ipl-logo

Archetypal Hero Quest In Beowulf

1002 Words5 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. In the story of Beowulf, the hero, Beowulf, does not know about the issue until the call. In Beowulf the call is the acts of Grendel. Grendel is a descendant of the cursed son of Adam and Eve, Caine. In the bible, Caine kills his brother resulting in a curse brought upon by God. Due to this, Grendel lives a life of seclusion and rejection. He takes out his loneliness on the prosperous hall of the Danes. The news of Grendel terrorizing the kingdom became a tale overseas, which is how Beowulf hears of Grendel and his acts. The kingdom had not received successful help, and Beowulf believes that he is capable of helping and takes this as his calling. After the call in a Hero Quest, the hero must make a decision. When Beowulf hears of Grendel and gathers men to help, he has accepted the Hero Quest, therefore, made …show more content…

Before each battle, Beowulf meets major obstacles. When traveling the seas to fight Grendel he reports that there were several sea creatures. When Beowulf arrives, he meets his shadow; an evil figure who mirrors those things the hero most fears or dislikes about himself. Beowulf’s shadow is Unferth. Unferth was intoxicated and tried to accuse Beowulf of not being as magnificent as he claimed. Beowulf explained how Unferth was wrong and claimed that Unferth should not make such accusations when he killed his own family. Beowulf overcame his shadow, and later on Unferth becomes a

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Dialectical Journal For Beowulf

    1903 Words  | 8 Pages

    He says that their lives are guided by the heroic code. Then Beowulf proclaims that he will go fight Grendel's mother and Grendel in an underwater battle and then he sets off. On his way, he is captured by Grendel’s mom and taken. But, when he tries to fight back with his sword the sword does nothing to her causing him to start fighting with his bare hands. Then he discovers a weapon that could help him defeat his enemy and it is a great sword.

    Read More

  • Comparing Beowulf And John Gardner's Gren

    469 Words  | 2 Pages

    The idea of a hero is explored differently in the ancient Anglo-Saxon text Beowulf and John Gardner’s Grendel. During the time period of both of the stories being a hero is very important to everyone. Beowulf is not a true hero, even if he tries to make himself out to seem like a true hero, based on modern ideas of the Hero. In the poem Beowulf being a hero is very important to the main character Beowulf.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Essay: The Hero's Journey

    1227 Words  | 5 Pages

    (McBirney 2). Later, Beowulf faces his ordeal, which is encountering the monster Grendel. The ordeal is the next component of the Hero’s Journey, where the hero faces their hardest obstacle yet. They often have a brush with death, but overcome it and find new hope. Through this battle, he demonstrates his great bravery and strength.

    Read More

  • Archetypes In Beowulf

    937 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Hero's Journey In The Lion King And Beowulf

    1044 Words  | 5 Pages

    He carefully strategized his plan to defeat Grendel. He waited for Grendel to come to Heorot, then surprise attacked him. Grendel put up a fight, but Beowulf was stronger and more intelligent. Beowulf ripped the arm off of the beast, sending him away to die. Not only did Beowulf have to defeat Grendel, but Grendel’s mother came back for revenge, so Beowulf set out to the darkness where Grendel and his mother lived.

    Read More

  • Maya Angelou Vs Beowulf Essay

    870 Words  | 4 Pages

    Soon after, Grendel’s mother wanted vengeance for her son and begun to kill more men in Herot. Beowulf found the mother’s home and killed her and Grendel at once. Towards the end of the epic poem, he also defeated a dragon with the help of Wiglaf. Other soldiers went to the cave with Beowulf but when he needed their help, they all cowered away while Wiglaf went to help his king. The scene showed how not everyone can face the same bravery as Beowulf once did.

    Read More

  • Essay On Archetypes In Beowulf

    1250 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout the poem, Beowulf fights three different monsters and in each of these situations he chooses to begin the fight without their help. He enters into combat with his men by his side, but when the actual fighting begins he defeats the monsters with very little help from them. Beowulf’s strength and physical prowess was unlike any other man in comparison to his height and incredible grip. Furthermore, Beowulf can be categorized as an outcast based on his personality traits. The main character is set apart from the other warriors because of his courage and humility.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Quotes Chapter 11

    1160 Words  | 5 Pages

    Chapter 11: “The Great Geat” In chapter 11, Grendel feels some sort of feeling and sensation of somebody arriving which eventually happens to be Beowulf. Grendel watches as Beowulf and his men arrive and hears their intentions of their arrival while Beowulf is talking to the Danish coastguard. Later on Beowulf arrives to the meadhall, and Grendel listens to Beowulf’s plan on helping Hrothgar kill Grendel. As Grendel continues to eavesdrop, he learns more Beowulf’s characteristics and his stories that express him being a hero and a man of pure courage.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Flaws In Beowulf

    1220 Words  | 5 Pages

    Despite Unferth’s challenge and jealousy towards Beowulf, his actions help Beowulf admit his flaws amidst his greatness. Beowulf first encounters Unferth, one of Hrothgar’s courtiers, when he goes to the Danes to help King Hrothgar fight Grendel.

    Read More

  • Beowulf: A True And Epic Hero

    562 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beowulf is one of the oldest and most well-known epic stories throughout the world. The main character in this story is Beowulf himself. Beowulf is a true and epic hero, who ultimately loses his life while trying to protect the he cared for. Beowulf was a man of great strength, which allowed him to defeat monster and make him the hero that he was. He did not have this strength on his own accord, but was assisted with some divine intervention.

    Read More

  • The Hero's Journey In Beowulf '

    338 Words  | 2 Pages

    As Beowulf has a bond to Hrothgar because of his relationship to his father Ecgtheow, he chooses to journey to her realm which is under gloomy monster-infested waters and face her. Beowulf is a warrior who is bold, brave, and unafraid of challenges. In this grueling battle Beowulf comes close to perishing, as his sword Hrunting fails him. However he finds an ancient sword in the cave and uses it to kill her. He was setback by the loss of the sword but he prevailed and defeated the troll-dam.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Beowulf: A Hero's Journey

    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.

    Read More

  • Comparing Grendel's Mother And The Dragon In Beowulf

    603 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, faces three “monsters” at different times in his life. The poem begins with Grendel, a monster who attacks only in the dark of night, tormenting the kingdom of Hrothgar. The last two sections of the epic detail the conquering by Beowulf of Grendel’s mother and the dragon. The battle between the monsters and Beowulf represent the theme of good versus evil in the poem, as well as the fusion of pagan and Christian ideals in the changing Germanic society. Grendel’s mother’s actions directly juxtapose the role of a woman in this time period, and the greediness of the dragon with his treasure contrasts with the virtues of what would be considered a good king.

    Read More

  • Differences Between The Book And Movie Beowulf

    702 Words  | 3 Pages

    Have you ever heard of the story Beowulf? If not, then I will be telling you the different scenarios that occurred in the movie and the book. Beowulf is about a heroic fellow who saves a kingdom from a magical named Grendel. He went through numerous of battles between Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the Dragon. In this essay I will be discussing the different event that happened in the story and the movie.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Beowulf: A Hero's Journey

    503 Words  | 3 Pages

    This make the hero face a challenge and the beginning of change. When Beowulf had heard about Grendel he got a ship and sailed

    Read More

More about Archetypal Hero Quest In Beowulf

Open Document