The epic poem “Beowulf” exemplifies the claim made by Joseph Campbell regarding the hero's call to adventure. The hero Beowulf and the hero from call to adventure both go through tremendous trials. In both stories the hero's struggle with life or death decisions. If they make one wrong move they are dead. Furthermore the next paragraph will explain how they are alike.
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. 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.
Years and years ago, many qualities could be found in warriors that are still prevalent today both in the present and past world. In “Mulan”, Fa Mulan from China is a very courageous woman. Defending her people and ,ultimately, saving her people despite the fact that she is a woman and could be killed if her secret were ever found out. Chris Mintz, a former 30 year old Army infantryman, threw himself into harms way, taking seven bullets, and surviving the encounter. Beowulf, from Scandinavia, held a great deal of pride without too much arrogance. He withheld his strength, unless necessary, and with time, grew the loyalty, courage, and faith warriors have today.
When compared against modern heroes, Beowulf comes off as a more of a rugged dirty character. When looking at heroes such as Captain America or Luke Skywalker, both of these characters are never pictured as dirty. Captain America, also known as Steve Rogers, is always pictured as clean and his suit never dirty, same thing with Luke Skywalker. Luke Skywalker grew up a farm boy on the desert planet of Tatooine and later became a Jedi Knight, he was never explained as dirty or foul such as Beowulf was.
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 balance of good and evil in Beowulf by Seamus Heaney is apparent in the characters Grendel, Grendel’s mother, Beowulf and Wiglaf. Grendel is a slayer and kills the Danes in Heorot Hall. Grendel’s mother comes for revenge of her son and in the process kills Hrothgar’s friend and adviser, Aeschere. Beowulf does countless acts of selfless deeds, even for those who are not of the Geat clan. Wiglaf comes to Beowulf’s aid when nobody else does while battling the dragon.
From the battles and fame to their leadership and loyalty both epic heroes gilgamesh and beowulf display the common characteristics of an epic hero. All throughout their journeys both heros come across situations that make them show who they really are and what they believe in. Although certain aspects of their leadership, journeys and personal beliefs are similar the way they display themselves in their personal and public lives make many of their characteristics differ from one another.
Beowulf is an archetypal story known by generations around the world. Beowulf took place during Anglo-Saxon English time period. In this work, Beowulf, a young Geat man, journeys to Denmark to save the Danes from the wrath of the demonic Grendel. During Anglo-Saxon time, Beowulf was a folk song only passed around by word of mouth. Monks eventually transferred it to paper since they were the only ones capable of writing. 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.
In the movie and epic poem Beowulf there were many similarities and difference that was noticed. Beowulf was not a true as he was in the movie. However in the epic poem he was more honest and he kept his word. For example, when Beowulf doesn’t tell the truth about defeating Grendel’s mother, but in the poem he actually defeated her. On the other hand it was interesting to see the poem come to life and it made it easier to understand the concept of the story.
The journey of an epic hero is a literary story that is repeated time and time again in a variety versions. One of the oldest examples is the epic poem Beowulf and one of the latest examples is the movie The Hobbit. In both stories, the main characters, Beowulf and Thorin, go through trials and display certain qualities that qualify them as heroes. The three trials that Beowulf and Thorin go through in Beowulf and The Hobbit reveal the heroic characteristics that both of them possess or learn to possess.
Beowulf and King Arthur are both portrayed as heroes and someone to look up to. Some similarities are both of them are very brave. They are also both very compelling leaders in their own respective ways. Even with their similarities they have differences in their heroic qualities such as Beowulf not really being a human in the sense that he can do superhuman things and King Arthur being a normal human being. It's also interesting to note that King Arthur was more of a hero for his character whereas Beowulf was more of a hero in the sense that he slays monsters and dragons.
Although some might think the epic poem, Beowulf and the animated movie, Aladdin may have nothing in common, these two works actually have many relatable aspects. One of these common characteristics is the type of the plot that both of these works contain, the Hero’s Quest. However, with these similarities come many differences in these respectable works of literature. These similarities and differences include the Hero’s Quest, the type of villain, and the hero portrayed in each plot. Which one fits the Hero’s Quest better?
Literature has maintained a strong influence on society and its perceptions of heroes for centuries. In consequence, the time period in which a literary work is written reveals much about that society’s ideal. For example, the Anglo-Saxon epic, Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, illustrates the deeds of a heroic knight and reflects the values of his community. Throughout the poem, Beowulf displays commendable behavior by saving another kingdom, defeating three villains, and maintaining allegiance to the lord and his people. Even though a millennium has passed since the release of this epic, heroes today display characteristics similar to those of Beowulf. Yusra Mardini, for instance, is a Syrian teenager who, while escaping her war-torn
The characters Frodo, Aragorn and Gandalf are similar to characters in Beowulf. Another similarity of characters from Beowulf and in the Lord of the Rings are the orcs and they have a connection with Beowulf because like Gendel they both are creatures that like violence and they both attack in the dark. These two are Also how some of the settings are very close to what the ones in Beowulf. The book beowulf and the movie The Lord of the Rings are both about two heroes going on a epic journey to help out and save all of mankind. Also the author of the Lord of the Rings made a setting in middle earth just how the setting in Beowulf. Aragorn is the character from The Lord of The Rings that is the closest to being Beowulf. Aragorn is the main protagonist, just like Beowulf, because they both have many similarities. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, is the most versatile warrior and he is the heir to the throne to Gondor. Beowulf is the son of Ecgtheow and he is also a very skilled and famous warrior. Like Aragorn, Beowulf is the future leader to Geatland. These two great warriors are convinced by their friends to take the throne and be in charge. But both do not want to because they are humble and want to be equal with everyone
Stories contain many characters with some that stand out more than the others. A person is considered the protagonist depending on who is telling the story and what story is being told. The protagonist is the main character in a literary work. Whether good or evil, the audience sympathize with the protagonist and understands the motif of the character. Beowulf is a protagonist whose encounters with evil proves him to be a strong heroic warrior. The knight from the Canterbury Tales is considered the protagonist as he serves as an honorable servant to the king. Beowulf and The Knight both compare through their loyalty and humbleness.