The easiest archetype to apply to The Hobbit is the example of a quest, as a quest is what the majority of the book consists. The author of How to Read Literature like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster, states that a quest contains a quester, a place to go, a stated reason for going there, challenges along the way, and lastly, the real reason for going there. The quester in the book is Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit that once lived comfortably in his hole in a hill. He informed of his place to go when twelve dwarves, their leader Thorin, and the wizard Gandalf, barge into his home, somewhat uninvited. He must go to the Lonely Mountain and help the thirteen dwarves retake their fortune and land from the dragon, Smaug.
Within this paper, there are two different pieces writing that will be compared. Those writings are The Epic Poem of Beowulf and A Hero’s Journey Archetype. This paper will be discussing this question: How does Beowulf follow the Hero’s Journey Archetypes? According to Hero’s Journey Archetype, the characteristics of a hero is that, the hero is male.
In every epic, many characters follow archetypes, or “patterns that are repeated throughout the ages,” and The Wizard of Oz is no exception to this rule. Dorothy, the main character, embodies “The Orphan” with her fear of being abandoned forever in this bizarre world and her task to return home. She must brave this alien world and all it’s inhabitants to ultimately gain independence and maintain her innocence. The Wizard is “The Creator,” who fears being revealed as a fraud and works to maintain his illusion of greatness. He must help Dorothy and her friends using his inventiveness and power.
Monsters are described as big, ugly, no-feelings creatures. They are also described as creatures of hell or creatures that are not acceptable in the society. This is disagreeable, not all monsters are ugly, and some monsters do have some feelings. The monster Grendel, in the book Grendel by the author John Gardner, shows that he is sensitive and has human's feeling traits even though he is a monster. Different events in the book, prove that the monster is impressionable and afraid.
Smaug Beyond The Surface Within the universe of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien the evil figure archetype is shown through Smaug, this is due to his greedy nature, his destructive tendencies, and his proficient lack of sympathy. As I said, one of Smaug’s main nefarious traits is his lack of moral sympathy. Thorin very early on in the novel tells that Smaug was, “...devouring so many of the dwarves and men of Dale...” (20.)
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.
"In the Wild Light" is a beautiful novel that revolves around the theme of friendship. The story follows the journey of three teenagers, Cash, Sable, and Faith, who are bound by their love for each other and their shared passion for nature. Throughout the novel, several archetypes emerge, highlighting the theme of friendship and how it shapes and influences the characters. One of the most prominent archetypes in the novel is the "loyal companion.
Character Archetype In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu was an example of the character archetype, “The Sidekick,” because he was a faithful and supportive companion of Gilgamesh. Although Enkidu and Gilgamesh initially fought, a strong friendship was sealed between them. When Gilgamesh wanted to slay the monster Humbaba, Enkidu showed the signs of a helpful sidekick by trying to convince Gilgamesh that the feat would be too dangerous and lead to death.
In the novel The Pillars of the Earth, many characters exist with malicious, corrupt intentions. Whether it be in the pursuit of self-gain, or the desire to destroy others, these antagonists constantly cause havoc and destruction. The only thing that comes in between these antagonists and the rest of the population is a few unique individuals. Multiple characters in the novel are characterized as the hero archetype, and although each one operates in their own unique way, they all contribute to the betterment of society, while protecting the people around them. The common trait that defines these individuals as hero archetypes is that they all undergo a quest at some point in the story, which involves a separation, transformation, and return.
The Lord of the Rings is a novel by J.R.R. Tolkien that tells the story of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit who is tasked with destroying the One Ring, a powerful artifact created by the evil Sauron. The characters in The Lord of the Rings are also experiencing internal conflicts in various ways. Frodo, the main character, is struggling with the burden of carrying the ring and the responsibility of saving Middle Earth. He is torn between his desire to fulfill his mission and his fear of the dangers that lie ahead. The novel explores themes of power, corruption, and the nature of good and evil, as well as the importance of friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice.
Race has similar influence in J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Hobbit which features a variety of different creatures and beliefs. Although the book features many different races, the majority of characters from the same race all act the same
The common characteristics of what makes a monster have remained constant throughout society: evil, isolated, violent. Monsters have no regards for social normatives, and cause chaos and destruction wherever they go. Grendel is no exception. In Beowulf, Grendel manifests every characteristic of a stereotypical monster. He is considered inherently evil, and is an outcast; he roams alone and commits devilish atrocities whenever he pleases.
If I have to review “Two Towers” in one sentence then I would say that it is strategic/war fantasy novel as compared to “Fellowship Of The Ring” which is more of a children fantasy. Tolkien very nicely created the middle-earth and “The One Ring” in “Fellowship Of The Ring” which he continued equally aptly in this second part of “Lord Of The Rings”. “Two Towers” picks up the pace from page 1 and continues to enchant the reader till the last page. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Throughout the writing of J R R Tolkien I honestly felt that J R R Tolkien is an amazing dialogue writer.
A hero was a figure in a literature who went beyond the human’s limitation. Among countless heroic literature that were published, The Epic of Gilgamesh was the first Western Literature that portrayed an epic hero. Since the epic was written between 2150 and 1400 BCE, Gilgamesh was the Western Literature’s first known hero. Although each hero had similar characteristics, each hero had different situations and personalities, which led to different heroic archetypes. Depending on each situation and journey, the hero had different roles in literature such as either an epic hero or a tragic hero.
Around the world, there are very different myths and folklore, each suiting a specific culture’s beliefs. Nonetheless, amongst those different narratives, there are certain elements, such as themes, character types, and design, that keep manifesting. These recurrences are labelled as archetypes. One type of archetypes is character archetypes. Prevalent in myths from Sigurd the Volsung to The Epic of Gilgamesh, character archetypes are types of characters that are conventional amidst literature.
