Archetypes In Beowulf

Prior to ever killing Grendal the Danish king, Hrothgar, knew of Beowulf’s father and therefore expected much out of him. Legends of Beowulf could range but he did speak of himself battling sea monsters, several of them all killed by Beowulf. After defeating Grendel Beowulf could have easily left, but instead he stayed to finish the job he had come for. He fought Grendel's mother till bitter death than afterwards took Grendel's head as a trophy to the king of the Danes, Hrothgar. In his later years Beowulf became king after his father before him and his kingdom was under siege by a Dragon, instead of telling his men to slay the beast he fought it himself.

In a present day, many people define the hero, as a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. The definition of hero can be changed depend on culture or people’s belief. Anglo-Saxon is one of tribe who has well developed warrior culture. Anglo-Saxon hero has several archetypes such as courage, responsibility, blood relationship. An epic poem Beowulf reveals Anglo-Saxon’s heroic archetype through the protagonist Beowulf .

First, Beowulf kills Grendel. Then Grendel’s mother comes to the hall to seek revenge. Afterward Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother. Finally Beowulf goes back to Geatland where he gets killed by a dragon. “ ..

The tale contains multiple elements that have been analyzed throughout time. One of the most renowned elements to this well known story is the Hero Quest. The mythological and archetypal Hero Quest is portrayed in Beowulf through the call, obstacles, climax, and return. All great literary monomyths start with the Hero’s call.

The epic poem, Beowulf is about a hero who comes to the aid of King Hrothgar. Hrothgar’s Mead Hall was being destroyed by a demon that lurked the boundaries of the small town. Beowulf hears the news and comes to try to defeat the demon. He performs this admirable deed because he wanted to achieve immortality by being a hero. He fought the monsters with his bare hands. He had the true characteristics of a hero, strength, bravery, and courage. Nobody would dare do the things Beowulf attempted in his lifetime. I envisage during all his battles he possesses all the traits of an epic hero. So, Beowulf, travels from Geatland to save Herot from the demons that lurk about.

It 's a story about being courageous and facing your fear head on even if the outcome was bad. Although, he probably did not expect to go down in history and for people to be hearing about him for thousands of years after what did he expect. The King even loved Beowulf as a son. How many kings really loved their own sons to give them everything they had? From the myths, I have read not very many.

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.

In the bible he murdered his own brother, because he was jealous of God favoring him. In Beowulf he is the ancestor of Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. He is known for this, because he is thought of as Satan and they believe Grendel and the dragon were born from Satan. They all had the same reasoning for fighting, which was

Beowulf contains many different archetypal characters developing the plot. The hero and the outcast are two of those characters essential to the development of the story. The archetypal hero is a figure known to be larger than life. The hero strives his/her entire life for self-fulfillment which results in his/her own death or destruction. The outcast is a character who is physically separated from society due to a physical impairment or an emotional difference. Often, the hero can become an outcast during his/her journey. Nevertheless, the hero is typically an enemy of the outcast. In Beowulf, this situation stands true as Beowulf, the hero, has the outcasts, Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon, as enemies. Even though the hero and outcasts

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.

On numerous accounts, Beowulf involved himself in many challenges such battling Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon to prove himself as a hero. In the beginning of the reading, Beowulf faces a rude and self-absorbed being with the name of Grendel. Grendel causes much destruction and terror for the kingdom of Herot by killing many people for their display of happiness. Once hearing

Beowulf, a skilled warrior and was believed to be the strongest of all the lands, heard about the distress in Heorot and decided to make the voyage to assist King Hrothgar. When Beowulf and his men arrived in Heorot, the natives were intimidated by the appearance of his ship and his men, which showed the first act of pride in Beowulf. Beowulf and his men had successfully proved to the people of Heorot that Beowulf believed that he could kill the monster and save the land of Heorot. Hrothgar assigned the duty of killing Grendel to Beowulf and his men, and told them to party, which attracts and angers Grendel, and wait for Beowulf. Grendel entered the mead hall while Beowulf laid patient and observant, waiting for the perfect time to attack, with his bare hands.

Beowulf attempted to comfort Hrothgar and the warriors by exclaiming, “Let your sorrow end! It is better for us all to avenge our friends, not mourn them forever”. He then aims to convince Hrothgar that “for the glory of his name, fame after death is the noblest of goals”. Beowulf believes it is worth dying for a good

Near the end of his life as a king, Beowulf found that his citizens were being terrorized by a dragon. Although he was old and grizzled, the king took it on in battle. He showed tremendous courage even when knowing the odds were not in his favor. Previously, during his time in Denmark, Beowulf killed Grendel’s mother with the sword made for a giant. This showed his superhuman strength because as an ordinary human being Beowulf was able to handle and control the giant’s sword.

King Hrothgar’s response was excitement as he hear stories of Beowulf’s father Ecgtheow as he would reward and bring him treasures. As he sees him as one of the most powerful man, he welcomes his coming and the Geats as they talk about the Grendel and how he would attack the monster. However, they begin to celebrate his coming with a feast that showed that King Hrothgar shows respect for Beowulf and his willingness to defeat Grendel.