Essay On Archetypes In Beowulf

Even when he saves countless lives, the hero never intends his quests to benefit anyone else than himself. This is constant throughout the book, and not even at his deathbed does Beowulf acknowledge something that is not about him or gold. He is often preoccupied by money and fame, but the wellbeing of other people is not in his vocabulary. For example, when a dragon begins to terrorize his kingdom, Beowulf 's first thought is not to protect his people. Instead, he says, "I 've never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles.

Heroic figures have long been the root of inspiration and fascination for humankind. A myriad of hero myths share themes and patterns that have recurred throughout time in countless narratives. In J. K. Rowling’s books about the young wizard Harry Potter, we find the same themes, motifs and structures that these hero myths are composed of. To analyse the mythical structure in Harry Potter, two influential concepts about the construction of typical hero myths will be discussed in this chapter: psychoanalyst Otto Rank’s theory of the archetypical hero’s life and mythologist Joseph Campbell’s theory of the “monomyth”: • The archetypical hero:

“Beowulf experiences neither the refusal of the call nor the refusal of the return” (Kelley, 138). Beowulf’s heroism is in some ways defined by the many quests he went on. He was first tasked to save the Danes from certain death by the hands of Grendel. He is called by King Hrothgar to come help.

During this final battle is left with only one person to stand by him as every other warrior has fled. With the help of this lone warrior Beowulf is able to defeat the dragon, but not before being mortally

It is evident from the beginning of the poem that Beowulf is meant to be the hero. He is strong, brave, and courageous but is also boastful and seeks only fame and glory. These characteristics are examples of things that could be related to hyper masculinity and are not necessarily desired in a hero today. In the quote “They have seen my strength for themselves, Have watched me rise from the darkness of war, Dripping with my enemies' blood. I drove Five great giants into chains, chased All of that race from the earth.

His main quest is to get forgiveness from the gods. A worrier tries to win just like Hercules “wins” over the gods be completing each task. His main fear was being unable to do each task. A warrior is a afraid of weakness just like how Hercules is afraid of being too weak to do each task. His main dragon is Eurystheus.

He is much less emotional than Hamlet and Laertes, as he is logical in his action. Both Hamlet and Fortinbras plan to avenge their father’s death from the start of the story ( Lynch 2). They both feel cheated of the crown after their father’s unrightful passing and that their uncles stripped them of their title. Hamlet is a soldier with no real power and seems to be okay with it; he doesn 't want to fight. Yet, Fortinbras is a soldier that takes it into his own hand to have power and loves to fight.

Perhaps the most compelling difference might be the fact that Beowulf fights the last battle with Wiglaf, instead of by himself. Unlike the rest of Beowulf’s men, Wiglaf stays with Beowulf as he remembers the loyalty, trust, and generosity that Beowulf constantly shows to his men. In this battle, Beowulf does fight the dragon but towards the end Wiglaf step in and aids Beowulf. Each of these reasons shows the differences between the battles.

In his final chapters, Beowulf faces the dragon. Through his sense of responsibility for his people, Beowulf puts his life at risk and fights the dragon disregarding his own glory. Early in the story, Gawain is hold accountable and must keep the agreement he made with the Green Knight. Knowing his reputation and his king’s is at risk, Gawain follow through with his word. Again, Macbeth is the only one who doesn’t meet the heroic qualifications, as he fails to have a sense of obligation towards his people and only focuses on his own interest.

He realizes that he should’ve taken the offer from the king of Rome earlier instead of waiting to accept because then he may of never been murdered or the people of Rome would’ve already known of the decision of the new king. Lastly, he was given a fate that was greater than when he deserved. All he ever did was serve Rome and serve the King well. He wanted to keep his family safe and also his men out during the wars they conquered

During the time period Beowulf was written the idea of myths and archetypes were found in almost every piece of literature. There are many types of archetypes that can be found within Beowulf, but the two major archetypes presented are the hero and the outcast. Heroes were often seen as a figure larger than life, one who is in search of self-identity, and often seen to have god on their side. An outcast is a character that is separated from society because of a physical impairment, their actions, or the actions of their ancestors. However, Beowulf is unique because there are characters within the poem that blend from one archetype to another causing the character to constantly change their actions within the poem.

Beowulf, an epic poem written by two unknown authors, portrays violence and the struggles of being someone in power. Beowulf is a warrior king who was raised with the Anglo-Saxons ideals. He faces many barriers and hardships throughout his life, fighting monsters both mentally and physically. Beowulf demonstrates leadership and heroic deeds through courage, pride and greed. Heroism is portrayed in the text through courage and syntax, which affects the way the reader perceives the story.

Additionally, Beowulf’s immense courage makes him fit for representing the ideal epic hero. Beowulf is brave and he does not avoid doing anything that might be dangerous or risky. Beowulf is even willing to give up his life, when he performs some of the courageous deeds. For example, when Beowulf plans to fight Grendel, he tells Hrothgar: “’the monster’s scorn of men / Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. / Nor will I’”

Heroes in Medieval times were the men who fought wars to save their kingdom from the enemy. They were worshipped by their king, and received gifts such as treasure and land. Knights were said to be highest in rank, following after noblemen. Only a certain amount of men were ranked as knights because back then people believed in destiny. So many didn’t consider working up into a higher class.

¨True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life, in whatever shape they may challenge us to combat¨- Napoleon. Clearly, Napoleon is explaining that a hero will conquer any negative things in life that challenge them. For example, modern day superheroes always overcome their problems in life. Modern day superheroes such as Batman, Superman, and Spiderman fight the villains and grow superior to the negative aspects in their lives. Similarly, heroes in poems and books gain their heroic name by defeating the ills of life.