity, one can rise above and triumph.

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1250 Words | 5 Pages

Mythological or Archetypal philosophy has been around for centuries and is used across numerous cultures. Carl Jung, a close colleague of Sigmund Freud, defined the word archetype as “a figure...that repeats itself in the course of history wherever creative fantasy is fully manifested.” Archetypes can come in various forms: characters, images, and situations. Though many different forms of archetypes appear in the tale of Beowulf, specifically, the archetypal character roles of the hero and the outcast are major aspects of the story. The role of the hero is a popularly recognizable element of many stories.

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1082 Words | 5 Pages

Beowulf won all three of his battles but he did lose his life in the last one. Beowulf had no weaknesses during the fight with Grendel. Then, the fight with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf showed a little bit of weakness where he almost died. Finally, the fight with the dragon, Beowulf did get bite in this fight, but right after he stabbed the dragon. The bite from the dragon was the only weakness Beowulf showed, but he lost his life after it.

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1002 Words | 5 Pages

The story of Beowulf successfully follows every step of an Archetypal Hero Quest; the hero, Beowulf, answers a call, makes a decision, prepares, faces obstacles, reaches a climax, and returns home. Beowulf is met with three large battles within Beowulf, first with Grendel, then with Grendel’s mother, and his last fatal battle, with a dragon. Each battle carries aspects that add to the Hero Quest but do not fully create one until all are together. The call is the beginning of a Hero Quest.

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1832 Words | 8 Pages

On this trip, he has to plead with the scorpions, travel in total darkness and cross the Sea of Death. Beowulf enders another trial when he is able to defeat

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702 Words | 3 Pages

Beowulf went through so much to prove he was worthy enough to protect their kingdom and defeat Grendel. The story Beowulf was a great story to read and a great movie to watch; however, the battles were very eye catching and had a lot of extravagant and heroic doings of Beowulf. The first scenario that I’m going to discuss in the movie and story of Beowulf is The Battle with Grendel. In the movie Grendel attacked Beowulf in the Heriot while everyone was dancing and singing.

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338 Words | 2 Pages

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

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570 Words | 3 Pages

The story of Beowulf isn’t just any ordinary story, but a story that has been told for centuries. A story of a hero who’s legacy has been told for so long. Beowulf’s life shows the characteristics of a true epic hero. He showed bravery, he used his strength against his enemies and in the end gave the ultimate sacrifice for his people.

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687 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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806 Words | 4 Pages

Beowulf is a poem that based in the 10th and 11th century that revolved around the idea of good vs evil. The poem is named after Beowulf who is a supernatural hero that slays any evil that crosses his path but is a real sweetheart when it comes to other people or the king. Beowulf is to be considered an epic poem because the hero in the story creates acts of being courageous and even superhuman in some cases, reflecting timeless values such as courage and honor, and the poem reflects unforgettable values with honor and courage. Typically in an epic poem, one will see a character or “the hero” who has outstanding courage and commit superhuman deeds and show values to other people in that era. “Then he drew himself up beside his shield./The fabled warrior in his warshirt and helmet/trusted in his own strength entirely/

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1225 Words | 5 Pages

“The standard path of the mythological adventure of the hero is a magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation – initiation – return: which might be named the nuclear unit of the monomyth” (Campbell 23). Joseph Campbell, author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, claims that all heroes in myths and stories are essentially the same, the title itself reflecting that. This theory he called a monomyth, the myth that in which all myths fall under, describing the hero’s journey. Campbell created a sort of formula and cycle consisting of seventeen steps, categorized into three sections; departure, initiative, and return. Campbell's theory drew off of ideologies like that of Freud.

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1080 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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656 Words | 3 Pages

He is completely satisfied with his station in life and is courteous to the other pilgrims without becoming friendly with them. Beowulf and the Knight are the protagonist of the two great literary works Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales. Beowulf stands out as the protagonist, a great warrior who fights evil and displays heroism throughout his whole life. The knight stands out as the protagonist who fight for truth and faith. Both Beowulf and The Knight encompass Loyalty and Humbles as great

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1363 Words | 6 Pages

Very little is known about the epic poem Beowulf besides that the story was told during the Anglo-Saxon period, specifically between the years 500-1100. The author is unknown, due to the fact that the story was originally told verbally and not documented until much later. Like many stories told throughout the ages, Beowulf consists of many archetypes. An archetype is a recurring symbol found in literature, such as the Hero archetype. In this epic poem, the hero, Beowulf, travels from his homeland to Denmark to save a kingdom from an awful beast that has been attacking men late at night for over twelve years.

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